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Facebook has a dilemma.
When someone tries to contact you on Facebook, and they have no connection to you, Facebook doesn’t know whether the message is spam or a treasured message from a long-lost friend. Facebook guesses whether the message is spam or a message you want to see, and hides the message if it guesses it’s spam.
Sometimes Facebook guesses wrong.
Facebook filters messages it thinks are spam and hides them from your inbox. If someone reaches out to you on Facebook, but he or she isn’t friends with you on Facebook, or friends with any of your friends, Facebook has to decide if that message is spam. If its spam filter catches a message, Facebook will hide that message from you.
Facebook has done this for a while. You used to be able to find these filtered messages in the Other Messages section of Facebook.
[note] => See, Your Secret “Other” Facebook Messages to find out where Facebook used to hide your secret messages. [/note]
Now, Facebook has changed where you can find these filtered messages. You have to know where to look to find them.
Your filtered messages may be filled with spam you’d just as soon stay buried.
But in many cases, Facebook users are finding messages they wish they had seen earlier. These secret messages may reveal people reaching out after they’ve lost touch with you, business prospects or other important contacts.
Checking your filtered messages is helpful to find out what you’ve been missing. Chances are, you haven’t seen all the messages in this secret section of Facebook.
Many messages may be spam. But you may find a hidden treasure amidst the rubbish.
Some people on Twitter expressed regret at not checking their filtered message on Facebook earlier.
@someecards #nofilterfacebook #myweddingphotosaregone4ever pic.twitter.com/tthd173yeI
— Summer Haynes (@summerhaynes) April 12, 2016
Ugh. Always check your Facebook filtered messages. #LessonLearned pic.twitter.com/ycSe1luDsS
— Benjamin Siemon (@BenjaminJS) April 8, 2016
How to Check Your Filtered Messages
You can check your filtered messages using both the Facebook website and the Facebook Messenger app.
Facebook Website
To check your filtered messages, go to your Facebook Home page. Click Messages in the left column under Favorites.
At the top of the Messages page, on the left side, click Message Requests. You will see some of the hidden Facebook Messages.
Next, click More. A drop-down menu will offer the option of Filtered Messages. Click Filtered Messages to see your secret messages.
To delete a spam message, click the X in the upper right corner of the message.
Facebook Messenger App
Open the Facebook Messenger app. Tap Settings in the bottom menu bar.
When the Settings page opens, tap People.
Tap Message Requests.
Tap See filtered requests.
You will then see which messages Facebook has been keeping a secret from you.
Want to get rid of spammy messages? Tap Edit, then tap any messages you want deleted. Tap Delete to trash those spam messages.
Your Thoughts
Did you know about your secret Facebook messages? Have you checked them lately? Did you find any messages you wish you had seen earlier?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
* Facebook image (edited) courtesy of Master OSM 2011 via Flickr and Creative Commons
Voice of America Learning English
If you know someone who is learning English, have them check out Voice of America Learning English. My article there this week: Which Apps Drain Your Phone’s Battery?
Damn, I checked my hidden messages and missed a million dollar payout by a day; man, I wish you would have published this sooner.
Actually, I saw something on this about a week ago and already cleaned out that file. Most was garbage but there were a few that would have been relevant at the time.
Hope all is well.
Hi Bill, Great to see you. I was hoping for a blogiversary post from you last month, but I had to celebrate alone.
Such a shame you missed out on millions. Keep checking your filtered messages. There’s bound to be more where that came from, right?
I discovered this only last week! Messages going back to 2012 were sitting there ! And not all of them were spam. Some were legit people who think I just never answered them in 4 years!
Hi Deevra, Wow, I hope that you were able to let people know that you weren’t ignoring them. Four years is a long time to wait for a reply to your messages. The more people know about these hidden messages, the more they will know to check to see what they’re missing. They can also know when their messages aren’t answered, they might have to use another way to reach out.
Hi Carolyn,
I just checked. I have messages that are 2 years old! One was from someone who used to live here and was on his way back to visit in 2014. Most of the messages should have been sent to me at our history page, so they only have themselves to blame!
I shall have to check spam more often. I’ve been back out taking landscape photos and making videos. Spring is finally here! I’ve learn how to speed up video and match it to music too. I’m trying to organise a picnic in the park with everyone dressed in period costume, that might be a photo opportunity. There is a uniformed brass band coming to play in our Victorian bandstand!
Hi MIke, Wow, sorry you missed those messages. I do wonder how many relationships have been damaged due to hidden messages. It’s one thing to have a spam filter, it’s another to hide it deeply so people don’t even know it exists.
Facebook really should make filtered messages easier to find so people at least know they’re missing messages.
I really enjoyed the photos at your site this week!
Ah really don’t know something like this thank you for letting me know some new features of facebook …
Hello Prince, Yes, Facebook has always kept these messages hidden, but this time, they’ve really buried them deeply. If you didn’t know these messages existed, you probably wouldn’t find them.
I hope you didn’t miss any important messages, Prince!
Hi,
Yes I noticed this new facebook filtered messages a while ago and those who are strangers, their message will be directly moved to other folder.
Hi Mark, Yes, people with whom you have no connection on Facebook may be spammers. But they also might be long-lost friends you want to connect with. The problem is that Facebook can’t tell the difference between the two. So it’s best to check your secret messages to make sure you’re not missing out on any important contacts.
Hello Carolyn Nicander Mohr,
Nice to meet you here
WOW! sounds like a new jack pot.
This something very much weried. Since I have been using Facebook from so long and didn’t get
to know about this.
Thanks for sharing such a informative post among us.
Shantanu sinha
Hi Shantanu, Yes, Facebook buried these messages deep so you probably wouldn’t find them by accident. You may not find any treasures there but it’s still worth checking out to see what you’re missing.
Hi Carolyn
Once again i learned something new visiting your blog
I just check my filtered messages and found two message from some young girl with very big breast. They was very much in love with me
I think I will survive this time, but it is good to know this filter exist. Something we might want to check up on once in a while.
Hi Thomas, Yes, if you want to find professions of love, Facebook filtered messages should be the first place you look. But I do question whether these are sincere sentiments…
You’re right, checking these messages every so often is probably a wise idea, even if you’re not looking for love!
Hi Carolyn,
I had seen mine at the top of the messenger app and it highlighed new messenger requests and I did NOT know the people. I have not clicked on any for fear of spam or virus. Interesting how they are now doing that. I’m not sure I like it. Facebook WAS For people you know and now it’s become like other networking sites where anyone can message or follow you, etc.
Hi Lisa, Yes, if you only have spam messages in there, you’ll be glad Facebook hides those messages. But if an important message is festering in there, you’ll wish you had found it sooner.
I have had people reach out to me from my past that have ended up in this section. But by the time I’ve found them it was years after they reached out.
If you want to reach out to someone you don’t have a connection with, Facebook probably isn’t the place to do it. Chances are pretty high that your message will be kept a secret for a long time, if not forever!
Hi, I’ve never heard of this feature before even after using facebook for well over 6 years. Luckily there was nothing there.. hahaha
Hi Gloria, Yes, Facebook has done a good job of hiding these messages. We probably wouldn’t find them if we didn’t know where they were. I’m glad that you didn’t find any important messages after six years of being on Facebook. That’s good news!