Facebook Messenger allows people to send you message requests if they are not your friend on Facebook. Message requests go to your Message Requests folder, where you can accept them to start a conversation or delete them. If you are getting too many unwanted message requests, you can turn off the feature completely so people can’t message you unless you are friends.
Should I turn off message requests?
There are a few things to consider before turning off message requests completely:
- You won’t get any requests from people you don’t know. This prevents unwanted, spammy messages.
- People you’re not friends with can’t contact you at all on Messenger. You’d have to add each other as friends first.
- You may miss out on messages from people you do want to talk to but aren’t friends with yet.
- Turning off requests doesn’t prevent existing conversations. You’d have to block or unfriend those people.
Overall, it comes down to your comfort level. If you’re getting overwhelmed with unwelcome requests, disabling them can help. But you may miss out on wanted conversations too. You could also try adjusting your privacy settings instead to tighten who can message you.
How to turn off message requests on desktop
If you use Facebook Messenger in a web browser on your computer, here are the steps to turn off message requests:
- Go to Facebook.com and log into your account if you aren’t already.
- Click on the Messenger icon in the top right corner. It looks like a speech bubble.
- In the left column, click on Preferences.
- Under the General section, find the setting for Message Requests.
- Click on the Edit button next to Message Requests.
- A pop-up will appear. Uncheck the box next to “Get Messages from People You Don’t Know.”
- Click Save Changes at the bottom.
This will immediately turn off all incoming message requests. People will no longer be able to start new conversations with you unless you add them as a friend.
How to turn off message requests on mobile
If you use Facebook Messenger primarily on your iPhone, Android, or other mobile device, here is how to disable message requests:
- Open the Facebook Messenger app on your phone.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Tap on Privacy in the menu.
- Tap on Message Requests.
- Toggle the button next to “Who Can Send You Message Requests” to the off position.
The button will turn grey when message requests are disabled. As with the desktop instructions, this will prevent any new conversations from people you aren’t friends with.
Other messaging controls
In addition to message requests, Facebook Messenger gives you other controls over your messaging experience:
- Message filtering – Automatically filter out messages with specific words, phrases, or people.
- Block users – Prevents a specific person from contacting you.
- Leave conversations – Exit a group conversation.
- Restricted contact list – Only allow messages from people on your contact list.
You can access these from the same Privacy section where you turned off message requests. Tweak them to make messaging as open or restricted as you prefer.
What happens when requests are turned off
When you turn off message requests, here is what users will experience when trying to message you:
- They will not see a Send Message button on your profile.
- If they try to start a new conversation, they will get an error saying you aren’t accepting requests.
- They can still send a friend request. If you confirm it, they can message you.
- Existing conversations are not impacted. You would have to unfriend or block users to stop those messages.
Essentially, disabling requests means users have to become friends with you first before they can message you. It’s like putting up a gate that requires a “friend” pass to unlock messaging abilities.
Troubleshooting
In some cases, turning off message requests may not work as expected. Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Double check that the setting is actually turned off. It’s easy to miss toggling the button.
- Try logging out and back in to Messenger on all devices to refresh the settings.
- Make sure you don’t have any other privacy settings that allow messages from strangers.
- Requests may come through as Suggested or Pending if you interacted with the user previously.
- It can take up to 24 hours for the settings change to fully take effect.
If you continue having issues with unwanted requests after double checking the steps, you can report bugs to Facebook directly so they can improve the feature.
Conclusion
Facebook Messenger message requests provide an open door for anyone to contact you. That accessibility also allows spam, unwanted messages, and messaging abuse. If you’re overwhelmed with strange requests, disabling them can help take control back over your inbox. But it also limits who can reach out to you, so adjust your messaging preferences carefully.