Friends all appear AWAY, when I know some are available in PvZH

I am playing PvZH, and someone sitting next to me is also playing on their device. They are on my friend list, but they appear as away, and I appear as away on their screen as well. We have both tried resetting the game, our devices, and removing and re-adding each other as friends. It still shows everyone as away, even when they are playing.