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If someone from your contacts has uploaded a status, then viewing that will send them a silent notification that you have seen the status. What if you want to see the status but don’t want your contact to know you have seen their status?
That is possible. We have created this guide where we will show you four methods to view status without being seen secretly.
1. Access WhatsApp Status Folder
Whenever you launch WhatsApp, the app automatically pre-downloads all the current status. And stores them in a separate folder, even before tapping on the status.
But it would be best if you remembered that only photo status could be seen secretly with this hack.
This works as a cache and helps you view status without waiting for them to download.
It is essential to mention here that if one of your contacts has more than five status updates. Then WhatsApp will pre-download the first two or three only.
Here are the steps you can follow to access the WhatsApp status folder on your phone. We will be using a file manager.
- The first thing you need to do is launch the WhatsApp app and go to the Status tab. This should automatically force WhatsApp to download the status.
- Open a file manager app. We recommend you download FX File Explorer if you don’t have any.
- Using file explorer, you need to go to Main Storage > WhatsApp > Media. Here you should find a “.Statuses” folder.
Simply copy the Statuses folder and paste it somewhere in your phone’s storage directory. We will recommend you copy/paste this to the Downloads folder.
You can now view all the WhatsApp statuses without getting seen. That’s because the file manager is used to access all the status photos.
2. Disable Read Receipts Within WhatsApp
Disabling read receipts is the only surefire way to view WhatsApp status updates. Without notifying the status uploader.
You can turn this option on/off from within the WhatsApp app privacy settings, and doing this takes less than a minute.
It is essential to mention that disabling read receipts will also remove the blue tick option in the WhatsApp chats. That is not all; your contacts will not be able to find out when you have seen their messages.
Disabling read receipts will be the perfect workaround if you are OK with this.
Moreover, you can temporarily disable read receipts and turn it back on once that status expires. This will keep your view status hidden, and the uploader will not be able to figure out whether you view the status or not. It will remain a secret.
Here are the steps to achieve this:
- On your phone, open the WhatsApp app.
- Tap on the menu button located at the top right corner and tap on Settings.
- Go to Account and tap on Privacy.
- Here you will see a toggle button for the Read receipts. Tap to turn it off.
You can now secretly view status uploaded by your contacts without notifying them whether you have seen it or not.
3. Turn On Airplane Mode
Cutting off the internet connection is one of the easiest and simplest workarounds. This can help view WhatsApp statuses without notifying the uploader.
So we can simply turn on airplane mode and view the WhatsApp status updates. However, you will not be able to see all the statuses because WhatsApp preloads a few statuses only.
Another aspect you need to be aware of is that WhatsApp keeps a record of all the activities performed while the device was offline. And these are stored locally.
For instance, viewing anyone’s chats, listening to the voice note, or even opening the status.
All of these activities are stored locally. And the moment your device connects to the internet, these are synced with the servers.
Unless you had performed this trick smartly, the uploader would know when you have viewed the status.
The best workaround here is to use the WhatsApp Web. But we have to use that in the incognito mode to make sure none of the data is stored on your device locally.
And after viewing the status, you can completely close the web browser. This is to ensure that no data or activity gets synchronized with the servers.
Here is how you can use this method:
- On your computer, launch a web browser and open incognito mode, and access WhatsApp Web.
- Connect your phone with the WhatsApp Web interface.
- Navigate to the Status tab on the browser to force WhatsApp to download statuses.
- Turn on airplane mode on your computer or simply disconnect from the internet.
- You can now view the status you want to see.
Once you have viewed the statuses of your contacts, simply close the web browser. This will automatically clear all the cached data and history from this session.
Like the first method, you will not be able to view all the statuses, only a few, since your device will be offline.
Use Third-Party WhatsApp App
Apart from the original WhatsApp that the majority uses. Various third-party WhatsApp apps are developed that offer additional features.
These third-party apps come with features that are otherwise not offered in the original app.
One of the most popular ones is the GBWhatsApp. It doesn’t only give you additional features, but there are various mods too.
These mods are mighty and let you truly unleash the real power of WhatsApp, which includes:
- Enhanced privacy options.
- Auto reply functionality.
- Save your contact status to your phone.
- Read deleted chats.
- Hide last seen from specific contacts.
One of the features that we are specifically looking for here is the ability to hide from being shown in the status-viewed activity.
You can grab your copy of GBWhatsApp from our BestForAndroid APK section and install it on your phone using our guide.
Once installed, launch GBWhatsApp and follow the onscreen steps to set up the app. It will automatically detect the existing database file and prompt you to restore data from there.
When everything is set up correctly, you can access the menu located at the top right corner. Go to Settings, and from there, change the Privacy settings for view status.
Which method worked for you to view WhatsApp Status without letting them know?
Let us know in the comments below which method out of the four we have discussed worked for you. And allowed you to view WhatsApp status without getting seen by your contact.
If you ask me, method number two works really well, and it is the safest and the easiest of all to implement.
