Having an active status on LinkedIn signals to your network that you are engaged with the platform. This transparency allows connections, recruiters, and companies to see when you are online and reachable. While being active can be beneficial in making new connections, it may also lead to unwanted messages and connection requests. Understanding how the active status works and customizing your settings appropriately can optimize your LinkedIn experience.
What does having an active status mean?
The active status simply shows when a LinkedIn member is currently using the LinkedIn site or mobile app. When active, a green dot will appear next to your profile photo and name across the platform. On your profile, it will say “Active now” underneath your photo. The status automatically updates when you are browsing LinkedIn pages, messaging contacts, posting updates, applying to jobs, or performing any other actions. Once you close the website or app, your status will switch to inactive after 10 minutes. You do not have to manually change your status.
Who can see your active status?
By default, your real-time active status is visible to anyone in your LinkedIn network. This includes 1st-degree connections, 2nd-degree connections, and 3rd-degree connections. Members you are not connected to will not see your active status. Recruiters and companies can also view the active status of members in their network. If you have visibility turned on, anyone who looks at your public profile will see if you are currently active at that moment.
Why be active on LinkedIn?
Displaying an active presence on LinkedIn can have several potential benefits:
- Shows you are engaged, which can strengthen relationships with your connections.
- Enables real-time communication with contacts who see you are online.
- Helps recruiters identify good times to reach out if you are job seeking.
- Allows you to connect with companies and contacts right away.
- Demonstrates you are dedicated to updating your skills and profile.
- Gives you real-time access to new content, articles, and updates.
Overall, being active signals you are committed to getting the most out of LinkedIn for networking and opportunities.
Why keep your status private?
While being visible can have advantages, there are also some drawbacks to consider:
- Contacts may message you when you do not want to be disturbed.
- Recruiters could reach out even if you are not interested at the moment.
- You may receive unwanted connection invitations.
- Scammers often target active accounts.
- Connections can see when you are online late at night or early morning.
- Active status does not necessarily mean you are available to message.
Keeping your status private gives you more control over when you interact with your network. You can still access LinkedIn without signaling you are open to communication.
How to turn off active status on LinkedIn
LinkedIn lets you customize your active status visibility in your account settings:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile and click on the ‘Me’ icon in the top right.
- Select ‘Settings & Privacy’ from the dropdown menu.
- Click on the ‘Privacy’ tab at the top of the page.
- Under the ‘Profile viewing options’ section, toggle ‘Let others know when you’re online or active’ to ‘No’.
Once disabled, your profile will always show as inactive. You can toggle this back on at any time. Changing the setting takes effect right away across LinkedIn.
How to view someone else’s active status
To see if one of your connections is currently active on LinkedIn:
- Go to their profile page.
- Check if there is a green dot next to their photo and name.
- If they show as active, you can select ‘Message’ to start a conversation.
If there is no green dot, they are currently inactive. Their profile would say “Last active” with the date and time. However, take note that if they have their status turned off, it always shows them as inactive regardless of whether they are online.
Using LinkedIn’s active status responsibly
Here are some tips on using LinkedIn’s active status feature effectively:
- Only message contacts when they are active if it is urgent or timely.
- Respect people’s privacy – don’t assume they want to chat just because they are online.
- Remember time zones – your connection could be active at work while you are messaging late at night.
- Don’t rely solely on the active status to determine availability.
- Disable your own active status if you want to limit messages and interruptions.
- Never act on someone’s active status in a way that could be perceived as intrusive or invasive.
Being thoughtful about how you use the active presence indicator can help maintain your relationships and reputation on LinkedIn.
Active status on LinkedIn’s mobile app
LinkedIn’s mobile app for iOS and Android devices provides the same active status abilities as the website:
- Your status automatically updates when using the app.
- Connections can see when you are active on mobile.
- You can disable sharing your active status in the app settings.
- View which connections are currently active from the app.
Keeping the mobile app running in the background or leaving it open on your phone will show you as active on LinkedIn. Closing the app changes your status to inactive after a few minutes. The iOS and Android apps have similar settings to control active status visibility.
Is LinkedIn active status an accurate indicator?
While LinkedIn’s active status can be useful, it has some limitations:
- Buggy behavior may show you as active when you are not.
- Status remains active if you leave browser tabs open.
- The status can lag and show inactive after you have closed the app.
- It tracks any platform activity, not necessarily your availability.
- No insight into whether the person is at work, idle, or busy.
- Easy to manipulate by leaving LinkedIn open to seem active.
The active indicator is best used as a supplementary signal but not the only factor when reaching out to LinkedIn connections. Consider other context like normal working hours, time zones, and previous responsiveness.
Pro tips for using active status
Here are some power tips for getting the most out of LinkedIn’s active status feature:
- Turn on active status when open to networking opportunities or job searching.
- Keep status off when you want to focus without interruptions.
- Batch your LinkedIn activity for times you have active status on.
- Use your status to coordinate impromptu calls with connections.
- If over indexing on messages, restrict active status to business hours only.
- Combine with other social media active indicators to align when you are generally available.
- Familiarize yourself with connections’ time zones to optimize outreach.
Customizing based on your preferences and context can help you use active status proactively as part of your LinkedIn strategy.
Active status alternatives
If you want more control than LinkedIn’s all-or-nothing active status, here are some alternative options:
- Manually update your LinkedIn profile to show when you are currently available.
- Utilize your email or calendar’s out-of-office settings to indicate availability
- Set your Slack or Microsoft Teams status to manage messaging.
- Share availability on other networks like Twitter, Facebook, or WhatsApp status.
- Disable active status and selectively respond only when you want to connect.
Integrating across multiple platforms can provide more flexibility in when and how you interact with your network.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hide my active status from specific connections?
No, on LinkedIn the active status visibility is all or nothing for your connections. You cannot select specific individuals to hide it from. The only options are to show it to everyone, or turn it off completely.
Does a profile view show up as active?
Simply viewing someone’s profile does not trigger the active status. You need to perform an action such as liking, commenting, messaging, etc. Just browsing profiles or newsfeed posts does not make you appear active.
Can I see who viewed my profile when I was active?
LinkedIn’s profile view data does not correlate with when you have an active status. You can see who viewed your profile recently in general, but cannot filter this to just time periods when you were active.
Is there a way to appear offline when I’m actively using LinkedIn?
Other than fully turning off your active status in your account settings, there is no way to hide your active status if you want to remain logged into LinkedIn. Being on the platform automatically triggers it.
Can I control active status visibility by group or connection?
At this time, LinkedIn only allows limiting active status to your full network or turning it off completely. There is no setting to configure it for specific connections or groups. It’s visible to your entire network or disabled for everyone.
Does an inactive status mean the person definitely is not online?
Not necessarily. An inactive status could just mean the person has disabled their active status visibility in their settings. They may actually be active on LinkedIn without it showing their green dot.