typing indicator
Reply in progress
A typing indicator is the visual cue in messaging apps showing that someone is composing a message—typically three animated dots or a pulsing ellipsis.
It creates a sense of real-time presence in digital conversation: I saw the typing indicator appear and disappear three times before she finally responded.
The feature can produce its own anxiety, as users watch indicators start and stop without a message arriving.
- dotsSmall circular marks
- bubblesGas-filled liquid spheres
- speech bubbleEnclosed comic dialogue
- ellipsisMark indicating omitted words
- waitingRemaining in expectation
anticipation · composing · chat · messenger · pulsing · blinking · animated · response · texting · iMessage · WhatsApp · instant messaging · real time · thinking · reply · conversation · online · presence
- chat roomschat rooms, chatrooms, channels, IRC, lobby
- chat featuresshare links, voice chat, video chat, private messaging, group chat
- communication failsmisunderstanding, autocorrect fail, typo, wrong number, reply all
- messagingmessage, text, chat, send, reply
- Textingread receipts, read receipt, delivered, seen, autocorrect
- AI chatchatbot, prompt, response, conversation, AI assistant
typing indicatorsent message
radio silence · read receipt · message received · blue checkmarks · unread message
typing indicatorradio silence
Absence of broadcast communication
ghosting · silence · inactivity · idle · no response
typing indicatorsilence
Total lack of sound
blank screen · communication blackout · ghosting · privacy mode
typing, indicator, typed, typist, typify, typical, typically, typification, indicate