Telegram is a messaging app quite similar to WhatsApp or Signal in terms of messaging and other functions. However, Telegram stands out because of its privacy features and capabilities.

One such feature is ‘last seen’ that indicates when a person was last seen online on the app. In this article, we’re talking about Telegram’s “Last seen recently” feature and covering the following topics.

What is ‘last seen recently’ on Telegram?
How to manage Telegram’s last seen setting?
How to hide last seen from someone specific on Telegram?
Telegram ‘last seen recently’ FAQs

What is ‘last seen recently’ on Telegram?

If someone has hidden their last seen, you might see a ‘last seen recently’, among several other status indicators (as mentioned below) instead of timestamp.

Last seen recently is an approximate value indicating that the person was last online anywhere from a minute to about three days ago.

Here are all the four approximate values used by Telegram to suggest a person’s last seen in case they’ve disabled the feature.

Last seen recently: Between 1 second to two or three days.
Last seen within a week: Between two to seven days.
Last seen within a month: Between seven days to one month.
Last seen a long time ago: More than a month or always if you’re blocked by the user.

Also read: How to stop auto-download in Telegram?

How to manage your Telegram ‘last seen recently’ option?

Much like fellow messaging apps, Telegram lets users hide the last time they were online from other users. Follow the steps mentioned below to manage your ‘last seen recently’ setting in Telegram:

Telegram 'last seen recently': Everything you need to know

Find the three horizontal line hamburger icon on the top left corner.
Tap on the Settings option you’ll find in the scroll bar.
Scroll down and tap on the Privacy and Security option.

Now tap Last Seen & Online,
Here you can choose from the three options under Who can see your Last Seen time?
- Everybody
- My Contacts
- Nobody

If you hide your last seen timestamps from other users, you can’t see their last seen as well. However, you will see the approximations mentioned above.

Also read: What happens when you block someone on Telegram?

How to hide last seen from someone on Telegram?

The Telegram app also allows its users to hide their last seen from only selective people on their contact list.

You can follow the steps mentioned below to add people on your ‘Never Share With‘ list for hiding your last seen status:

Find the three horizontal line hamburger icon on the top left corner.
As the next step tap on the Settings option you’ll find in the scroll bar.
Scroll down the settings and tap on the Privacy and Security option you’ll find under the settings column.

Now tap Last Seen & Online,
Under Add exceptions, tap Never Share With and add the contacts you want.

Also read: How to backup Telegram chats?

Telegram “last scene recently” FAQs

Here are the answers to a few questions related to the feature.

Who can see me online?

Your last seen settings apply to your online status as well, meaning people will only see you online if you’re sharing your last seen with them. However, there are some exceptions to this rule under which people will see you online for approximately 30 seconds if you do the following.

Send them a direct message or in a group chat.
Read a message they sent in a direct chat.
They’ll see a ‘typing…’ status if you’re typing to them in a direct chat or in a group that includes you both.

Can bots see your Last seen?

Bots can’t see your last seen status and also can’t see your phone number unless you decide to share it with them.

Bots can still see your name, username, profile picture and any messages that you send them.

What are the options to hide my last seen?

As mentioned above, Telegram gives you three basic options to hide your last seen.

Everybody: Shows your last seen to everyone.
My Contacts: Only shows your last seen to saved contacts.
Nobody: Doesn’t share your last seen with anyone.

Additionally, you can add as many exceptions to the Always Share With… or Never Share With… lists.

Does not seeing a last seen mean I’m blocked?

Not necessarily. Blocked users get a Last seen a long time ago status. However, since Telegram has now implemented a self-destructive account feature that deletes inactive accounts after six months, if you’re still seeing this error after this time, you’re blocked by that specific person.

Also read: How to pin or unpin a message on Telegram groups and channels?

Ambika Rani Ghosh

“Life’s too short to not express how you feel” — I have always lived by this quote and at times of anxiety or restlessness I always resort to expressing how I feel through art and scribbling my thoughts. I believe in spontaneity and sometimes that’s what leads to some of the best content I create.