Facebook’s messaging system allows users to send private messages to each other. When someone sends you a message, you will get a notification and can choose to read and reply to the message or ignore it.
However, things work a bit differently when someone sends you a message request instead of a regular message. Message requests are used when someone who is not your Facebook friend tries to message you. The question is – can they tell if you’ve read their message request or not?
What are Facebook message requests?
Facebook’s messaging system is designed to prioritize communications between friends. When someone on Facebook tries to message someone they are not friends with, the message will be sent as a “message request” instead of a regular private message.
Message requests go to the “Message Requests” folder rather than the normal inbox. The recipient can then choose to accept the message request, which opens up the messaging thread, or delete it.
Message requests are Facebook’s way of filtering unsolicited messages from people you don’t know. It adds a layer of protection, as it stops non-friends from being able to immediately message you without your approval.
Can someone see if you’ve read their message request?
When you receive a new message request, you will be notified of it in the same way you are notified of new messages. However, unlike regular messages, reading a message request does not trigger the “seen” receipt that tells the sender you have read their message.
This means that if someone sends you a message request on Facebook, they have no way of knowing if you have opened it and read it or not. They will not get any sort of notification that you have seen their message request.
What the sender can see
While the sender cannot see if you have read their message, they are able to see some basic information about the status of the message request itself:
- Message sent – The sender can see when the message request was sent.
- Message delivered – When the message request reaches your inbox, the sender will see that it has been delivered.
- Message opened – If you open the message request, the sender will see that it has been opened. However, they will not get a “seen” receipt the way they would with a regular message.
So while the sender can see when you have opened the message request itself, they cannot see if you have actually read the content of their message inside.
When message requests switch to regular messages
Once you accept a message request, it will switch over to become a regular message thread and behave like any other messaging conversation. At this point, the normal message seen receipts will start working.
So while they cannot tell if you’ve read the initial message request, the sender will be able to see read receipts once you have accepted the message request and started actually conversing with them through Facebook’s messaging platform.
Other indicators someone has read your message request
While Facebook does not directly notify someone that you’ve read their message request, there are some other signs that you have probably opened it:
- Seeing that the message request has been opened
- The time lapse between delivery and acceptance/deletion – if you accept or delete it shortly after receiving it, you probably read it
- A reply – Once accepted, they will be able to see if you have read their subsequent messages
However none of these give a definitive indication in the same way that Facebook’s “seen” notification does when it comes to regular, non-request messages.
Can you read message requests secretly?
The fact that Facebook doesn’t notify senders when you read their message request means it is possible to read message requests without the sender ever knowing.
You can open message requests and read their content without the sender being notified. This allows you to essentially “preview” message requests without the sender knowing that you have seen them.
Some of the ways you can secretly read and check Facebook message requests include:
- Opening message requests from the notifications screen – The request will be marked as opened but any messages inside will remain unread.
- Leaving message requests unopened and previewing the messages from the list screen – You can see a preview of the message content without opening the request.
- Opening requests, reading messages, then deleting the request without replying – The sender will not know you read the contents.
While this ability might seem sneaky, it allows you to screen potential message requests and decide if you want to take the conversation further with an unknown sender, without them being notified.
Pros of message requests for recipient privacy
The fact that Facebook has designed message requests this way has some advantages when it comes to recipient privacy:
- Avoids unwanted conversations – Stops unwanted conversations from spam accounts or people you don’t know contacting you before you have approved them.
- Gives more control – Allows you to preview messages and decide if you want to engage with the sender without them knowing.
- Provides screening – Enables you to screen message requests from people you don’t want to talk to and delete them without replying.
- Reduces unsolicited contact – Having to approve message requests first reduces unsolicited contact from strangers.
Overall, the system reduces unwanted messaging and allows recipients to control conversations from people they haven’t approved contact from. This provides more privacy over who you talk to on Facebook Messenger.
Cons of message requests for sender openness
However, there are also some downsides of message requests when it comes to the sender:
- No guarantee messages will be read – Senders have no way of knowing if someone has actually read their request.
- Harder to start new connections – Makes it harder to start new conversations and connections with people you don’t already know.
- Reduced openness – Reduces the openness and “social” nature of messaging when you can only message existing friends.
- Less transparency – Hide whether requests have been read, unlike regular messaging.
For the sender, message requests reduce transparency and openness when trying to start new conversations and connections with people online.
Should Facebook change message request settings?
Facebook originally did not have separate message requests – all messages went directly to inboxes. Message requests were introduced in an effort to cut down on spam and unsolicited messages.
But some think Facebook should change message requests back to be more open. Arguments around changing message request settings include:
- More transparency and openness if all messages went to inboxes immediately.
- Easier to make new connections and start conversations.
- Recipient still has control – can delete or block if unwanted.
- Facebook has other protections against spam that could prevent abuse.
However, others argue message requests should stay, as they provide valuable protection:
- Stops harassment and abuse from strangers messaging without consent.
- Gives recipients more control over who they talk to.
- Filters out unwanted contact from potentially fake or suspicious accounts.
- Important safety mechanism to prevent unsolicited and potentially harmful messaging.
Overall there are good arguments on both sides. Facebook will likely continue to grapple with finding the right balance here.
Conclusion
To summarize the key points:
- Senders cannot see if you have read their Facebook message request and will not get “seen” receipts.
- They will know if the request has been opened, but not if messages inside have been read.
- Recipients can essentially read requests secretly without the sender knowing.
- This provides privacy benefits for recipients but reduces openness for senders.
- It remains contentious whether Facebook should change message request settings back to be more open.
So ultimately, while Facebook message requests limit transparency for senders, they give recipients more control and privacy over incoming messages from people they don’t know. There are valid perspectives on both sides of whether Facebook should revise message request functionality or not.