How to chat on WhatsApp without appearing online

October 24, 2020
| 21 Comments


Have you ever ignored a WhatsApp message in order to prevent your contacts from seeing you online and asking you for signs of life? A contact who is waiting for your reply to their message sent a few hours ago, but you don’t intend to reply because you don’t want to start a long conversation? There is a way (multiple ways, in fact) to avoid these kinds of situations. In this article, you will learn a few tricks that will allow you to reply to a WhatsApp message without appearing online.




Reply from a notification (or from your smartwatch)

If you have a smartphone running Android Nougat or higher, the easiest way to stay ‘offline’ but still reply to a message without appearing online is to reply to a conversation directly from the notification dropdown. To do this, open the drop-down menu and click the ‘Reply’ button to send a message without having to open WhatsApp.

In case you have an Android Wear smartwatch, you can respond to WhatsApp messages directly from the watch and remain safe from appearing online.

Whasapp 08
Click Reply from within the notification or use your smartwatch to avoid your friends knowing you’re online. / © NextPit

Answer while offline

  1. Disable all connections to the internet (Wi-Fi and the mobile network) on your smartphone.
  2. Open WhatsApp and then open the message you wish to reply to.
  3. Write and send your reply.
  4. Close WhatsApp.
  5. Reconnect to the internet (reactivate Wi-Fi or mobile network connection).
  6. WhatsApp will send the message without you ever appearing online.

Bonus: Read a WhatsApp message in Incognito mode with Unseen

Unseen is an app that allows you to view WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber and Facebook Messenger messages without appearing online. This trick will not allow you to reply to messages while offline, but only read received messages without others knowing. You can then take your time before answering.



Each time you receive a notification from your messaging apps, you’ll receive an Unseen alert that you can customize with different colors. By clicking on the WhatsApp tab, you can read the message and your contact will only know you read the message when you click Reply in WhatsApp. You will then be redirected to the WhatsApp app and you will be visible again. Side note: the app doesn’t always work properly with groups.

If your friends have Unseen, know that even if you don’t get an answer, your messages have most probably already been read.

Don’t forget to check out our ultimate list of WhatsApp tips and tricks and check out the latest features from recent WhatsApp updates!

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