If you’re not careful, your Facebook Messenger could show “active” even when you’re not.
This isn’t exactly helpful when you’re feeling antisocial or when someone’s expecting a quick response from you, which may lead to misunderstandings—so what can you do about it?
For starters, your FB messenger account will show the Active Status if the app runs in the background on your device. This is also true if you have left it open on another device.
In this guide, we’ll answer the burning question: Does Facebook Messenger show active when you’re not? More importantly, we’ll give you all the coping strategies you need to put to a minimum the misleading active status on the app.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Duration | 5 to 10 minutes |
| Things You Need | A Mobile PhoneA Desktop ComputerYour Facebook Messenger accountA working internet connection |
Why does Messenger show that I’m active when I’m not?
Facebook Messenger will be active if the app runs in the background, even when you’re not active on the device. If you have also been active on another device, your account may show that you’re active even when you’re not.
Here are the other most common reasons why your Messenger is active even when you’re not:
- You’re online on Facebook. Although Facebook and Messenger are separate apps, they are interconnected, and Meta, their mother company, owns both.
- You’ve forgotten to close the Messenger app.
- You’re using mobile data. When this happens, the Messenger app will automatically sync with your current data and, in the process, show that you’re active.
- You’re using WiFi. The service could trigger your Messenger app to sync data on your phone for the same reason.
How accurate is Facebook Messenger Active Status?
Messenger’s “Active Now” status does not accurately represent whether the user is active, as you can be shown as active even when you’re not using the app. On average, the app may show inactive after 5 to 10 minutes of not using the app.
However, Messenger does not indicate the exact time you were active. Research shows the app can have a timestamp error of 3 to 5 minutes, so the user may have been long gone even if the green dot is on.
The time stamp and the green dot both indicate being active on Messenger. But these indicators are not as accurate as you want them to be.
How to Disable Facebook Messenger’s Active Status
The solutions below should help you manage your Messenger status better. Make sure you apply them from top to bottom for best results.
1. Remove Facebook Messenger’s green dot.
Before you proceed, make sure you understand the consequences of your actions. Clamping down the green dot active status on your Messenger may inconvenience you if you don’t.
By turning off your active status, you won’t be able to see whether your friends are active online. If this works fine, the succeeding steps should help you disable the feature on an iOS or Android device and in a browser.
In this regard, disabling the active status feature is like a double edge sword. You may be presented as active online when you are not, so your friends cannot use this feature to determine if you are active online.
Follow the steps below to remove Facebook Messenger’s green dot on an iOS device:
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 6 |
| Duration | 40 seconds |
- Proceed to your Messenger app.
- Tap your profile picture as seen at the top.
- Tap the Active Status option.
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- You need to toggle the Active Status to off by clicking it.
- A prompt appears, click Turn Off to complete the process.
- You will now see that the Active Status is toggled off.
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By the same token, turning off your active status means you can’t use this as a clue whether your online friends are active. However, you can still view and communicate with your friends from your chat list.
Be guided that when you have already turned off your active status in Facebook Messenger, your active status in Facebook chats will remain the same.
Now that we’ve seen how to inactivate the Active Status on an iOS device let’s jump to dealing with Android ones. The steps below should guide you and are basically similar to the ones for iOS with minor changes.
Follow the steps below to remove Facebook Messenger’s green dot on an Android device:
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 6 |
| Duration | 40 seconds |
- Go to your Messenger app.
- Click your profile picture as can be seen in the upper left corner.
- Choose the Active Status option by tapping it.
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- Toggle off the option beside Show when you’re active by tapping it. Click Turn off to enable the change.
- A timeframe will pop up. You may choose how long you want this change to
stay as it is. You may also choose the Until I change it option.
- To apply the changes, press the Pause option.
 |  | |
That should be a breeze. You should be in cruise control over your Active Status on Messenger; on one end, that may limit you as your friends may not think that you’re online even if you actually are.
So, in this sense, you’ll have to make a decision. Controlling your Active Status is best when you’re dealing with tasks and need to have a better focus on what’s in front of you.
How to Change Messenger Settings on a Web Browser
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Duration | 30 seconds |
Remember that Facebook Messenger and Facebook are connected and work as one standalone software. But though they function as one, they are now different apps with different teams supporting them under one mother company, Meta.
Thus, even if you already have turned off the active status feature in your cellular phone but haven’t done the same procedure in your web browser, you may still be tagged as having active status.
Similarly, turning off your active status feature in the web browser still allows you to see your friends’ names and even send them messages. However, you will still be unable to see who’s active online and they can’t see you being online.
Follow the steps to remove Facebook Messenger’s green dot on a web browser:
- Proceed to Messenger in your browser of choice.
- Go to your profile picture which can be seen in the bottom left corner.
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- Click on Preferences.
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- Choose Active Status: ON to be directed to the next section.
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- Click the Active Status: ON to toggle it off.
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- Apply the changes by clicking on Save.
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Keep in mind that each device that you have logged into using your Facebook Messenger account must be configured separately. This means that the processes mentioned above must be done on each device to have the same result.
Simply put, steps done in Facebook Messenger on one device have no bearing on the other devices’ active state. It’s important, therefore, that you keep a tab on what devices you’ve been using.
Further, if you opt to turn on your Facebook Messenger’s active status again, you may still visit the steps above and just toggle on each option that has been turned off. Remember that this must be done in every device to attain the desired result.
Wrapping Up
By now, you should have answered the query as to why Facebook Messenger shows active when you’re not. Our comprehensive guide is a simple roadmap, but it’s meant to give you all the tools to get going.
FAQs about Facebook Messenger
A message with a blue circle with a checkmark means that it was sent. A filled-in blue circle means that a message was delivered successfully.
A small version of your friend’s photo appearing next to your message means that the same message has been read. A red triangle having an exclamation point inside means that the message was not sent.
A deactivated Facebook Messenger account won’t appear in search results. This means that if someone tries to search for your name, your account can’t be seen as a search result.
Your friends can still see your information such as your name and your previous conversations. However, note that they can’t call or send you a message unless activated again.
An archived message is hidden from your inbox and appears again whenever you chat with that person. A deleted message is permanently removed from your inbox.
Remember that when you archive or delete a message, you can still make a call or send and receive a message from that person.
The secret conversation feature enables two users to talk with one another in an encrypted space. This means they can have a completely private chat.
Messages in this space are seen only by the sender and received, and even Facebook cannot view them. After a predetermined time, the secret conversation history will be automatically deleted.
