diff --git a/toxcore/Messenger.c b/toxcore/Messenger.c
index 3cc2f851..a1812c69 100644
--- a/toxcore/Messenger.c
+++ b/toxcore/Messenger.c
@@ -706,9 +706,9 @@ uint8_t m_get_self_userstatus(const Messenger *m)
 uint64_t m_get_last_online(const Messenger *m, int32_t friendnumber)
 {
     if (friend_not_valid(m, friendnumber))
-        return -1;
+        return UINT64_MAX;
 
-    return m->friendlist[friendnumber].ping_lastrecv;
+    return m->friendlist[friendnumber].last_seen_time;
 }
 
 int m_set_usertyping(Messenger *m, int32_t friendnumber, uint8_t is_typing)
@@ -1890,7 +1890,6 @@ static void check_friend_request_timed_out(Messenger *m, uint32_t i, uint64_t t)
 
 static int handle_status(void *object, int i, uint8_t status)
 {
-    uint64_t temp_time = unix_time();
     Messenger *m = object;
 
     if (status) { /* Went online. */
@@ -1899,7 +1898,6 @@ static int handle_status(void *object, int i, uint8_t status)
         m->friendlist[i].userstatus_sent = 0;
         m->friendlist[i].statusmessage_sent = 0;
         m->friendlist[i].user_istyping_sent = 0;
-        m->friendlist[i].ping_lastrecv = temp_time;
     } else { /* Went offline. */
         if (m->friendlist[i].status == FRIEND_ONLINE) {
             set_friend_status(m, i, FRIEND_CONFIRMED);
@@ -2244,6 +2242,8 @@ void do_friends(Messenger *m)
             check_friend_tcp_udp(m, i);
             do_receipts(m, i);
             do_reqchunk_filecb(m, i);
+
+            m->friendlist[i].last_seen_time = (uint64_t) time(NULL);
         }
     }
 }
@@ -2384,7 +2384,6 @@ void do_messenger(Messenger *m)
             LOGGER_TRACE("Friend num in DHT %u != friend num in msger %u\n", m->dht->num_friends, m->numfriends);
         }
 
-        uint32_t ping_lastrecv;
         Friend *msgfptr;
         DHT_Friend *dhtfptr;
 
@@ -2397,14 +2396,9 @@ void do_messenger(Messenger *m)
             dhtfptr = &m->dht->friends_list[friend];
 
             if (msgfptr) {
-                ping_lastrecv = lastdump - msgfptr->ping_lastrecv;
-
-                if (ping_lastrecv > 999)
-                    ping_lastrecv = 999;
-
-                LOGGER_TRACE("F[%2u:%2u] <%s> [%03u] %s",
+                LOGGER_TRACE("F[%2u:%2u] <%s> %s",
                              dht2m[friend], friend, msgfptr->name,
-                             ping_lastrecv, ID2String(msgfptr->real_pk));
+                             ID2String(msgfptr->real_pk));
             } else {
                 LOGGER_TRACE("F[--:%2u] %s", friend, ID2String(dhtfptr->client_id));
             }
@@ -2460,7 +2454,7 @@ struct SAVED_FRIEND {
     uint16_t statusmessage_length;
     uint8_t userstatus;
     uint32_t friendrequest_nospam;
-    uint64_t ping_lastrecv;
+    uint64_t last_seen_time;
 };
 
 static uint32_t saved_friendslist_size(const Messenger *m)
@@ -2496,10 +2490,10 @@ static uint32_t friends_list_save(const Messenger *m, uint8_t *data)
                 temp.statusmessage_length = htons(m->friendlist[i].statusmessage_length);
                 temp.userstatus = m->friendlist[i].userstatus;
 
-                uint8_t lastonline[sizeof(uint64_t)];
-                memcpy(lastonline, &m->friendlist[i].ping_lastrecv, sizeof(uint64_t));
-                host_to_net(lastonline, sizeof(uint64_t));
-                memcpy(&temp.ping_lastrecv, lastonline, sizeof(uint64_t));
+                uint8_t last_seen_time[sizeof(uint64_t)];
+                memcpy(last_seen_time, &m->friendlist[i].last_seen_time, sizeof(uint64_t));
+                host_to_net(last_seen_time, sizeof(uint64_t));
+                memcpy(&temp.last_seen_time, last_seen_time, sizeof(uint64_t));
             }
 
