Did you suddenly stop seeing someone’s “Last Active” status on Facebook and you’re wondering why that is? Well, let me enlighten you:
- The other person has turned off their “Active Status” feature
- You’ve been blocked
- The other person has been off for more than a day
Contrary to popular belief, the lack of a Messenger “Last Active” status doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been blocked.
But I’ll get into more details below (+screenshots and instructions), so get reading!
Summary: In this article, I explain why you may not see someone’s “Last Active” status on Facebook Messenger. The reasons include the other person turning off their “Active Status” feature, you being blocked by the other person, or the other person being inactive for more than a day. I also discuss the accuracy of the “Last Seen” status on Messenger and whether you can see someone’s “Last Active” status without being friends with them on Facebook.
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1. Turning Off the “Last Active” Status
The first explanation for a lack of a “Last Active” status is that the other person has disabled this feature for their account.
Anyone can do this from within the Messenger settings (as shown above).
The “Show when you’re active” name is a bit misleading, though. Disabling this option will:
- Hide your green marker (online now)
- Hide your “Last active/seen” marker (grey marker)
So, it doesn’t only hide when you’re active but also hides any information that shows when you were LAST active.
However, did you know that you can’t see others’ Active Status if your Active Status feature is off?
If you didn’t see the “Last Active” on Facebook Messenger, you might have turned off the Active Status feature on your Messenger settings.
To switch it back on, go to Facebook Messenger and tap on your Profile Picture.
With Facebook Messenger opened, look for your profile picture in the top-left corner and select it.
You can access it no matter which of the menus you’re in – Chats / People / Stories. Once you select your Profile Picture, you’ll be taken to the Messenger Settings.
The “Active Status” option is what you’ll need – select it and you’ll be taken to another page where you can enable the “Active Status” feature.
Make sure it’s blue after you tick on it. Blue means the feature is enabled. If the feature was off and you turned it on, you should start seeing the “Last Active” status now.
If you don’t, it means you have another issue causing this.
2. The Other Person Has Blocked You
If someone blocks you on Facebook Messenger, you won’t be able to see their ”Last Active” status anymore, that much is clear.
You also can’t send them messages or call them on Messenger. They also can’t do that, though. And as long as you’re blocked, you won’t see the Active Status of the other person.
You can’t even see if the other person is online while you’re blocked. However, everything will return to normal when they decide to unblock you.
You’ll also start seeing their Active Status again.
3. The Other Person Has Been Inactive for Too Long
In many cases, Facebook Messenger hides the Active Status of someone offline for more than 24 hours. If you can’t see the “Last Active” status on Facebook Messenger, that must be why.
You can look at that person’s Facebook Feed and see their latest posts. If they’re not recent, they haven’t been online for quite some time.
If the posts are recent, it means the other person has hidden their Active Status.
And that’s all there is to know about this. Leave a comment below if there’s anything else I can help you with!
How Accurate Is Last Seen on Messenger?
The “Last Seen” status on Messenger is not very accurate. It could say you’re online when you’re actually not. Or it says you’re offline when talking to someone on Messenger.
Your friends could even think you’re ghosting or ignoring their messages if they send you a message when you’re “online.”
Your Active Status says you’re online, but you’re not, and this confuses your friends.
Facebook hasn’t done anything to address this problem yet.
Hopefully, they will do something in the future.
Can You See When Someone Was Last Active on Facebook Without Being Friends?
No, you can’t. Facebook only allows you to see someone else’s Active Status if you’re friends.
That’s when you’ll also start seeing the Green Dot, which means that the other person is online.
You won’t know almost anything about the other person without being friends.
You can message them, but that’s about it.
Their “Last Seen” status will be invisible to you.
Send them a friend request and hope that they accept it!
This way, you’ll know when they’re online and offline.
