You will most likely get an instant reply from your friend on your Messenger when their profile shows the active status with a little green dot unless they are ignoring you.
Generally, the active status can correctly let you know whether a user is active, currently in the same chat as you, or the last time they were online.
But, many users have complained that it is not as accurate as we think. If you are looking for answers to why Messenger shows you active while you are not, then we got answers for you.
The Messenger may show you active when you forget to close the app. So the app is running and using the data in the background. Similarly, if you fail to sign out of your account on other devices, you may still appear active on Messenger. Next, if you use Facebook, you can erroneously appear active on Messenger. Likewise, if you are on the phone with Wi-Fi or mobile data on, you may appear active on Messenger.
Let’s explore more about the active status on Messenger and how far it is misleading.
The Active Status on Facebook Messenger
Messenger is the second most used instant messaging app after WhatsApp. Interestingly, both these apps belong to Meta — the Zuckerberg’s universe.
So, whether you use WhatsApp or Messenger, the money will eventually go into Zuckerberg’s pockets.
Messenger allows you to send texts, pictures, videos, links, and voice notes and make audio and video calls with your friends.
For many years, Messenger was part of Facebook. Now, it is an independent platform with a separate app and website.
Active status is the privilege that Facebook gives its users that helps them find whether their friends are online.
A green dot next to any individual’s profile indicates that the person is live and will most likely respond if you send a message.
The active status on Messenger also shows whether your friend is currently on the same chat as you are and a timestamp that reveals the time when they were last active.
You can view the active status of friends who have not turned it off. Similarly, if you disable your Active status, you will not be able to view others.
Generally, the active statuses take a few minutes to update to reflect the current status of the individual.
Now, the burning question is this active status on Messenger misleading?
Many people have claimed they were not active on Messenger, yet their profiles showed them active. Some of my friends got mad at me for always being active on Facebook and never replying to them.
You cannot see the active status of people who are not your Facebook friends or whose message requests you have not accepted on Messenger.
Can Facebook Messenger Show You Active When You Are Not?
Yes, it can, and it does many times.
It does show people you are online, while in reality, you are not!
Now, various reasons can lead up to this confusion. The first reason could be that you did not close the Messenger app.
When you do not close the app properly, and it keeps running in the background, you can appear active on Messenger.
When the app runs in the background, it is more likely to consume your data and perform actions even if you are not physically active.
Another reason for this misleading active status could be that you were active on Facebook.
For example, when you are scrolling through the Facebook feed, Messenger can show you online erroneously, even if you have not opened the Messenger app.
Next, the probable reason behind this erroneous active status could be that you forgot to log out from Facebook Messenger on other devices.
For example, if you opened Facebook on your other device and forgot to sign out from it, your active status can show a green dot even if you are inactive.
Likewise, you might appear active on Messenger if you are on the phone with mobile data or Wi-Fi turned on. Messenger will continue syncing your data and show you active with a green dot.
Your account might be hacked. You might appear active all the time if someone might have accessed your password or login information and using that to log in to your Facebook.
To avoid it, use a strong password and two-factor authentication. Avoid using public computers for logging into your social media.
You Can Turn Off the Active Status
With every privilege on social media, there is an associated cost, so the cost of this seemingly innocent active status is that it can affect your relationships.
You may lose valuable friendships when you appear active and do not respond to people.
Similarly, the paranoia associated with these “active statuses” on nearly all instant messaging apps can affect your mental state.
The good news is that you can turn off this active status on your Messenger.
On an iOS Device
To turn off the Messenger activity status on your iOS device, follow these steps:
- Launch the Messenger app on your iOS device.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Tap the “Active Status” option.
- Turn off the toggle next to the “Show when you’re active” tab.
- Tap “Turn off” in the dialogue box to confirm.
On an Android Device
To turn off the Messenger activity status on your Android device, follow these steps:
- Launch your Messenger app on your Android device.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Tap the “Active Status” option.
- Turn off the toggle next to the “Show when you’re active” option.
- Select the timeframe or leave it at “Until I change it” and press “Pause.”
On the Messenger Web App
Follow these steps to turn off the activity status on the Messenger web app:
- Navigate to Messenger on your favorite browser.
- Click on your profile picture in the bottom left corner.
- Select “Preferences.”
- Click on “Active Status: ON.”
- Disable the “Active Status: ON” toggle.
- Click on “Save.”
You can also turn your active status on for a few friends and off for a few.
The Wrap Up
In this article, we learned that we do not have to spoil our relationships or mental health by looking at the active status of our loved ones on Messenger and concluding their no reply as ignoring our existence.
Active status features on Facebook, or Messenger can be misleading.
The Messenger active status can get misleading as it can show you active when you forgot to close the app or when you are using Facebook, or forget to log out of your account from another device.
So, it is better to disable this feature to prevent any anxiety from affecting your mental health.
