When you become friends with someone on Facebook, both you and your new friend will get a notification about the new connection. This notification serves to confirm that you are now connected on Facebook and can begin interacting as friends on the platform.
Facebook’s friend suggestion algorithm looks at things like mutual friends, workplaces, schools, groups, and pages liked to recommend new friends for its users. When you accept one of these suggestions, both you and the suggested friend will be notified of the new connection.
How the Friend Suggestion Notification Works
The friend suggestion notification on Facebook works as follows:
You get a notification
When you accept a friend suggestion from someone, you will see a notification at the top of your Facebook homepage confirming you are now friends. This notification will typically say “[Friend’s name] accepted your friend request” or something similar.
The notification serves to confirm your request went through and you are now connected. You will also likely see your new friend pop up at the top of your newsfeed so you can begin interacting.
Your new friend gets a notification
At the same time, the person you just added will also get a notification that you accepted their friend request. This notification will say something like “You are now friends with [Your name]” to confirm the connection from their end.
So both people involved get notifications confirming the new Facebook friendship. This allows both parties to immediately see the new connection and start engaging as online friends.
Example Friend Request Notification Text
Here are some examples of the text you might see in a Facebook friend request notification when you accept a suggestion:
Your notification text
– Sarah accepted your friend request
– You are now friends with Sarah
– Your friend request to Sarah has been accepted
Your new friend’s notification text
– You are now friends with John
– John accepted your friend request
– Your friend request to John has been accepted
The notification text makes it clear to both people that the friend request was accepted and you can now interact as Facebook friends.
Other Ways to Become Friends
While friend suggestions are the most common way people connect on Facebook, here are some other ways you can become friends with someone:
Send a friend request
You can manually send a friend request to someone by going to their profile and clicking “Add Friend.” If they accept your request, you will both get confirmation notifications.
Import contacts
When you first join Facebook, you have the option to import your phone or email contacts. If you import a contact who is already on Facebook, it will send them a friend request. Again, you’ll both get notifications if they accept.
Be added to the same group
When you’re added to a Facebook group with someone who is not already your friend, you have the option to “Add Friend” directly from the group. This sends them a request which triggers notifications upon acceptance.
Connect from Messenger
If you use Facebook Messenger with someone who is not your Facebook friend, you may see an option to “Connect on Facebook.” This sends a friend request through Messenger.
So in most cases, the friend acceptance process results in notifications for both people involved. This helps facilitate the social connection on Facebook.
Settings Related to Friend Notifications
Facebook provides notification settings related to new friends, including:
Turn notifications on/off
You can turn friend request notifications on or off in the “Notifications” section of your Facebook settings. Turning them off means you won’t see a notification when accepting a request.
Show notifications from new friends first
In your Notifications settings, you can choose to always show notifications from new friends first. This prioritizes friend confirmations at the top of your notifications.
Groups, Pages and Apps notifications
Adjust notifications you get when added to groups, pages, or invited to use new apps by friends. Tweak as desired.
Troubleshooting Issues
Here are some troubleshooting tips if you don’t see friend notifications:
Check your notification settings
As mentioned above, make sure you have friend request notifications enabled in your settings. If turned off, you won’t see accept confirmations.
Try resending the request
If you don’t see a notification after accepting a request, try canceling it and resending a new request. This should trigger the confirmation notice.
Confirm the acceptance
Double check that your friend actually accepted your request. If not, no notifications will show until they accept.
Report issues to Facebook
If you still don’t see notifications after troubleshooting, report the problem to Facebook through their Help Center.
Conclusion
When you accept a friend request on Facebook, both you and your new friend will receive notifications confirming you are now connected. This allows you to immediately begin interacting as friends on Facebook. Notifications can be customized in your settings. Troubleshoot issues by checking settings, resending requests, confirming acceptances, and reporting ongoing problems.
| Person | Notification Text |
|---|---|
| You | [Friend’s Name] accepted your friend request |
| Your New Friend | You are now friends with [Your Name] |