Should you text them if you noticed they're still active on the app?

Active status updates whenever the app is open, including when someone is swiping through profiles or checking matches they have no intention of messaging. It tells you they were on the app recently. It does not tell you they opened your thread, read it, or chose to skip it. Before you read anything into it, look at how the conversation went. If they were asking questions and matching your energy, a gap is more likely to be life getting in the way. If they were giving one word answers and never asked you anything back, the gap is just the conversation telling you where it stands.

Check how long the silence has been. A few hours in the middle of a busy week means very little. Several days after an actual exchange is more meaningful, though still not a verdict. Look at whether they've been active across many days or only in short bursts. Someone who is online daily but not replying to you is sending a clearer message than someone who logs in once in a while. Either way, the status is context, not proof of anything.

A reply that works here does one job: it makes it easy for them to respond without feeling chased. Reference something real from the conversation so it reads as a continuation, not a restart. A callback to a joke, a question you were both circling, or a small piece of their own stated plans gives them a natural hook. Keep the message short and light enough that replying takes no effort, and make sure it stands on its own if they missed everything in between.

What you leave out matters as much as what you include. Don't mention that you saw them active, don't ask if they're still interested, and don't mention the time that has passed. Any of those turns a casual message into a question they have to answer. The goal is that they could reply with a single word and the conversation would still move forward.

Pick a time when they would plausibly be checking their phone, usually late afternoon or early evening, not the middle of the night. Avoid sending on the same day they were last active unless you're comfortable with a quiet reply, because it can look like you're watching the dot. Give it at least two or three days before any follow up, and make that follow up lighter, not heavier.

If there's still nothing, let it sit. A second nudge only makes sense if the first one got a reply that trailed off, and even then, one follow up is usually the ceiling. Stop there. If they come back later, respond to what they say without referencing the gap. If they don't, move on. A conversation that fades after one or two careful attempts has told you what you needed to know, and continuing to send messages turns a neutral silence into an awkward one.