Want to be discreet while viewing the WhatsApp status of certain people but don’t know to? You’ve landed on the right page. Despite being too tired or lazy to respond to people’s texts, we’re always curious to see what others are up to via their status updates. However, since WhatsApp gives away the viewer’s list, it becomes nearly impossible to view someone’s status without being seen. Thankfully, we’ve got some workarounds for you. Here are four simple tricks to view someone’s WhatsApp status secretly without being seen.
Both Android and iOS users have the option to sneakily view a WhatsApp status without being seen. Read on to know more.
Four ways to view someone’s WhatsApp status without being seen
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Turn off the Read Receipts feature
Yes, turning off Read Receipts not only works on text messages but on WhatsApp statuses as well. If you disable Read Receipts, your name won’t be there in the viewers’ list of the status you’ve seen. Similarly, if a contact disables their Read Receipts, you won’t be able to see their view on your status either.
Here’s how to turn off Read Receipts on your device:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Select ‘Privacy’ and scroll down to ‘Read Receipts’. Finally, turn the toggle off.
Please note that this will also disable ‘Read Receipts’ for your messages and others won’t know when you’ve seen their texts.
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Enable airplane mode or turn off your internet
The second best way to view WhatsApp status anonymously is when you’re offline. Once you see that the contact has uploaded a status, turn off your mobile data and Wifi or simply enable airplane mode. After you’ve cut off all networks, head to WhatsApp again and view the status. The app won’t be able to track your activity since you’re offline and hence your view won’t appear in the viewers list.
You can similarly do it on WhatsApp Web as well. Open WhatsApp web in an incognito window, head to the Status tab and check whether the status you want to see is there. Then turn off the WiFi network on your laptop/ desktop and view the status. When done, close the browser so that the data isn’t saved.
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Check the WhatsApp Status folder (only for Android users)
If you’re an Android user, you have one more trick up your sleeve. There’s a file manager on your device where all WhatsApp files including the status of your contacts are available. Opening the status via file manager won’t alert the other person about your view as it’s not being done via the app directly. To access the WhatsApp Status folder using the file manager, follow these steps:
- Go to ‘File Manager’ on your smartphone.
- Select ‘Internal Storage’ and click on WhatsApp.
- In the ‘Media’ tab, you’ll find the ‘Statuses’ folder. This section will display all the images shared by contacts as WhatsApp Status.
- If the folder isn’t visible, go to File Manager settings and enable ‘Show hidden files’. It should now be visible.
Please note that the ‘Statuses’ folder only stores data for 24 hours. Moreover, it only works when the person whose status you’re trying to see has their WhatsApp account linked to their device. If not, your efforts will be futile.
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View WhatsApp status using third-party apps (at your own risk)
Before diving further into this point, we must alert you to exercise caution while using such apps. While several third-party apps claim to seamlessly do the work for you, they may pose security risks and even compromise your data. Moreover, since they violate WhatsApp’s terms of service, users might get temporarily or permanently banned from the app. Nonetheless, if you’re really hellbent on using third-party apps, GBWhatsApp, Status Saver, and KidsGuard for WhatsApp are a few names that claim to offer additional features beyond the official WhatsApp application.
Hope this guide helps you easily view WhatsApp status secretly.
(Hero image credit: Freepik)
(Feature image credit: Tumisu/ Pixabay)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To turn off online status and last seen on WhatsApp, go to Settings > Privacy. Tap Last seen and online. Then choose from Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except…, or Nobody.
There's no official way to determine if someone has hidden their WhatsApp status from you. However, if a person hides their status, then you can't see when they were last online. So, check that.
In order to 'ghost view' someone's WhatsApp status (basically without being seen), go into settings, privacy, and turn off read receipts.
You can see muted status updates by scrolling all the way to the right in the Status section.
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Written by
Kriti Nayyar
Senior Digital Writer, Wellness, Culture, Astrology, Tech
Kriti is a stay-at-home dog mama, whose knack for telling interesting stories keeps her erstwhile monotonous life sane. A literature & journalism degree holder, you'll find her binging on Agatha Christie novels while critiquing the everyday state of affairs. On Kriti's seldom social outings, she's seen devouring coffee sangria with appetizing bread on the side.
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