How can I see if someone is online on LinkedIn?
It might not seem that important, but people always ask me “can you see when someone was last active on LinkedIn?” Just the way we can see on Telegram and WhatsApp messenger? Well, why is it even important for them to know how to see if someone is online? Let’s be clear about something, you can only see if someone is online (not the last time they were active on LinkedIn) only if they chose to show that they are active to other users.
LinkedIn does not provide a feature to show when someone was last active on the platform. While LinkedIn has an "Active Status" indicator (a green dot) that appears next to a user's name in messaging to show they are currently online or have been recently, it does not specifically display the exact time of their last activity.
Can you see when someone was last active on LinkedIn?
No, you can only see if someone is online right now. You probably saw that little solid green circle next to people’s names or at the right bottom of their profile picture while you were messaging them. That means the user is currently online and will instantly receive your messages, so you can expect an instant response (no excuses like I missed your message and things like that).
Another status is the hollow green circle at the bottom of the user’s profile photo. This indicates that although the user is not online on their desktop, they have the LinkedIn app on their mobile phone when you message them, they will instantly get notified when they get online.
Then there are those users with no circle on their profile photo. They are either not active on the platform or decided to hide their online status and do not have the app on their phone. Unfortunately, you will have no way to say if they received your messages or not, unless you ask them personally or by messaging them on other platforms.
Why is it important?
The conversation is the cornerstone of our human society. We need it to find our way in every new position, create and use opportunities, learn and teach, etc. What is more important than ensuring the recipient has seen your message about a job vacancy or an investment opportunity? And what is better than an instant response to your message? Statistics suggest that more than one-third of LinkedIn members find their jobs through regular messaging to their connections. Of course, you need to be careful about the time when you start a conversation with an active user. It can be a bit tricky to find the correct moment.
How to hide your online status on LinkedIn? That is so easy. LinkedIn has provided a lot of features for its users to have total control over every aspect of your profile, including visibility, etc. all you need to do is to:
- Open your account
- Click on the ‘Me’ button on the top right corner of your feed
- Select ‘Setting & Privacy’ from the dropdown
- Click on ‘Visibility’
- Scroll down and find ‘Manage active status’ under the ‘Visibility of your LinkedIn activity’ section
- Click on it and then choose who can see that you are currently active while you are using LinkedIn
- You have three options to select from: No one, Your connections only, all LinkedIn members
To round up
Can you see when someone was last active on LinkedIn? The answer is no, you cannot see the last time someone was online on LinkedIn, but you can see if they are currently available. Of course, they need to allow you to see their status first.