Like Facebook and Instagram stories, WhatsApp allows users to upload status photos and videos. However, contrary to the others, it lets you view status updates privately without showing your name to other people. Since you’re searching for the same, here are quick ways to view someone’s WhatsApp status without letting them know on your Android or iPhone.
View Someone’s WhatsApp Status Without Letting Them Know
Once you check someone’s WhatsApp status, they can see that you’ve seen it. This isn’t something you’d want if you’re trying to stay low-key or don’t want to appear on the list of status viewers.
Thankfully, you can see your friend, family, or any contact’s status without letting them know by either disabling read receipts, going offline, or checking the hidden WhatsApp status folder. Check all the methods in detail below.
Method 1- Turn Off Read Receipts (Android, iOS)
In our guide to reading WhatsApp messages privately, we mentioned that disabling read receipts hides the double blue ticks for your messages. It works similarly for WhatsApp statuses.
Steps to disable read receipts for WhatsApp Status on Android:
1. Open WhatsApp on your Android phone.
2. Click the three-dot menu on the top right corner and select Settings.
3. Here, select Privacy.
4. Turn off the toggle for Read Receipts.
Steps to disable read receipts for WhatsApp Status on iPhone:
1. Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
2. Click on Settings at the bottom right corner.
3. Select Privacy on the next screen.
4. Scroll down and turn off the toggle for Read Receipts.
You can now check any WhatsApp status without letting others know you have viewed them. They won’t see your name at all. Once you have viewed all the status updates, you can turn it back on if required. Keeping read receipts disabled will also mean that you won’t be able to see viewers on your WhatsApp status.
Method 2- View WhatsApp Status Offline (Android, iOS)
The other way is to turn off your mobile data and disconnect from any Wifi networks. You can then check out any contact’s status without letting them know you’ve seen it. However, you’re hidden only till the time you’re offline. Once you go online, the other person will see that you’ve seen their status.
It’d be best to use this method minutes before the status expires. This way, you won’t have to stay offline for long. Alternatively, Android users can force stop WhatsApp- you won’t appear on the viewer’s list even if you go online (provided you don’t open WhatsApp).
Here’s how to go offline on your phone:
On Android, swipe from the top to open the quick settings panel. Here, turn off the toggles for both- Wifi and Mobile Data, as shown below.
On iPhone, swipe down from the top right corner (or from the bottom on iPhones with Touch ID) to open Control Center. Here, tap the Mobile Data and Wifi icons to turn them off, as shown below.
How to force stop WhatsApp on Android phones:
1. Long-press the WhatsApp app icon on the home screen.
2. Select App Info (i) from the popup menu.
3. Click on Force Stop and hit OK.
Now WhatsApp won’t update in the background even if you go online. Just make sure not to open WhatsApp or other apps that may trigger it.
Method 3- View WhatsApp Status Without Seen Via Files (Android Only)
When you open the Status section, WhatsApp automatically downloads the status images and videos for faster access. These files are saved in a hidden folder on your phone’s storage. You can view WhatsApp status without being seen through these files, as shown below:
1. Open the Files (or any file manager) app on your Android phone
2. Head to Internal Storage.
3. Here, navigate WhatsApp > Media and open the folder named .Statuses.
4. On phones running Android 11, 12, or 13, you will find it Internal Storage > Android > media > com.whatsApp > WhatsApp (or WhatsApp Business) > Media.
5. In the Statuses folder, you can see all the status images and videos your contacts share on WhatsApp.
As you’re not opening them directly in WhatsApp, the other person would never know that you’ve seen their status already. You can also use this method to download others’ WhatsApp statuses on your phone.
Can You View WhatsApp Status Anonymously in Chrome Incognito?
Read this trick- Open Chrome in incognito mode, log in to WhatsApp Web, go to the Status tab, and turn off Wifi or the internet to view the statuses offline. Once done, close incognito, and all the website data is deleted so that WhatsApp doesn’t mark the status as seen when you go back online. Sounds cool, right?
Well, we tried it, and the status images and videos refuse to load when the machine is not connected to the internet. Even if you stay connected, allow the first status to load (in case a user has uploaded multiple status updates) and then go offline; only the second-most status will load offline- the other ones will still need an active internet connection.
In short, you cannot view WhatsApp status anonymously using WhatsApp Web incognito technique. Better rely on the old-school read receipt method.
Bonus- Post WhatsApp Status Without Letting Others Know
By default, any photo, video, or text you upload on WhatsApp Status can be viewed by all your contacts who have your number saved. Here’s how you can hide your WhatsApp status from certain people:
1. Open WhatsApp on your phone and head to Settings.
2. Here, click on Privacy > Status.
3. Click on Hide status from and select contacts you don’t want to see your WhatsApp status uploads.
Alternatively, you can choose Share only with and specify the list of people- only these people will see your WhatsApp status uploads from now onwards. The privacy setting does not apply to statuses you’ve already uploaded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How Can Someone Know I Have Seen Their WhatsApp Status?
Once a user has uploaded a WhatsApp status, they can go to the Status tab, open the status and tap the eye icon to view the list of people who have seen it.
Q. Can I View Others’ WhatsApp Status Without Being Seen?
Yes, you can easily view a contact’s WhatsApp status without marking it as seen by going offline, turning off your read receipts, or directly opening the Status image or photo in your File Manager.
Q. Can Someone See My WhatsApp Status Without Me Knowing?
Yes, anyone who has turned off their read receipts can see your WhatsApp status and still not appear in the seen list. Plus, all the methods mentioned above can be used to view your WhatsApp status anonymously.
Wrapping Up: View WhatsApp Status Privately
These were the easy ways to view someone’s WhatsApp status without letting them know that you’ve viewed it on your Android or iPhone. I hope this helps you view WhatsApp status photos and videos without being seen. If you have any doubts or queries related to it, please feel free to reach out via the comments below. Stay tuned for more such tips and tricks.
You might be interested in:
- 6 Ways to Message Yourself on WhatsApp in 2022
- 3 Ways to See WhatsApp Last Seen if Blocked or Hidden (2022)
- 2 Ways to Hide WhatsApp Last Seen, Profile Picture from Some Contacts
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