Most of us have landed in confusing situations because of the Facebook active status. Sometimes, we send messages to someone online, and they take ages to reply.

And then others find us online and confront us for not responding. So, why the active status always raises the question of lies versus truths? Is it actually not accurate?

However, how does the Facebook active status works in the first place? Why does it lack precision? And are active now status and green dot the same? Let’s find the answers!

What Is Facebook Active Status?

The active now status on Facebook highlights the people who have logged into their Facebook IDs and/or are using Messenger. It is the approval that the person you want to talk to is available.

  • What Is Facebook Active Status?How Facebook Active Status WorksWhen You Turn the Active Status OnWhen You Turn the Active Status OffAccuracy of the Facebook Active StatusWhy Is Facebook Active Status Not Accurate?The Difference Between Green Dot and Active Now StatusTakeaway

Simply speaking, the profiles popping in your active now list are actively using Facebook. They can be doing anything like chatting, watching a video, playing games, or simply scrolling.

How Facebook Active Status Works

The active now status tells your friends and contacts whether you are online or were recently using Facebook. Likewise, it also tells you about the active friends and the ones who have just gone offline.

However, Facebook provides the users with the option to show or hide their active status. In each case, the working of the active status varies. Let’s have a look at both situations.

When You Turn the Active Status On

In the active status settings, you will find a toggle. On turning the toggle on, you will be able to see:

  • A green circle on profiles signifies which of your friends are active.A timestamp on profiles showing which of your friends were recently active.

Your friends or connections will also see when you are recently active.

When You Turn the Active Status Off

Here is what happens on turning the toggle off:

  • No one will see your active status (both green dot and timestamp).You won’t be able to see if someone was recently active or is using Facebook at the moment.

Accuracy of the Facebook Active Status

Based on personal experiences, we conclude that the active status requires improvements. There are multiple reasons to support our argument.

Let’s have a look at each:

  • When Facebook is left open: If you have put your phone on charging or have forgotten to close your app, Facebook will not change the status to offline. Thus, the status shown is incorrect as you are not browsing the app or using messenger. When you have Closed the App: Facebook will not change your active status instantly after you have turned off the app. Instead, it will take around 5-10 minutes before changing the status.The Timestamp on Your Profile: After your status is changed to offline, the last active time will appear on the profile. But the time shown is not the exact time you went offline, and there is an error of about 3-5 minutes in it.

Why Is Facebook Active Status Not Accurate?

Gear up; it’s time to learn some technical details.

So, session files are created on the server whenever you log in to Facebook or open the Facebook app. These session files have several functions:

  • They ensure your account safety.Preserve your phone’s battery life.And report certain information to the Facebook services.

However, the sessions rely on the cache data of devices. As soon as you close Facebook, the cache data will clear out. After that, your Facebook session ends. But since the active status signifies the time when the session ended only, there is a lag in actual and displayed active status.

Also, playing Facebook games result in the creation of session files. Therefore, you appear active on Facebook while playing games, even if you are not browsing the app.

And ta-da! You just learned how one of your favorite apps works.

The Difference Between Green Dot and Active Now Status

Both green dot and active status represent the availability of a person. If a green dot appears on the profile of someone, it means that they are active on Messenger. The green dot does not necessarily imply that the person is chatting with someone. But it does signify that person is using Facebook and is available to start a chat.

But if the green dot vanishes from the profile but the active status still shows “active now”, it means that the person is no longer available to chat, and they might have left Facebook open.

One thing to note here is that you might see the active status of some of your friends as active now only, without a green dot. This happens when the other person or you have turned the active status off.

Takeaway

This post is to sort out all the battles you’ve had with your friends for not replying even when you were online! Share the information as much as you like to prove to everyone that you were truthful and why the active status is flawed.

However, as Facebook frequently introduces updated versions, we hope they will soon bring improvements to the accuracy of their active status as well.