9 Simple Ways to Tell If Someone Is Currently Online

Most popular social media websites, such as Instagram and Facebook, use green circles to indicate an active status. Here's how to know if someone is online on social media or a gaming console.

Things You Should Know

On most social media websites, you can tell if someone is online if they have a green circle next to their name.
However, most platforms offer an "Invisible" or "Appear offline" mode that can hide activity status.
You can always check recent activity through posts, interactions, likes, and more to gauge activity.

Method 1

Method 1 of 9:

Instagram

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Instagram shows when users are currently active in chat. If you send a DM to someone, you can check the chat log for the user's activity status. If they're active, you'll see a green dot next to their name and Active now.
- If they aren't currently online, you'll see Active (yesterday, 4h ago, etc.).
- Users can hide their activity status in their privacy settings. If this is disabled, you won't be able to see an Instagram user's online status.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 9:

WhatsApp

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On WhatsApp, you'll see "online" under their name. Navigate to a WhatsApp conversation. At the top, you can see a person's activity status as long as it's enabled. If they are currently online on WhatsApp, you'll see online. Otherwise, you'll see when they were "last seen".^{[2]
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- WhatsApp users can hide their activity status in their privacy settings. You may also be unable to see this information if a user has blocked you.

Method 3

Method 3 of 9:

Facebook

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On Facebook, a green dot means someone is active. Tap the Messenger icon in the top-right corner. This will open a list of all your friends currently active on Facebook or Messenger.^{[3]
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- To know who's online on Facebook Messenger app, tap the People tab and look for a green dot next to their name. This means they are currently active or were recently active.^{[4]
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- Keep in mind that users can hide their activity status in their privacy settings.

Method 4

Method 4 of 9:

Snapchat

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This means they've been online on Snapchat recently. You can also see if someone is currently active in a chat if their Bitmoji or avatar can be seen peeking over the keyboard.^{[5]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 9:

Discord

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Discord users can be online with green, yellow, or red statuses. These colors represent different activity statuses. Green means Online, yellow means Idle, and red means Do Not Disturb. These statuses can be updated manually by the user.
- Discord users can also appear invisible. This means they can be active on Discord, but their activity status makes it look like they're offline.

Method 6

Method 6 of 9:

Skype

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In Skype, users are online if their presence status is green. The green circle means the user is currently online and active. The yellow icon with the clock means the user has been inactive for one or more hours. The red icon means the user has set their status to Do not disturb.
- Skype users can also appear Invisible and hide their presence status.^{[6]
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Method 7

Method 7 of 9:

Xbox

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On Xbox consoles, you can see the activity of your added friends. Press the Xbox button to open the guide and select People. You'll see all your online friends and what games they're currently playing.^{[7]
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- Players can appear offline. This means their status will not change from offline, regardless of their activity.

Method 8

Method 8 of 9:

PlayStation

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You can view someone's PSN online status in your friend list. Press the PlayStation button and select Friends. Users can set their status as Online or Busy. You'll also be able to see which games they're currently playing.
- Users can also set their online status to Invisible. This will hide their online status.

Method 9

Method 9 of 9:

Nintendo Switch

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When added friends are online, you'll see a notification in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This also pops up when a friend starts a game. However, this feature can be limited to "Best Friends" or disabled entirely.

Community Q&A

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Question

How can I see if someone is online on Facebook?

Community Answer

It depends on whether you're friends with this person or not. If you are you should check for a green dot next to their profile.

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Question

How can I keep people from knowing I'm online?

Community Answer

You can change your status to "offline" and see if that works, but it depends on the actual messaging service.

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Question

How do I know if someone is online on Instagram?

Community Answer

Click the magnifying glass icon (search) and type in the username. When the profile comes up, click on it and click Message. You don't have to send a message; if there is a green dot on the user's profile photo, the person is online. If not, it will list the last time the user was online.

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There are many websites where users' online statuses are hidden. In this case, you can check their recent activity or interactions.

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