Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide. With so many people using Facebook to connect with friends and family, an important feature for many users is getting notified when they receive a new message. A common question is whether Facebook can send you an email notification when you get a new message on the platform.
The short answer is yes, Facebook does have the ability to email you when you receive a new message. This can be a useful feature for those who don’t login to Facebook frequently but still want to be notified of new messages in a timely manner. However, there are some important factors to be aware of regarding Facebook’s email notification settings.
In this article, we’ll provide an in-depth look at how Facebook’s email notifications work, including:
- An overview of Facebook’s email notification settings
- Instructions on how to enable/disable email notifications
- What types of messages trigger email notifications
- Considerations and limitations of relying on email notifications
- Additional notification options beyond email
Understanding the ins and outs of Facebook’s messaging notification options can help ensure you never miss an important message again!
Facebook’s Email Notification Settings
Facebook provides users with granular control over email notification settings for messages received on the platform. Within your Facebook account settings, you can configure:
- Whether you want to receive email notifications for new messages
- How frequently you want to be emailed (immediately, hourly, daily, or weekly summaries)
- Which types of messages should trigger email notifications
By default, email notifications are disabled for new messages on Facebook. Users must proactively turn on email notifications if they wish to receive them.
The frequency options allow you to control how often Facebook will send you email updates about new messages:
- Immediately: You’ll get an email sent immediately whenever you receive a new message.
- Hourly: Facebook will collect all your new messages over a 1 hour period and email you a summary.
- Daily: You’ll get a daily email summarizing all messages from the past 24 hours.
- Weekly: A summary of the past week’s messages will be sent to you once per week.
The more frequent options (immediate, hourly) are best for staying on top of conversations in real-time. The daily or weekly summaries help limit inbox clutter for those who don’t need up-to-the-minute notifications.
In addition to frequency, you can configure which types of messages will trigger notifications – either all messages, or only messages from friends/people you follow. We’ll cover this in more detail in the next section.
How to Enable or Disable Email Notifications
Turning Facebook’s email notifications on or off is simple and can be done through either the Facebook website or mobile app. Here are step-by-step instructions:
Via Facebook Website
- Click on the down arrow in the top right and choose “Settings”.
- In the left sidebar, click on “Notifications”.
- Under “Email”, click on “Notifications Settings”.
- Check or uncheck the box next to “Email me when someone sends me a message”.
- Select your desired frequency from the dropdown menu.
- Under “Who can trigger email notifications”, choose if you want notifications from everyone or just friends/people you follow.
- Click “Save Changes” at the bottom.
Via Facebook Mobile App
- Tap the three-line “hamburger” menu icon in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and choose “Settings & Privacy”.
- Tap “Settings”.
- Tap “Notifications”.
- Tap “Email Notification Settings”.
- Turn the toggle on or off next to “Messages”.
- Tap “Frequency” to change how often you receive emails.
- Tap “Who Can Trigger Emails” to update which messages trigger notifications.
- Tap “Back” to save your changes.
That’s all there is to it! Once enabled, you’ll start receiving email notifications based on your configured settings.
What Types of Messages Trigger Emails?
By default, having Facebook email notifications enabled will send you notifications for all new messages received on the platform. However, under the configuration options you can limit notifications to just messages from friends or profiles/pages you follow.
This allows you to avoid getting bombarded with email updates for random messages from people you don’t know. You can fine tune notifications to focus only on messages that matter.
Here are some examples of what types of messages would trigger notifications under each setting:
All Messages
You’ll get email notifications for any new incoming message, including:
- Messages from friends and family
- Messages from groups you’ve joined
- Messages from public figures/celebrities
- Messages from brands/businesses
- Messages from strangers
Friends Only
Emails will only be sent for messages from confirmed friends or friend requests. This excludes:
- Messages from groups
- Messages from pages/profiles you follow
- Messages from people not on your friends list
Friends and Profiles/Pages I Follow
You’ll receive email notifications for:
- Messages from friends
- Messages from pages and public profiles you follow
But not messages from:
- Groups
- Strangers
So in summary, the notification settings allow you to find the right balance for your needs in terms of volume of emails received.
Considerations and Limitations
While email notifications can be useful for staying on top of Facebook messages, there are some important limitations and factors to keep in mind:
- Emails may be delayed – They likely won’t arrive instantly the moment a new message comes in.
- You need to have email notifications enabled – They’re disabled by default.
- Notifications can miss some messages – It’s not 100% comprehensive.
- Manual checking still required – For truly timely responses.
- Potential for email overload – Too many notifications may clutter inbox.
Due to the inherent delay in receiving emails, replying directly from the notification email itself is not possible. The emails simply alert you to new messages – you’ll still need to log into the Facebook website or app to view the full message thread and reply.
For these reasons, email notifications are best used as a supplementary way to stay updated, rather than a standalone solution. Periodic manual checks of your Facebook messages are still recommended for the most timely conversations.
Other Facebook Notification Options
Beyond email notifications, Facebook also provides several other options for staying updated about new messages:
- Facebook website/app notifications – Browser or mobile push notifications when you receive a new message.
- SMS text notifications – Optionally have new Facebook messages sent to you via text message.
- Notification dots – Red dots on the Messages icon alert you to unread messages.
- Message previews – Opt to show preview snippets of new messages on Facebook.
- Chat heads – On mobile, have new message alerts display as floating chat heads.
These options provide more real-time awareness compared to email, and may be preferable for some users. You can mix and match different notification tools based on which fits your usage habits best.
Conclusion
Facebook does provide the ability to get email notifications when you receive new messages on their platform. This can serve as a useful alternative alert mechanism for those who don’t login frequently.
However, there are limitations in relying solely on email for Facebook notifications. Manual checking and real-time options like push notifications may be better for more time-sensitive conversations.
But for non-urgent messages, periodic email digests can be a convenient way to stay in the loop while reducing inbox clutter. Just be aware that responding will require logging into Facebook directly, rather than replying directly from the email.
With the proper notification tools enabled, you’ll never have to wonder “What did I miss on Facebook?” again! Choose the options that best suit your personal messaging needs and habits.