             memcpy(data + num * sizeof(struct SAVED_FRIEND), &temp, sizeof(struct SAVED_FRIEND));
@@ -2532,10 +2526,10 @@ static int friends_list_load(Messenger *m, const uint8_t *data, uint32_t length)
             setfriendname(m, fnum, temp.name, ntohs(temp.name_length));
             set_friend_statusmessage(m, fnum, temp.statusmessage, ntohs(temp.statusmessage_length));
             set_friend_userstatus(m, fnum, temp.userstatus);
-            uint8_t lastonline[sizeof(uint64_t)];
-            memcpy(lastonline, &temp.ping_lastrecv, sizeof(uint64_t));
-            net_to_host(lastonline, sizeof(uint64_t));
-            memcpy(&m->friendlist[fnum].ping_lastrecv, lastonline, sizeof(uint64_t));
+            uint8_t last_seen_time[sizeof(uint64_t)];
+            memcpy(last_seen_time, &temp.last_seen_time, sizeof(uint64_t));
+            net_to_host(last_seen_time, sizeof(uint64_t));
+            memcpy(&m->friendlist[fnum].last_seen_time, last_seen_time, sizeof(uint64_t));
         } else if (temp.status != 0) {
             /* TODO: This is not a good way to do this. */
             uint8_t address[FRIEND_ADDRESS_SIZE];
diff --git a/toxcore/Messenger.h b/toxcore/Messenger.h
index d2a992f3..63fb2820 100644
--- a/toxcore/Messenger.h
+++ b/toxcore/Messenger.h
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ typedef struct {
     uint16_t info_size; // Length of the info.
     uint32_t message_id; // a semi-unique id used in read receipts.
     uint32_t friendrequest_nospam; // The nospam number used in the friend request.
-    uint64_t ping_lastrecv;//TODO remove
+    uint64_t last_seen_time;
     uint64_t share_relays_lastsent;
     uint8_t last_connection_udp_tcp;
     struct File_Transfers file_sending[MAX_CONCURRENT_FILE_PIPES];
@@ -460,8 +460,8 @@ uint8_t m_get_userstatus(const Messenger *m, int32_t friendnumber);
 uint8_t m_get_self_userstatus(const Messenger *m);
 
 
-/* returns timestamp of last time friendnumber was seen online, or 0 if never seen.
- * returns -1 on error.
+/* returns timestamp of last time friendnumber was seen online or 0 if never seen.
+ * if friendnumber is invalid this function will return UINT64_MAX.
  */
 uint64_t m_get_last_online(const Messenger *m, int32_t friendnumber);
 
diff --git a/toxcore/tox.c b/toxcore/tox.c
index 403ba83f..a9306efc 100644
--- a/toxcore/tox.c
+++ b/toxcore/tox.c
@@ -599,6 +599,20 @@ bool tox_friend_exists(const Tox *tox, uint32_t friend_number)
     return m_friend_exists(m, friend_number);
 }
 
+uint64_t tox_friend_get_last_online(const Tox *tox, uint32_t friend_number, TOX_ERR_FRIEND_GET_LAST_ONLINE *error)
+{
+    const Messenger *m = tox;
+    uint64_t timestamp = m_get_last_online(m, friend_number);
+
+    if (timestamp == UINT64_MAX) {
+        SET_ERROR_PARAMETER(error, TOX_ERR_FRIEND_GET_LAST_ONLINE_FRIEND_NOT_FOUND)
+        return UINT64_MAX;
+    }
+
+    SET_ERROR_PARAMETER(error, TOX_ERR_FRIEND_GET_LAST_ONLINE_OK);
+    return timestamp;
+}
+
 size_t tox_self_get_friend_list_size(const Tox *tox)
 {
     const Messenger *m = tox;
diff --git a/toxcore/tox.h b/toxcore/tox.h
index 8dc49d0b..034b1d78 100644
--- a/toxcore/tox.h
+++ b/toxcore/tox.h
@@ -996,6 +996,21 @@ bool tox_friend_get_public_key(const Tox *tox, uint32_t friend_number, uint8_t *
  */
 bool tox_friend_exists(const Tox *tox, uint32_t friend_number);
 
+typedef enum TOX_ERR_FRIEND_GET_LAST_ONLINE {
+    TOX_ERR_FRIEND_GET_LAST_ONLINE_OK,
+    /**
+     * No friend with the given number exists on the friend list.
+     */
+    TOX_ERR_FRIEND_GET_LAST_ONLINE_FRIEND_NOT_FOUND,
+} TOX_ERR_FRIEND_GET_LAST_ONLINE;
+
+/**
+ * Return a unix-time timestamp of the last time the friend associated with a given
+ * friend number was seen online. This function will return UINT64_MAX on error.
+ *
+ * @param friend_number The friend number you want to query.
+ */
+uint64_t tox_friend_get_last_online(const Tox *tox, uint32_t friend_number, TOX_ERR_FRIEND_GET_LAST_ONLINE *error);
 
 /**
  * Return the number of friends on the friend list.