Has someone ever been mad at you and blamed you for ignoring their messages on Messenger because it showed you online, but in actuality, you weren’t even online? Does Messenger show active when on Facebook?
The ‘active now’ feature on Facebook Messenger has caused many rifts and conflicts among its users, and it all has to do with its inaccuracy.
Since both applications are linked and use the same domain, being online on Facebook will show you are active on Messenger, even if you aren’t using the app. However, if your Active Status is off on Messenger, it won’t display anything.
It all may sound confusing. Don’t worry; I will cover precisely that in this article. Let’s learn all about how its Active feature works.
Does Messenger Show Active When on Facebook?
Active Status on Messenger shows your friends that you are active with a green-colored dot icon next to your profile picture. It also shows when you were recently active on Facebook or Messenger on your profile.
The Messenger app allows users to switch their Active Status on or off depending on their preferences.
When Your Active Status Is On
If your Active Status on Messenger is on, your connections across Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram will see a green dot next to your profile picture.
If you were recently active, instead of a green dot, it would show a timestamp indicating how long ago you were active.
Here’s how to turn Active Status on for Facebook Messenger:
1. Open the Messenger app
2. Go to Settings and select Active Status.
3. Switch the toggle to the right next to “Show when you are active.”
When Your Active Status Is Off
If your Active Status on Messenger is off, your connections and Facebook friends won’t be able to tell when you are active. When turned off, you won’t also see when your friends and contacts are active or recently active on Messenger.
However, note here that if you turn off Active Status on your Messenger app but not the Facebook app, they might be able to see that you are active on the Facebook app and see a green dot next to your profile picture.
If you do not want to show your Active Status, turn it off whenever you’re using Messenger or Facebook.
Here’s how to turn Active Status off for Facebook Messenger:
1. Open the Messenger app
3. Select Active Status from the Settings menu.
4. Switch the toggle off next to “Show when you are active.”
5. The screen will prompt you for confirmation “Turn off Active Status?“
6. Tap Turn off to confirm.
Is Facebook Messenger’s Active Status Accurate?
Good news for some but bad news for others: Facebook Messenger’s active status is not always accurate. There is often a delay between the time that’s displayed when someone is active on Messenger and when they become inactive.
A commonly asked question about the active status on Messenger is: does Facebook Messenger show active when you’re not? Unfortunately, yes, it does. However, there are a few explanations that can help understand this phenomenon.
Let’s take a look:
Facebook Messenger Is Running in the Background
One of the most common reasons why Facebook Messenger shows that you are active even when you are not is because the Messenger app is running on your phone in the background.
Failure to close the app from the list of apps you are using is why it shows active even when you are no longer using the app.
You Are Online on Facebook
Even though Facebook and Messenger are separate applications, they are still linked and integrated as both apps use the same user data.
If you use the Facebook app, the Messenger app may show you active, too, because the app will assume you can receive messages.
You Are Still Logged in on Other Devices
Another reason Facebook Messenger shows you active even when you are not is that you probably forgot to log out from other devices.
For example, if you logged into Messenger or Facebook on your Desktop and forgot to log out from there, it might show you online/active even if you aren’t using either app.
You Are Using Other Facebook Services
Facebook introduced a cross-app messaging feature back in 2020 that allowed users to send messages from Instagram to their contacts on Facebook Messenger and vice versa.
If you are active on Instagram, for instance, and are using the same Facebook account for both apps, you will appear active on Messenger if your Active Status is turned on.
Delay in Updated Status
Facebook Messenger often experiences a delay in updating your Active Status. When you close the Messenger app, chances are that you will still appear active for the next few minutes due to a delay in the status update on the app’s end.
To put it in simpler terms, Messenger’s Active Status takes a while to update and display your actual current status.
How to Determine if Someone Is Active on Facebook Messenger?
Are you trying to determine if a particular contact is active on Facebook Messenger? There are two ways to tell if someone is active on Facebook Messenger.
1. Check Their Messenger Status
The Messenger app will show a green dot next to their name or photo. The green dot implies they are active or were recently active because, as mentioned earlier, the app shows you active for a few minutes, even after closing it.
2. Look at Their Facebook Status
Since Facebook and Messenger are linked, you can tell if someone is active on Messenger by checking their Facebook status.
Again, you will see a green dot next to their photo on the Facebook app, which means they might also be active on Messenger.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Conclusion
It is safe to say that Messenger’s Active Status is far from accurate, and one should never believe what they see. If someone claims they aren’t online but still appear as Active on Messenger, it is best to give them the benefit of the doubt.
The Messenger app is faulty in itself when it comes to displaying status updates. So, the best way to avoid conflicts is to turn your Active Status off altogether if you have privacy concerns.
I trust that I’ve answered all your questions. If you have any more queries, please feel free to comment below, and I’ll be sure to respond!
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