Facebook stories have become increasingly popular over the past few years. They allow you to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. While stories can be fun and engaging, the constant notifications about new stories posted by your Facebook friends can become annoying.
Luckily, Facebook provides a few different options to control your story notifications based on your preferences. In this article, we’ll explain how to stop getting notified every time someone posts a new Facebook story.
Understanding Facebook Story Notifications
Whenever someone you follow shares a new Facebook story, you’ll get a notification by default. The notification will typically appear as a red dot on the Stories section at the top of your Facebook feed. You’ll also receive push notifications on your mobile device if you have the Facebook app installed.
Facebook sends story notifications because they want to make sure you see the new, ephemeral content posted by your friends. However, the notifications can feel disruptive if you don’t actually watch most stories. Fortunately, Facebook allows you to disable story notifications entirely or modify which stories you get notified about.
Notification Settings
The easiest way to manage your story notifications is through the Notification Settings menu. Here you can toggle story notifications on or off globally. You can also dial in exactly which stories you want to be notified about.
To access the Notification Settings menu on desktop:
- Click the down arrow in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then click “Settings”
- Click “Notifications” on the left side menu
- Scroll down to the “Stories” section
On mobile:
- Tap the three line “hamburger” menu icon
- Tap “Settings & privacy” then “Settings”
- Tap “Notifications”
- Scroll down to “Stories”
From here you can toggle notifications on or off for different categories of stories:
- All Stories: Get notifications for stories from all friends and pages you follow. This is the default setting.
- Friends’ Stories: Get notifications only for friends’ stories. You won’t get notified about stories from pages you follow.
- Off: Disable story notifications entirely. You won’t get notifications for any new stories.
Follower Lists
The Notification Settings let you control story notifications at a high level. For more granular control, head to your Follower Lists. Here you can add specific friends to lists like “Close Friends” and fine-tune notifications for each list.
To manage your Follower Lists:
- Go to your profile
- Click “Friends” below your cover photo
- Tap the gear icon and select “Follower Lists”
From the Follower Lists menu you can:
- Create new lists like “Close Friends,” “Acquaintances,” etc.
- Add individual friends to one or more lists
- Choose to get notifications always, sometimes, or never for each list
This allows you to get notifications for only your closest friends’ stories, while ignoring acquaintances’ stories, for example.
Disabling Stories Completely
If you really don’t care about Facebook stories at all, you can disable them completely:
- On desktop: Uncheck “Show Stories” under your Shortcuts menu
- On mobile: Tap the X icon next to “Stories” on the shortcuts bar
This will remove stories from your Facebook feed entirely. The only downside is you won’t be able to post your own stories.
Using Snooze to Temporarily Mute Notifications
Another handy option is Snooze. If your friends are going story-crazy during a particular event or trip, you can snooze their stories for 24 hours. Here’s how to snooze someone:
- Open the story notification
- Press and hold on their name at the top
- Select “Snooze [name] for 24 hrs”
Snoozing temporarily mutes notifications from that person’s stories without unfollowing them. You can also access snooze by pressing and holding on a person’s story bubble.
Conclusion
Facebook stories can certainly be entertaining and amusing when used in moderation. But getting bombarded with story notifications all day long quickly goes from fun to frustrating. Luckily, Facebook provides granular settings to take control over your story notifications.
Try out the Notification Settings menu and Follower Lists to customize notifications based on your preferences. Identify close friends who you always want to see stories from. Acquaintances and Pages can go into lists with limited or no notifications.
Snoozing people is great for temporary muting when friends are over-posting stories. And you can disable stories completely if you really never interact with them. With these tips, you’ll no longer be annoyed by endless story notifications.
| Notification Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| All Stories | Get notifications for stories from all friends and pages you follow. This is the default setting. |
| Friends’ Stories | Get notifications only for friends’ stories. You won’t get notified about stories from pages you follow. |
| Off | Disable story notifications entirely. You won’t get notifications for any new stories. |
| Platform | How to Access Notification Settings |
|---|---|
| Desktop |
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| Mobile |
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Here are some key takeaways:
- Facebook story notifications can become disruptive and annoying
- Use Notification Settings to control notifications at a high level
- Create Follower Lists for more granular control over notifications
- Snoozing temporarily mutes notifications from specific people
- You can fully disable stories if you don’t use them
Facebook provides the flexibility to customize your story notifications exactly how you want them. Take advantage of these options so you can enjoy Facebook stories stress-free.
