Discord experimenting with expiring online status

It seems like Discord’s developers are pushing full steam ahead with their plans to introduce new features and experiments, that in some cases, no one wanted to begin with. Just last week, the platform pushed out an updated desktop UI, which many are calling “horrible.” Despite the backlash, the team’s now rolling out yet another experiment that has users on the fence.

Over the past week, some users noticed an “until” timestamp appearing next to their online status options, such as Online, Idle, or Invisible. This automatically reverts their status back to “Online” after a set time unless manually changed. The feature appears to be part of an experiment, with only a small percentage of users seeing it.

Here are a couple of screenshots for reference:

According to discussions on Reddit, the expiring status works differently across devices. On desktop, users can choose how long their status lasts — from a few hours to “forever.” Mobile users, however, reportedly don’t have the “forever” option, leading to confusion. One Reddit user complained about their invisible status expiring unexpectedly, saying it defeats the purpose of staying offline to avoid messages. Others called the feature unnecessary, arguing that existing manual settings already work fine.

Discord’s team hasn’t clarified the feature’s rollout, yet. When one user asked for help disabling the expiring status on mobile, support reportedly suggested basic troubleshooting steps like reinstalling the app or switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data. This left the user frustrated, especially after support stopped responding to follow-up messages.

While some see potential in scheduling status changes—like temporarily setting “Do Not Disturb” during meetings — many argue the experiment feels half-baked. Some users point out inconsistencies, such as desktop offering more control than mobile. A Reddit comment summed it up: “Let’s make a feature nobody asked for and only make it work on desktop.” Others worry it could disrupt their privacy, like users who rely on permanent “Invisible” mode to avoid unwanted interactions.

Whether Discord keeps, tweaks, or scraps the feature may depend on how vocal testers are during this trial phase. For now, those users who are part of the experiment are stuck waiting — or switching to a desktop to manually set their status to “forever.”