When using Discord, you may notice that some users have their status shown as Idle. A small orange moon icon also accompanies this status. This status is just one of the other five options available in Discord for settings your status.
New users who are only familiar with the “online” and “offline” statuses from other social media apps usually get confused about the meaning of the Idle status in discord.
If you are one of them, this post will tell you all you need to know about the meaning of Idle in Discord. We will also explain other statuses such as the Do Not Disturb and Invisible options.
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What Does Idle Mean on Discord?
When a user’s profile displays Idle status on Discord, it means that the user is currently away from the app. In other words, the Discord app may still be open in the background but the user has not interacted with the app for a few minutes.
It takes an average of five minutes of non-interaction for Discord to change your status from online to idle.
People who are not used to all the terms on the platform often ask for the meaning of idle on Discord after seeing it for the first few times. The closest example is the AFK in gaming. This term means Away From Keyboard and is often used in gaming to describe players taking a quick break from a game.
Idle status in Discord, just like AFK, means that the user still has Discord opened on their device but is currently not active. The major purpose the Idle serves is that it informs other users on your network that you cannot respond to their messages immediately.
Difference Between Idle, Do Not Disturb, and Invisible Statuses on Discord
The differences between the various types of statuses on Discord can sometimes be confusing. But once you get the hang of it, you should be able to set your status correctly.
Idle
Let us begin with “Idle” which is the focus of this post. When a Discord user’s status appears as “Idle,” it means that they are AFK (Away From Keyboard). Therefore, when you send a message to such users, they may not respond immediately, but they will get to see it when they get back to the platform.
Users can also set their status to Idle to make others think they are AWF. When your status is set to Idle, Discord will display an orange dot beside your avatar.
Do Not Disturb
Often called DND, setting your status to Do Not Disturb will prevent Discord from sending you notifications. When you activate DND, a red dot appears next to your avatar. By setting this status, other Discord users will know that you are online but busy.
Invisible
The invisible status allows you to appear offline to other Discord users. The invisible color is the same as offline, which is gray. People often use this status when they want to avoid participating in some servers and do not want their friends to know that they are online.
Apart from these three status options, we have the regular online and offline statuses that are common on other social media platforms. You also have the option for a custom status on Discord. Custom status is the last option on the list and allows you to set your own custom status.
How to Set Your Discord Status as Idle
Discord has been programmed to automatically set your status to Idle if you don’t engage with the app for a couple of minutes. However, you can also set your status to Idle manually. This way, other users will believe you are away from the platform even if you are active.
You can use this mode to stall for time on some discussions while attending to other matters on the platform. Gamers also use this status to buy some time while they work on a mission for their guilds. Therefore, if you want to have some time to yourself while still receiving updates, follow this guide to set your Discord status to Idle.
- Open Discord.
- Click your profile picture in the bottom left corner.
- A popup appears with a list of available statuses. Select Idle from the list.
Your status will now change to Idle, even if you are active on Discord. You can follow these same steps to set other statuses. Furthermore, you can follow the same steps whenever you are ready to change your status back to online.
