How to Change the Google Chat Status Green Dot Icon
By Micah McDunnigan
While it is important to keep open lines of communication with your employees throughout the day, there are times when you just need to be undisturbed to get things done. If you use Google Talk or Google Chat for messaging with your office, you can signal that you don't want to receive messages by changing the green icon status. All you have to do is click on the status menu and pick a new status to display.
Step 1
Log in to Google Chat from either Gmail or Google + or log in to Google Talk through the standalone application.
Step 2
Click on the green dot icon next to your profile picture.
Step 3
Select your desired status from the drop-down menu that appears. You can also choose to write a custom message with either a green or red dot. Once you choose your status, the green dot will change.
References
Tips
- If you want to see who is online, but you want to appear to be offline, select the "invisible" option from the menu.
- If you are online but inactive on your computer, your green dot will turn orange.
- In Google Chat through Gmail and Google +, the green dot will be a green video camera if you enable video calling. Also, your green dot will be a green android icon if you enable the icon and you are logged in only on your Android device.
Writer Bio
Micah McDunnigan has been writing on politics and technology since 2007. He has written technology pieces and political op-eds for a variety of student organizations and blogs. McDunnigan earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the University of California, Davis.