WhatsApp Privacy Settings: Hide Last Seen, Online, Read Receipts and More

Does this match what you see?

• You want to hide when you’re online or last seen.
• You turned off last seen and now can’t see anyone else’s.
• Blue ticks still show in group chats after turning off read receipts.
• You want to stop strangers adding you to groups.

iPhone & iPadAndroidComputer (browser)

Based on WhatsApp Help Center “How to change your privacy settings” and “Can’t see a contact’s profile information” (supplied by the site owner, 2026-10-30; privacy settings: web, iPhone and Android tabs; profile info: all tabs).

Why this happens: the possible causes

WhatsApp’s defaults, before you change anything. From WhatsApp’s page.

• Settings that work both waysCheck this first

  WhatsApp says if you don’t share your last seen or online, you can’t see other people’s, and if you turn off read receipts, you can’t see theirs.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

What Everyone, My contacts and Nobody mean

• Everyone: WhatsApp says all users can see your profile photo, about and links, or add you to groups. You can’t set status to Everyone.
• My contacts: only contacts from your address book can see your last seen and online, profile photo, about, links and status, or add you to groups.
• My contacts except…: your contacts, minus the people you exclude, can see those things, including your status.
• Nobody: no one can see your last seen and online, profile photo, about, links or status.

Restricted chat: limit auto-saving, exporting and Meta AI in a chat

WhatsApp says Restricted chat limits how people can share messages and media from a chat outside WhatsApp. It’s replacing Advanced chat privacy on the latest version of WhatsApp. In a group, admins can turn it on; in a one-to-one chat, either person can. You turn it on for each chat, and it applies to every message in that chat.

WhatsApp says when it’s on, people in the chat can’t:

• Save media to their device gallery automatically.
• Export the chat.
• Use Meta AI features in the chat.
• Use linked devices for the chat, which WhatsApp says helps prevent unofficial clients or AI agents.

Turn Restricted chat on or off (Android)

WhatsApp’s Android steps:

• One-to-one chat: open the chat, tap the icon at the top (WhatsApp’s help page doesn’t name it) > View contact > Restricted chat, and turn it on or off. WhatsApp says anyone in the chat can change it.
• Group: open the group, tap Restricted chat, and turn it on or off. WhatsApp says it applies to every member and group admins can change it.
• Upgrading from Advanced chat privacy: open the chat, tap Advanced chat privacy > Upgrade > Continue. This works the same way for groups. WhatsApp says if you turn Advanced chat privacy off, the setting shows as Restricted chat from then on.

WhatsApp also says:

• It’s only on the latest version of WhatsApp and can only be turned on or off on your primary device.
• Chats with Advanced chat privacy on don’t switch to Restricted chat automatically; you can update them.
• People not on the latest version may still be able to use unofficial clients or AI agents, and you won’t be told if someone isn’t up to date.
• It isn’t available in chats with businesses that use Meta to store messages and reply for them.
• Your personal messages are always end-to-end encrypted, and Meta AI can only see messages people choose to send it, whether Restricted chat is on or off.

Chat lock: hide and lock chats (and a chat that’s “disappeared”)

WhatsApp says chat lock moves a chat into a Locked chats folder that needs extra authentication to open, such as your phone passcode, Face ID, fingerprint or a secret code. You can lock any chat, including groups and muted chats. The other people aren’t notified, and calls from them aren’t blocked. Depending on your language, it may be called Chat lock or Chat block.

Lock, find and hide chats (iPhone and Android)

• Lock or unlock: tap and hold the chat, then tap Lock chat or Unlock chat (on Android, tap the icon WhatsApp shows first). WhatsApp says you need device authentication, such as Face ID or a phone passcode, set up first.
• Find locked chats: swipe down on your chat list and tap Locked chats, then unlock with your device authentication or tap Use secret code.
• Secret code: in Locked chats, open Settings (Android: the icon > Chat lock settings) > Secret code, enter and confirm a code, then tap Done. It’s separate from your phone passcode.
• Hide the folder: in Locked chats, open Settings (Android: the icon > Chat lock settings) > Hide locked chats, on your primary phone. To see hidden locked chats, type your secret code in the search bar.