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of the third quarter of 2020. While Facebook offers many benefits for connecting with friends and family online, the platform also includes some less desirable features—one of which is Facebook stories.
Facebook stories allow users to post photos and videos that disappear automatically after 24 hours. Stories appear in a bar at the top of the app and feed and can be viewed by tapping on a contact’s profile picture. While stories can be fun and entertaining when used appropriately, many users find the frequent story notifications annoying and disruptive.
If you feel bombarded by continuous Facebook story notifications, there are a few ways to manage or stop them altogether. Let’s explore the options so you can take control over distracting story alerts.
Adjust Notification Settings
The easiest way to limit Facebook story notifications is to adjust your notification settings within the app. On desktop, click the down arrow at the top right, choose “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings.” Select “Notifications” on the left menu and scroll down to “Stories.”
On mobile, tap the hamburger menu in the top right, choose “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings,” tap “Notifications,” and scroll down to “Stories.” Here you can toggle story notifications on or off entirely. You can also limit notifications to stories from only friends or pages you follow rather than all stories.
Create Follower Lists
For even more customized control, try using Facebook’s Follower Lists feature. This allows you to group friends into specific lists like “Close Friends,” “Acquaintances,” etc. You can then set unique story notification preferences for each list.
To access Follower Lists, go to your profile, click “Friends” under your cover photo, tap the gear icon, and choose “Follower Lists.” From here you can create new lists, add friends, and configure notifications as desired.
Snooze Stories
If your friends are going story crazy during a particular event or trip, use the Snooze feature to temporarily mute their stories. Press and hold on their name at the top of a story and select “Snooze for 24 hrs.” You can also snooze stories by pressing and holding on their profile photo bubble.
Disable Viewing Stories
If you really never watch stories, you can prevent them from appearing in your feed entirely. On desktop, uncheck “Show Stories” under the Shortcuts menu. On mobile, tap the “X” icon next to Stories on the shortcuts bar at the top.
With these tips, you can control whether and which Facebook story notifications you receive. Adjust settings to suit your preferences so stories don’t become a distracting nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I suddenly getting more Facebook story notifications?
There are a few possible reasons you may notice an influx of Facebook story notifications:
- Facebook has been placing increasing emphasis on stories as a way for users to interact. They may be intentionally pushing more story notifications out to encourage engagement.
- You may have new friends or followed new pages that are posting stories more frequently.
- Your existing friends and followers may simply be using stories more often lately.
Can I mute Facebook story notifications from a specific person?
Yes, you have a couple options to mute story notifications from specific people:
- Snooze notifications from their stories for 24 hours by pressing and holding their name and selecting “Snooze.”
- Create a Follower List for “Acquaintances,” add them to it, and disable story notifications for that list.
What’s the difference between snoozing and unfollowing someone?
Snoozing mutes notifications temporarily without unfollowing the person. Their stories will reappear in your feed after 24 hours. Unfollowing disconnects you from the person entirely so you won’t see any of their content.
Can I stop stories from people I’m not friends with from appearing?
Yes, adjust your story notification settings to receive notifications for “Friends’ Stories” only. This will prevent stories from pages and profiles you aren’t friends with from appearing.
What happens when I snooze or mute story notifications?
Snoozing or muting notifications prevents future story notifications from appearing. It does not remove stories that were already posted – you can still view those by tapping on the person’s profile picture icon.
The Bottom Line
Facebook stories can provide amusing glimpses into your friends’ days when used moderately. But constant notifications whenever someone posts a new story can be distracting. Use Facebook’s notification settings, follower lists, and snooze features to tame stories and reclaim your feed.
With the ability to fine-tune story notifications to your preferences, you can enjoy Facebook stories stress-free. The platform puts you in control over how and when stories interrupt your day – so take advantage to mute and filter as needed.