A few months ago, Facebook got rid of the second inbox for unsolicited messages, called “Other Messages,” in its messaging services. It replaced it with “Message Requests,” a function allowing users to accept or ignore messages from people who aren’t Facebook friends. You get a notification when someone you don’t know pings you if you have Messenger, Facebook’s messaging app.
Cosmopolitan revealed this week that those notifications are actually being filtered by Facebook, so you don’t see every single person that’s trying to contact you. This is likely an attempt to cut down on the amount of spam messages and abuse everyone receives, but it’s entirely possible that you’re missing out on legitimate messages from people who want to connect.
I checked the file for my account, and found seven messages from people who had questions about things I’d written. They probably think I just flat out ignored them.
To find out if you’ve been missing messages, follow these steps:
On the Messenger app
- Open the app and click on the gear icon, labeled “Settings”
- Click on “People”
- Click “Message Requests”
- You’ll likely see a few messages in here, but to see everyone, click “See filtered requests”
- Inside will be your missing messages
On messenger.com
- Go to messenger.com and click on the gear icon on the top-left of the screen
- Click “Message Requests”
- Same as the app, a few messages may be here, but to see everyone, click “See filtered requests”
On facebook.com
- Go to messenger.com and click on the messages icon on the top-right of the screen
- Click on the grey “Message Requests” link at the top of the drop-down menu
- Click “See filtered requests”
Facebook wasn’t immediately available for comment on how it filters messages, or if it plans to make them easier to find.