Facebook’s privacy settings allow users to control who can see certain profile information, including relationship status. The default setting for relationship status is that it’s visible to the public, but users can restrict visibility to only their friends or a custom set of people. So whether your friends can see your relationship status depends on your privacy settings.
Can friends see your relationship status if it’s set to public?
Yes, if your relationship status is set to public, all of your Facebook friends can see it. Public means that anyone, even people who are not your friends on Facebook, can see your relationship status on your profile.
To check if your relationship status is public:
- Go to your profile page
- Click on the About section
- Look under the Relationship header
- If there’s a globe icon next to your relationship status, it’s visible to the public
Can friends see your relationship status if it’s set to friends?
Yes, if you set your relationship status to be visible to friends, any friend connections on Facebook will be able to see your relationship status.
To set your relationship status to friends only:
- Go to your profile page
- Click on the About section
- Click on the audience selector (globe icon) next to Relationship
- Choose Friends from the dropdown menu
This will make your relationship status visible to friends only. Friends of friends or public will not be able to see it.
Can you hide your relationship status completely?
Yes, you can completely hide your relationship status from being visible on your profile if you want. To do this:
- Go to your profile page
- Click on the About section
- Click on the audience selector (globe icon) next to Relationship
- Choose Only Me from the dropdown menu
This will remove your relationship status from your profile entirely. No one else will be able to see it.
Can you allow specific friends to see your relationship status?
Yes, Facebook allows you to customize your audience for relationship status and select only specific people you want to see it.
To do this:
- Go to your profile page
- Click on the About section
- Click on the audience selector (globe icon) next to Relationship
- Choose Custom from the dropdown menu
- Start typing in the box to choose which friends you want to allow
This will limit visibility of your relationship status to only those selected friends.
Do your Facebook friends get notified when you change your relationship status?
No, Facebook does not send notifications to all your friends when you change your relationship status. The change will only be visible to those friends who can see your relationship status based on your privacy settings.
When friends may get notified:
- If you enter into a relationship with a friend on Facebook, it may appear as a suggestion in their News Feed.
- Friends who can see your relationship status can notice the change when they visit your profile.
- You can manually share a relationship status change as a post on your Profile or News Feed if you want to notify friends.
Can you see if other friends have set their relationship status to private?
If a friend has set their relationship status to Only Me or to an audience that doesn’t include you, you will not be able to see their relationship status at all. You won’t see any indication that they have set it to private.
On their profile, you will simply see no relationship status listed in their About section. This is the only way to know that someone has their relationship status set to private.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Public relationship statuses are visible to all Facebook friends
- Friends-only statuses are visible to friends but not public or friends of friends
- You can hide your status completely or restrict it to specific friends
- Friends do not get notified of relationship status changes
- You cannot see if someone has their status set to private
So whether your Facebook friends can see your relationship status depends on the privacy settings you choose. Adjust these in your profile to control who can view your relationship status.
| Relationship Status Setting | Who Can See It |
|---|---|
| Public | All Facebook friends and public |
| Friends Only | Your Facebook friends |
| Only Me | Only you |
| Custom | Only selected individuals |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I choose who sees my past relationship statuses?
No, previous relationship statuses are always visible to the audience they were shared with originally. You can’t retroactively change the audience on old posts.
Do my family members see my relationship status?
Family members who are your Facebook friends will see your relationship status if your settings allow friends to view it. Use custom settings to exclude family if you don’t want them to see relationship details.
Is it possible to have no relationship status at all?
Yes, selecting Only Me hides your relationship status completely from your profile.
Can someone tell if I visit their profile a lot?
No, Facebook does not share information about profile visitors with users. Your browsing of other profiles is private.
Why can’t I see a friend’s new relationship?
If a friend’s relationship doesn’t show up, they likely have it set to an audience that doesn’t include you. You won’t get any indication that they’ve updated it.
Other Facebook Relationship Privacy Concerns
In addition to your main relationship status, there are a few other places relationship details can show up that you may want to be aware of from a privacy perspective:
Family Members
If you add a family member like a spouse on Facebook, that is public information. Anyone will be able to see your family connections.
Featured Photos
Photos featured at the top of your profile are visible to everyone by default. If you feature an image with a partner, it will be publicly visible.
Life Events
If you add relationship-related life events like engagements, marriages, etc., the default is friends can see them. Adjust the audience if you want to limit visibility.
Posts and Tags
Your friends and public can see any posts you make about relationships and details you’re tagged in by others. Limit things you actively post and untag yourself when needed.
How to Choose the Right Relationship Status Privacy Settings
Here are some tips to help decide what relationship status settings are right for you on Facebook:
- Public: Use this if you are open about sharing your relationship with everyone.
- Friends Only: This is a middle ground if you want it visible to connections only.
- Custom: Use this to tailor visibility to certain friends only.
- Only Me: Use this if you want to keep your status very private.
- Consider family, coworkers, acquaintances – choose settings based on who you want to share with.
- Remember public statuses can’t be made private later.
- Double check old statuses/photos/tags if you update settings.
- You can always change the audience later as needed.
Instructions for Restricting Relationship Status Updates
Here are step-by-step instructions to restrict who can see relationship status updates on Facebook:
- Go to your Facebook profile page
- Click on the About section
- Click on the audience selector (globe icon) next to Relationship Status
- Select Friends to make it visible to friends only
- Or, select Custom and choose specific individuals you want to be able to view it
- Be sure to click Save after adjusting the audience
- To hide it completely, choose Only Me as the audience
Following these steps will limit your relationship status visibility to only people you are comfortable with seeing it. You can change the audience at any time.
Pros and Cons of Making Relationship Status Public
Pros:
- Allows people to easily know your relationship situation
- Avoids having to update people individually
- Can be used to celebrate relationships milestones and statuses
- Makes it easier for extended connections to know you better
Cons:
- Oversharing relationship details publicly
- No control over who sees sensitive relationship information
- Previous statuses remain public even after changing settings
- Provides information to vague connections and strangers
How Making Relationship Status Private Can Be Useful
Here are some potential benefits of keeping relationship status private on Facebook:
- Avoids oversharing personal or sensitive details publicly
- Prevents acquaintances, coworkers, family, or strangers from seeing info you only want close friends to know
- Keeps your dating life and personal relationships separate from your professional presence on Facebook
- Allows you to reveal information on your own terms and in messages
- Can avoid complicated explanations about relationships to extended connections
- Makes it so you control who knows what about your love life
Overall, keeping relationship status private, friends-only, or custom can be very beneficial if you prefer to keep romantic details more limited or reserved on social media.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook relationship status visibility depends on your privacy settings
- The default is public, but can be adjusted to friends, specific people, or fully private
- Friends won’t be notified of relationship status changes
- Previous public statuses remain public
- Choose settings based on who you want to share with
- Keep other relationship info like family and posts private as needed
- Customize based on your comfort level for sharing romantic details
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook gives you granular control over who can see your relationship status updates. The default is public, but you can restrict visibility to only friends, specific individuals, or make it fully private. Friends won’t be notified when you change your status. Be thoughtful about who you want to share relationship details with when configuring your privacy settings. Consider both professional contacts and personal relationships. Facebook provides flexibility to share as much or as little as you want about your love life, so take advantage of the options available to find the right balance for you.