How to activate 'Hidden Mode' on WhatsApp so you don't appear online or 'typing'

LOOKING to keep your WhatsApp antics as stealthy as possible? There are some settings you'll need to activate.

There are loads of ways to stay hidden, from staying offline, removing your 'Last Seen', and even avoiding the "blue ticks" that alert tell pals you've read their text.

First, go into your WhatsApp's Settings, and then head into Privacy.

Change Last Seen to Nobody for a start.

And then you can turn Read Receipts off too – although this will mean you can't see the Read Receipts for other people.

The only true way to stop appearing "online" or "typing" is to activate Airplane Mode.

That means your phone won't be connected to the internet, and so WhatsApp can't tell the other person what you're doing.

Of course, if you read a text, they'll know as soon as you reconnect to the internet.

There is a way around that on the iPhone, however.

This trick only works if you don't have WhatsApp open when the text comes through.

And you also need to ensure you've updated your iPhone to iOS 13.

You'll need to wait for the message to arrive on your phone, so a notification appears on your lock screen.

Then press down for slightly longer than usual on the message on the screen, and the full text will appear.

You can scroll up and down the message in full, even if it's very long.

Importantly, reading this notification won't trigger the blue ticks.

You'll need to make sure you don't swipe away your text notification.

If you do swipe it away, you won't be able to snoop on the text.

This works on any device that can upgrade to iOS 13.

That includes:

  • iPhone 6S and 6S Plus
  • iPhone SE
  • iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
  • iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
  • iPhone X
  • iPhone XS, XS Max and XR
  • iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max

If you've got an iPhone 5S or older, you're stuck.

Most read in Phones & Gadgets

In other news, we reveal the new WhatsApp features that could come out in 2020

You can sign up to the beta version of WhatsApp to get all of the latest features before the general public.

Find out how to read deleted WhatsApp messages on your phone.

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And, this secret trick lets you change your WhatsApp font to confuse your mates.

New WhatsApp features that could come out in 2020 

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