How To Turn On Active Status on TikTok: Get More Engagement

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Carolyn Howell

Last Updated: Sep 19, 2024

TikTok 101
Want More Real TikTok Followers?

Do you want to engage more with followers you follow back on TikTok? Learn how to turn on active status on TikTok to give your friends immediate access to you on the platform. Take advantage of another opportunity to keep your TikTok community active and engaged. 

Discover how TikTok’s Activity status feature works!

How To Change Active Status on TikTok: How the App’s Activity Status Works 

TikTok’s activity status lets your mutual followers know when you’re online. When the feature is enabled, a green dot appears on their profile picture. There are several areas on the platform where the app displays activity status:

  • Inbox
  • Message threads
  • A mutual follower’s profile page
  • The list of users that appear when you’re selecting someone to tag in a comment or post.

Note that the green dot may still appear for some time after you or a friend has left the platform. When an account is no longer active (i.e., not currently using the app), TikTok displays a last active timestamp. The last active status lets you know how long it’s been since the user was last active. 

A user’s last active status appears in the TikTok Inbox and message threads. TikTok displays someone’s last active status for up to two days. If a user remains inactive for more than two days, you won’t see a timestamp. 

Keep reading to find out how to change active status on TikTok. 

How To Turn On Active Status on TikTok

If you don’t mind letting your TikTok friends (followers you follow back) know that you’re online, turn on the Activity status feature. 

Enabling this feature will also show you which of your friends are online (if they also turned on the setting). Here’s how to do it: 

  1. Go to your Profile
  2. Tap the three-line icon/Menu in the top right. 
  3. Select Settings and privacy.
  4. Tap Privacy
  5. Tap the toggle next to Activity status to turn it on. 

Again, you and your mutual followers can see each other’s online status only when both of you turn on the feature. Neither you nor your friend can see each other’s active status if only one of you has turned on the feature. 

How To Turn Off Activity Status on TikTok for Quiet, Anonymous Browsing

If you’re using a public account and you have tons of followers you follow back, you might sometimes prefer quiet, anonymous browsing. 

Knowing how to turn off Activity status on TikTok is especially helpful if you don’t want Direct Messages (DMs) interrupting you. 

Here’s how to turn off online status on TikTok:

  1. Go to your Profile
  2. Tap the three-line icon/Menu in the top right. 
  3. Select Settings and privacy.
  4. Tap Privacy
  5. Tap the toggle next to Activity status to turn it off. 

Remember that once you turn off TikTok Activity status, you won’t see which among your friends’ online activity, as well. But if you prefer to ignore DMs while creating content, doing TikTok research, or watching videos, just turn off the feature. 

Other Ways To Enjoy Some Privacy on TikTok

Using a public account is the ideal option if you want to maximize your potential for growth on the platform. 

However, this often means giving up some degree of privacy. Fortunately, there are other ways to enjoy comfortable privacy while using the app without compromising reach, viewership, and engagement. 

Here are more options aside from turning off the Activity status:

  1. Select who can mention your account in video descriptions, comments, Stories, and stickers. You can limit Mentions to People you follow, Friends, or No one. 
  2. Choose who can send you Direct Messages. You can also turn on/off Read status, as well as Safe mode (to filter potentially unsafe message requests). 
  3. Hide your Following list from Everyone or your Followers
  4. Restrict who can view your Liked videos folder. Select your Followers or Only you to hide your likes from the public
  5. Turn off Post views so others won’t know when you view their posts. 
  6. Turn off Profile views so others won’t know when you visit their profile page. 

You’ll find all these features via your Profile>Menu>Settings and privacy>Privacy

Should I Turn On My Activity Status on TikTok? Frequently Asked Questions

Are you in the mood to engage your mutual followers in real-time? Turn on Activity status to let them know you’re available. Giving followers you follow back easy access to you can help boost engagement and help you reach potential new followers! 

Let’s answer a few more FAQ to summarize everything you need about TikTok’s Activity status function. 

Why is TikTok not showing my activity status?

If your activity status is off, your mutual followers won’t see when you’re online on TikTok. If you turn on the setting, only those whose activity status is also enabled can see when you’re online. 

Those with activity status turned off won’t know you’re available to engage on the platform. 

How do I turn on Active status on TikTok in 2024?

Follow these steps for how to remove Active status on TikTok and how to turn it on:

1. Go to your Profile
2. Tap the three-line icon/Menu in the top right corner. 
3. Select Settings and privacy, then tap Privacy
4. Tap the toggle next to Activity status to turn it on or off. 

Is TikTok’s Activity status accurate?

How accurate is TikTok’s Activity status? It’s not 100% accurate. The green dot may continue to appear with the profile picture for several minutes after a user has stopped using the app. After some time, TikTok will display the user’s last active status, or how long since they were last active. 

Sustain High Activity and Engagement in Your Community

If you want a highly active and engaged TikTok community, you must set the pace for everyone. Followers are more likely to engage frequently with a page that’s always active and quick to interact with other users. 

Promptly responding to comments and messages is the easiest way to keep users interested and encourage them to stay connected. Following back active followers lets them know you welcome more personal interactions. 

Knowing how to turn on active status on TikTok may also help boost your popularity in your community. It communicates approachability and openness. If you need help inviting more followers who are most likely to contribute to community engagement, sign up for a High Social plan!

Take advantage of High Social’s advanced, proprietary AI targeting technology, which rivals and complements TikTok’s own recommendation algorithm. Double your targeting power and reach more users who would be eager to join your TikTok tribe. 

Start growing your TikTok today!

TikTok 101