Facebook Messenger is a chat application that helps you to stay in touch with friends and family. If you are online, you can see who is available to chat since they are online on Facebook. However, appearing online on Facebook can lead to meaningless discussions with some Facebook users. As a result, some people prefer appearing offline on Facebook Messenger to get the most out of their time. If you choose to appear offline, you will not be able to see who is online and active on Facebook. Nevertheless, you can still receive and respond to messages as you wish.
Appear offline on Facebook Messenger mobile App
If you want to appear offline on Facebook Messenger when using Facebook mobile app for iPad, iPhone, Microsoft, Android or Amazon devices, follow these steps:
Open Facebook Messenger
On your mobile device, simply launch the Facebook Messenger app. In the upper left corner of your screen, you will see your profile picture, tap it and you will see a ‘Me‘ screen.
Change “Availability”
In the list of the options that appear on the ‘Me‘ screen, you will see ‘availability’. Tap the option and the availability screen will eventually appear. To turn the availability off, swipe the toggle to the right. The toggle will be turned off when the toggle is no longer shaded green and the circle is on the left side of the toggle. You will see a Turn Off availability dialog box on the screen.
Thats it!
You need to tap the blue ‘Turn Off’ button in the dialog box. After clicking the turn off button, you will automatically return to the Availability screen and your availability will be turned off. This means that you will appear offline on Facebook Messenger. If you wish to turn your Facebook online status, you just need to return to this section and change the availability back to ‘on‘.
Appear offline on Facebook Messenger Website
How to appear offline on Facebook Messenger if you are using Messenger.com:
Logging in
Open your web browser and navigate to Messenger.com. If you have logged out, you need to log in to your account to access the home screen.
Navigate to “Settings”
In the upper left corner of your screen, you will see the settings icon which looks like a blue gear. You need to click the ‘Settings’ icon for the drop-down menu to appear. On the drop-down menu, click ‘Settings’ and the Settings window will open at the center of your screen.
Change “Availability”
To make any changes, hold your cursor over the toggle that’s on the right-hand side of the Account section. You will see an alternative text box that will appear with a Go Offline option. For you to make any changes, you need to click the toggle for the circle to move to the left side of the toggle. When the green shading is removed from the toggle’s background, you will appear offline on your Messenger.com.
Thats it!
Since you are technically offline, you will appear offline from that moment henceforth. If you wish to become active and appear online again, you will have to return to the Settings window and turn the toggle back on. Remember, even if you appear offline on Messenger.com, you can still receive and respond to messages. However, you can opt not to reply to some or all the messages you receive because you will not be online/active on Facebook Messenger. Hence, none of your Facebook friends will realize that you’ve ignored their chat.
