Facebook friend requests have been a source of confusion and frustration for many users over the years. Glitches with the friend request system often lead to issues like duplicate friend requests, inability to accept or reject requests, and more. So is Facebook still having problems in 2023 with its friend request feature? Let’s take a look at some of the recent reports and evidence.
The History of Facebook Friend Request Issues
Facebook has dealt with bugs and glitches involving friend requests for years. Here is a brief history of some of the major problems:
- 2011 – Many users complained of receiving dozens of duplicate friend requests from the same person. Facebook said it was due to a bug and worked to fix it.
- 2012 – A bug caused some accepted friend requests to appear as if they were still pending. It took Facebook several weeks to address this.
- 2013 – Some users found they could not accept or reject incoming friend requests. Facebook fixed the issue within a few days.
- 2014 – Hundreds of thousands of users reported seeing old friend requests from years prior reappear as new. Facebook apologized and fixed the problem.
- 2015 – A bug prevented users from being able to approve or delete friend requests. Took over a week for Facebook to implement a fix.
As you can see, Facebook has dealt with friend request bugs consistently over the past decade. These glitches point to possible deeper issues with how the friend request system was originally coded.
Recent Reports of Facebook Friend Request Glitches
So what about more recently – are people still reporting friend request problems in 2022 and 2023? Let’s look at some recent reports.
Duplicate Requests
One of the most common complaints is still receiving multiple identical friend requests from the same person. For example, this user reported in October 2022:
“Over the last 2 weeks I have received over 50 duplicate friend requests from various friends on my account. I have not accepted them and some of them date back to over 1 year ago. Anyone else having this problem?”
And this user had a similar report from December 2022:
“I keep getting repeat friend requests from the same people, even though I already accepted them months or years ago. This is so annoying! Facebook needs to fix this.”
So duplicate friend requests seem to still be occurring for many users.
Inability to Accept/Reject Requests
Another common complaint is being unable to accept or reject pending friend requests. For instance:
“No matter what I do, I can’t accept or decline friend requests on Facebook right now. The ‘Confirm’ and ‘Delete Request’ buttons don’t work. Please fix this Facebook!”
And:
“Why can’t I accept friend requests on Facebook suddenly? The Confirm button doesn’t do anything when I click it. Help!”
This points to potential bugs still causing issues with the friend request approval process.
Requests from Unknown Users
Some people also report getting friend requests from users they don’t know. For example:
“I keep getting friend requests on Facebook from random people I’ve never heard of. I have no idea how they found my profile. This doesn’t seem right…”
And:
“Anyone else getting friend requests from strangers on Facebook? I’ve gotten dozens of them lately and I have no idea who any of these people are.”
It’s unclear what might cause this, but it points to potential loopholes that allow users to send requests even without a connection.
Old Requests Reappearing
As we saw in 2014, sometimes old friend requests can resurface:
“Facebook bug: a friend request I accepted from someone in 2020 just popped up again today as a new request. Facebook needs to get it together.”
Seeing old requests reappear as new points to data syncing issues that still crop up.
Potential Explanations for the Glitches
What might be behind all these persistent friend request glitches? Here are a few potential explanations:
- Outdated code – The underlying code that powers the friend request system is very old. Outdated code can easily cause bugs.
- Server syncing issues – Problems syncing data across Facebook’s servers could lead to duplicates and old requests reappearing.
- Hacked/spam accounts – Compromised accounts being used maliciously could be behind strangers sending requests or duplicates.
- Intentional abuse – Users might intentionally send duplicate requests for attention or to harass others.
Without access to Facebook’s internal systems, it’s impossible to know for sure what causes these glitches. But outdated systems and server issues seem like plausible culprits.
Steps Facebook Could Take to Address Glitches
If these persistent friend request bugs are due to antiquated code and systems, what could Facebook do to modernize and address the problems?
Rewrite Friend Request Code
The most comprehensive solution would be rewriting the friend request logic from the ground up using modern frameworks optimized for scalability. This would get rid of layers of outdated code.
Improve Server Scaling
Upgrading their server infrastructure and introducing better automatic scaling could help prevent syncing issues between servers that lead to duplicates and old requests reappearing.
Utilize Blockchains
Blockchain technology offers decentralized, cryptographically verified transaction logs. Facebook could potentially implement blockchains to provide redundancy and immutability for the friend request transaction log. This could eliminate many consistency issues.
Leverage AI
Implementing AI that automatically monitors for suspicious patterns like duplicate requests or requests from unknown accounts could help Facebook identify and resolve certain types of glitches faster.
Focus on Prevention
Rather than only fixing glitches after users report them, Facebook could invest more in preventative solutions. For example, using AI to predict where bugs might emerge based on past data.
With its ample resources and talent, Facebook undoubtedly has the capability to address these persistent friend request problems. It’s likely just a matter of prioritizing the proper preventative solutions.
The Impact of Friend Request Glitches
At the end of the day, what impact do these annoyances with Facebook friend requests really have? Let’s explore some of the potential implications.
Damages Trust
The bugs and lack of transparency around fixes can damage users’ trust. People expect social platforms they rely on to function properly.
Hurts User Experience
Obviously the glitches negatively impact user experience. Duplicate requests, being unable to accept requests, and harassment from unknown accounts hurts CX.
Amplifies Harassment/Spam
The lack of visibility into friend requests enables harassment and spam at scale. Duplicate requests or getting flooded with requests from strangers exacerbates abuse.
Reduces Engagement
When core features don’t work properly, it understandably reduces engagement and leads to less sharing among real social connections.
Damages Facebook’s Reputation
These ongoing glitches coupled with other recent scandals (Cambridge Analytica etc) have hurt Facebook’s public reputation as a brand.
So in summary, friend request bugs have the potential for very real and damaging effects on both individual user experiences as well as Facebook’s brand as a whole.
Conclusion
Facebook continues to struggle with a range of glitches and issues involving its friend request feature based on recent user reports. Duplicate requests, inability to accept requests, and unwanted requests seem to be common problems many users still encounter in 2022/2023.
The root causes likely stem from Facebook’s dated underlying friend request code and infrastructure. To address this, Facebook could take preventative steps like rewriting their friend request logic, improving server scaling, leveraging blockchain redundancy, and deploying predictive AI.
These persistent glitches can significantly damage user trust, experience, and engagement. They also amplify harassment and spam, and hurt Facebook’s brand reputation. As one of the world’s leading social networks, Facebook has a responsibility to prioritize solutions that ensure friend requests work reliably for its billions of users.