Friend = "Available" - how does BGA know?

[zilv]

I'm curious to know how BGA determines if one of my Friends is "Available"? Conversely, when do I show as "Available" to my Friends.

I stay logged in with a browser tab open, but that tab is often hidden e.g. if I'm watching a movie. What kind of action(s) makes me show as Available, and how long after I take that action do I show as Unavailable again (if I do nothing else)?

Asking for a Friend.

[Blacktango]

The first time you interact with the site (after a period of inactivity), BGA will tell your friends you're back.
If you don’t do anything for a while (because you are on another tab on the internet, for example), then BGA knows you’re not here anymore and will tell it to your fiends.

[JoysJoy]

The first time you interact with the site (after a period of inactivity), BGA will tell your friends you're back.
If you don’t do anything for a while (because you are on another tab on the internet, for example), then BGA knows you’re not here anymore and will tell it to your fiends.

Why do you think this? I am not sure this is what actually happens.

Some of my friends work on call jobs and get suddenly called away. When they leave quickly they just keep the BGA tab open and do not interact for hours and then come back and check in to say they are back, can I still play?

When this happens, their status stays at "available" the whole time they were gone. None of their games changed or were touched at all.

I just never trust when it says someone is available.

[Blacktango]

Well, when I'm away for a while, BGA shows me a popin telling me to click on the button to say when I'm back, and then, reload the page.

I'm pretty sure that when this popin appears, BGA thinks I'm out and will tell my friends that I'm disconnected.

[JoysJoy]

Well, when I'm away for a while, BGA shows me a popin telling me to click on the button to say when I'm back, and then, reload the page.

I'm pretty sure that when this popin appears, BGA thinks I'm out and will tell my friends that I'm disconnected.

Huh. I think that has happened less than an handful of times in the 3,400 games I have played so I am certain it does not work this way for all or even most people. I usually end up with some tab left open on a device all day, even if I am not playing, and that notice just does not happen.

Maybe it is when a glitch happens with your wifi and you are disconnected that way? That is what happened to me when I got this message.