Comment by MisterTea
I have a friend who would always text me "yo yo", which annoyed me, so I would always responded with a picture of a yo-yo. He finally got the hint and now asks "you around?" so yet again, I state I am in fact not a round anything and the saga continues...
Just ask the mother flipping question ffs!
Consider telling your friend you would prefer different behavior from him, instead of passive aggression that, at this point, you have proven is ineffective and only leaves you more frustrated because you feel like he's ignoring your "request" (when he's done no such thing).