Anyone who is active on any social media app will be aware that the green dot indicates that a user is online.
However, Facebook recently has separated Messenger from Facebook and it is now a different app. Although you can still access Messenger from the Facebook app.
This causes a lot of confusion on what the green dot on Facebook or Messenger mean.
People often ask, does green dot on Messenger means a person is active? What does green dot next to a profile picture mean? What is the difference between ‘Active now’ and green dot? and many more.
In this blog we will go through the meaning of green dot on Messenger and Facebook.
What is green dot on Facebook?
The green dot button has been used by many social media apps to indicate that a user is online on the app.
Other apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Clubhouse, and many others use the same green dot to show a user’s status.
However, many people confuse green on Messenger and Facebook being the same. Although it means the same but it does not necessarily a person is online on both,
Let’s dive into it below.
What does the green dot mean on Messenger?
The green dot will appear next to a person’s profile picture.
This basically means that the person is currently online on Messenger.
Be clear that this means the person is currently active on Facebook app.
It does not necessarily mean that the person is looking at Facebook Messenger.
Hence, you might message someone on Facebook Messenger after seeing the green dot on Messenger but may not get a reply from the person.
The other user might not be purposely ignoring you. It could just be that the person is browsing through Facebook app but not currently using Facebook messenger.
Related : Is Facebook Messenger safe for kids?
What does green dot mean on Facebook page?
When you are scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed and click on a person’s profile, you may notice the green dot appearing next to their profile picture.
This indicates the same thing as above that the person is currently online on Facebook.
To know if someone is online on Facebook, it is best to click on their profile page and see if the green dot appears next to their profile picture.
Related : Facebook gaming hub
How long does the green dot stay on Facebook chat?
As long as you are active on Facebook and using the app, the green dot will stay.
The moment you sign out of Facebook and ensure that the device is not running in the background then the green dot will turn grey.
What does green dot with time next to Messenger mean?
This basically shows how long ago the person was online. For example, if it says 15 minutes this means that person was last active on Messenger 15 minutes back.
What is the green dot next to the video icon on messenger mean?
When you click on someone’s name on Messenger you may see 2 green dots.
One green dot appear next to their profile picture, while the other is seen next to the video icon.
If you see the green dot on Messenger next to the video icon it basically means that the person is available for video chat.
If you have allowed Facebook to access your camera then most likely the green dot next to the video icon will always be switched on whenever you are active on Messenger.
On the other hand, if you have not allowed Facebook access to your camera then the green dot will only show up next to the person’s profile picture.
Related : Is Facebook Messenger safe for kids?
Can you tell if someone is chatting on Messenger?
Even though the green dot appear next to a person’s profile, it is not a good indication to use if someone is actually chatting on Messenger.
The Facebook app could be running in the background or the person forgot to log off from Facebook, hence the green dot will keep showing despite the person not using the app.
Difference between ‘Active now’ on Facebook and green dot?
Sometimes we may not realise it that although we have closed the Facebook app, it may be running in the background.
This means that we are not currently browsing through Facebook but because we did not close the app properly, the green dot will keep showing.
So Facebook tackled this problem by adding ‘Active now’ prompt.
This tells you that the person is actually online on the app and using the app.
Hence, it is best to use the ‘Active now’ prompt than the green dot to gage whether a person is online or not not.
Related : What is secret conversation in Messenger?
How to check who is active on Messenger?
You can easily do this by opening Messenger app.
Then click on ‘People’ at the bottom of the screen.
You can now see a list of people that are currently active on Facebook and a green dot button next to their profile picture.
As you keep scrolling down you can see all other Messenger friends but are not active
How to check who is active on Facebook?
To see if any of your friends are active on Facebook all you need to do is follow the steps below :
- Open Facebook
- Click on Contacts or it will automatically show up on the left-hand side of your screen
- You can now see everyone who is online and the green dot will appear next to their profile picture.
How to change status on Facebook?
Some people do not want to appear active or online on Facebook despite using the app.
This could be because they do not want to be disturbed or are to busy to chat to anyone.
Facebook allows you to change your active status on the app.
However, this would also mean that you cannot see other people who are online.
Also, when you turn off your status on one device it does not mean that it will be turned off on other devices.
So when you change your status on Facebook you will need to change it individually on all your devices.
How to turn off or change active status on Facebook using Android or iPhone :
- Open Messenger
- Click on your profile picture
- Click on Settting at the corner of the screen
- Click on ‘Active status’ and toggle it off.
How to turn off or change ‘Active’ status on Facebook using a computer?
- Go to Facebook site
- Open Messenger
- Click on the settings icon at the top right of the screen
- Click on Preferences
- Toggle off ‘Active status’.
You will now see that the green dot on Messenger and Facebook does not show.
Feel free to toggle on and off depending on your preference.
Conclusion
We hope we have answered all your questions with regards to the green dot on Messenger and Facebook. Drop us a comment if you have any questions or comments.
Related posts about Facebook:
Facebook gaming hub
Do i am right that if show the active now but no light that means someone open another site but if its like active now and has green light someone just only chatting to you fucosly…. I wish someone reply to my comment
If two people are active and are video call at the same time is that accurate or could it be a false signal?
One green dot appear next to their profile picture, while the other is seen next to the video icon.
If you see the green dot on Messenger next to the video icon it basically means that the person is available for video chat.