On WhatsApp Web and Windows: WhatsApp says right-click a chat and click Lock chat or Unlock chat; to open them, click Locked chats and enter your secret code (or search for your code if they’re hidden). You need to create the secret code on your phone first.

WhatsApp also says locked chats stay locked after you restore a backup on a new phone, and you need device authentication set up to open them. You can save media from locked chats, but you can’t turn on Media Visibility (Android) or Save to Photos (iPhone) for them. To open locked chats on an iPad or WhatsApp Web, you need a secret code created on your primary phone.

Strict account settings (for people at risk of targeted attacks)

WhatsApp says Strict account settings is an optional, lockdown-style security feature for the very few people who may be the target of sophisticated cyber attacks. It says to turn it on only if you think you may be a target; most people aren’t. It limits some features, and chats with people outside your contacts will have limitations.

WhatsApp says when it’s on:

• Two-step verification is turned on, security notifications are on and locked, and end-to-end encrypted backups are encouraged if you have backups turned on.
• Link previews are off, and blocking high volumes of messages from unknown accounts is on. WhatsApp’s Android, iPhone and Mac pages add that attachments and media from unknown senders are blocked.
• Those pages also say calls from unknown numbers are silenced and your IP address is hidden during calls.
• Your last seen and online, profile photo, about and profile links are locked to your contacts only or a more selective list you’ve already set up.
• Only known contacts or that selective list can add you to groups.

Turn it on or off: WhatsApp says on iPhone tap Settings > Privacy > Advanced; on Android tap the icon (its help page doesn’t name it) > Settings > Privacy > Advanced. Then turn Strict account settings on or off. While it’s on, you can see everything it locked in Strict account settings > View locked settings.

WhatsApp says you can only turn it on or off on your primary device, not on WhatsApp Web or the Windows or Mac apps. Worried your account is already compromised? See WhatsApp hacked.

Ads in WhatsApp, and your ads report

WhatsApp says if you only use WhatsApp for personal messaging, you won’t see ads. Ads only appear in Status and Channels, separate from your personal chats and calls, and they’re rolling out gradually.

To see information about ads you’ve seen there, WhatsApp says request an ads report: Settings (iPhone: or your profile picture) > Account > Request account info, then under Ad activity tap Request ads report. It’s typically ready about three days later. On the web: Account > Request account info > Request an ads report. When you get the notification, tap Download report (WhatsApp says it’s only available for a limited time), then Export ads report to open it in another app (you can’t view it in WhatsApp).

• WhatsApp says you can’t cancel a pending request, and changing your number or deleting your account cancels it.
• On your phone, you can turn on Create reports automatically to get one every month. WhatsApp says uninstalling the app stops automatic reports.
• WhatsApp says the report doesn’t include your messages, account or settings information, or channels information. It contains private information, so be careful where you store or send it.

What you can’t hide

• WhatsApp says there’s no way to hide your phone number. It’s visible even if the other person hasn’t saved you.
• At this time, you can’t hide group members’ phone numbers in a group.
• It’s not possible to see who viewed your profile.
• Status can’t be shared with people who don’t have your number. If an unknown number can see your status, WhatsApp says a contact may have changed their number.
• If someone reshares your status from a status mention, they can edit and reshare it to their audience; WhatsApp says your name, profile info and number aren’t shown.

Other settings in Privacy

WhatsApp says the Privacy screen also lets you:

• Turn disappearing messages on or off by default.
• Silence unknown callers.
• Turn off live location sharing.
• Choose who sees the links on your profile.
• Use Advanced settings: protect your IP address in calls, turn off link previews, and block high volumes of messages from unknown accounts.

For limiting how people can share a specific chat, see Restricted chat.

To stop one person contacting you, see block and report on WhatsApp.

How to know it worked

• Our check: each setting in Settings > Privacy shows the audience you chose.

Still not working? Your next steps

1. Can’t see someone else’s last seen or photo? See WhatsApp contacts not showing.

Frequently asked questions