The “restrict” feature on Facebook Messenger allows users to limit their interactions with other users. When you restrict someone on Messenger, it means you will no longer receive messages or calls from that person. You also won’t be notified if they react to your messages or view your stories. However, restricting someone does not block them completely or remove them from your friends list.
What happens when you restrict someone?
Here are the key things that happen when you restrict someone on Messenger:
You won’t get messages from the restricted person
Any new messages sent by the restricted person will no longer show up in your inbox. You won’t be notified about them in any way. This helps reduce unwanted contact from people you don’t want to hear from.
Your messages won’t reach the restricted person
If you send a message to the restricted person, they will not receive it. It’s as if you never sent the message at all. This prevents any further engagement from your side as well.
No more calls
Incoming voice and video calls from the restricted person will not go through. You won’t even know they tried to call you. Outgoing calls made by you to them will also not connect.
Reactions and views will be invisible
The restricted person won’t be able to see if you’ve viewed their messages or stories. Their reactions and comments on your content will also be invisible to you. It’s like they don’t exist on your Messenger at all.
Your active status won’t update for them
When you’re active on Messenger, the restricted person won’t be able to see your active status or when you were last active. They have no visibility into when you’re online.
Does restricting delete or block the person?
No, restricting someone on Messenger does not remove, delete, or block them. Here are some key differences:
They remain on your friends list
After restriction, the person still stays on your Facebook friends list and is not unfriended or blocked entirely. Your friendship on Facebook still exists.
Your past conversations remain intact
All the old chat history and conversations you’ve had with the person remains visible in your inbox, even after you restrict them. You can still look back on your past chats.
You stay connected on Facebook
Apart from Messenger, you stay connected with the restricted person on Facebook. You can still visit their profile, see posts, and interact with them on Facebook normally.
You can reverse restriction anytime
Restricting is reversible. You can choose to stop restricting the person at any time and your Messenger interactions will resume as normal. With blocking, you would have to send a friend request again.
So in summary, restriction limits Messenger access while leaving the overall Facebook friendship intact. Blocking severs all connections on both Messenger and Facebook.
Why would you restrict someone?
Here are some common scenarios where restricting a contact on Messenger might be useful:
Stopping unwanted contact from someone you know
If a friend, relative, or acquaintance is sending too many messages or calling very frequently, you can restrict them to stop the unwanted communication. You don’t have to unfriend or block them entirely.
Avoiding an ex after a breakup
Restricting an ex or former partner can prevent you from seeing their messages or calls after a relationship ends. This helps give each other space.
Dealing with toxic or abusive contacts
If someone is harassing you or their messages are abusive, restricting them quickly puts an end to any further toxic communication from their side.
Preventing spam from unknown accounts
If an unknown person adds you on Messenger and starts spamming you, restriction stops the spam immediately without having to block someone you don’t know.
Focusing without distractions
Some people restrict friends or groups temporarily when they need to focus without messaging distractions, like when studying for exams or completing important work.
How to restrict someone on Messenger
Restricting a contact on Messenger only takes a few taps in the mobile app:
On iOS
1. Open your Messenger app and go to your messages list.
2. Tap and hold the name of the person you want to restrict. A menu will pop up.
3. Tap on the “Restrict” option in the menu.
4. Confirm that you want to restrict the person when prompted.
On Android
1. Open Messenger and go to your messages.
2. Tap on the name of the person you want to restrict.
3. Tap on the three vertical dots menu icon at the top right.
4. Choose the “Restrict” option from the menu.
5. Confirm restriction when prompted.
And that’s it! The person is now restricted from contacting you on Messenger. Repeat these steps and select “Unrestrict” if you ever want to reverse the restriction.
Does the restricted person know they are restricted?
No, there is no notification sent to a person when you restrict them on Messenger. They will not know that you have restricted them.
Here are some signs from their end:
– Your chat will show as “Deleted message” when they try to message you.
– They will keep seeing a single check mark after sending a message, instead of the double check marks for delivered messages.
– All their messages will remain unread in your chat.
– They won’t see your online status, you viewing their messages, or any other activity.
So unless you directly tell them, a restricted person remains unaware about the restriction. Facebook designed it this way to avoid further friction or confrontation.
What happens when they message you after restriction?
When a restricted person attempts to message or call you on Messenger, here is what happens:
New messages don’t send
The restricted person won’t see any error or delivery failure notice when messaging you. From their end, it will seem like the message was sent even though you won’t receive it.
Messages remain marked as “Sent”
The restricted person’s messages will show a single check mark indicating the message was “Sent” even though you didn’t get it. There will be no second check mark for “Delivered.”
Calls don’t connect
If the restricted person tries calling you, whether by voice or video, the call simply won’t go through or notify you. It’s as if you rejected or missed their call.
Stories and reactions don’t reach you
If they view a story you’ve posted or react to any of your content, you won’t know. Your stories and posts appear normal from their end, but you have no idea about their engagement.
So in essence, it creates a one-way barrier where restricted people can message you but you never receive it. All their attempted interactions disappear into a black hole from your perspective.
Does the person still see your profile updates?
Restricting someone only limits their access on Messenger. On Facebook itself, they can still view your posts, stories, profile information, and other updates just like before.
Restriction affects only your chat interactions. Your main Facebook presence is still visible to restricted contacts in areas like:
– Your Facebook posts and stories
– Life events you share publicly
– Profile info like bio, work, education, photos etc.
– Content you’re tagged in by others
– Groups you have in common
So if you want to limit what someone sees in your Facebook activity as well, you will need to block them fully or adjust your privacy settings appropriately. Restriction is focused purely on messaging.
Can you see their Facebook profile after restricting?
Yes, similarly you can still view the restricted person’s Facebook profile just like before. Restricting is a one-way block only on Messenger.
You have the same access to their profile, posts, stories, and other public activity as you did before restriction. You can browse their Facebook presence normally.
Of course, you won’t be able to message or interact with their content. But passive viewing is still possible after restriction. You remain connected on Facebook itself.
What if you are in common Facebook groups?
If you and the restricted person are both members of the same Facebook groups, restricting them will not affect the group activity.
Some things to note about groups when you restrict someone:
– They stay visible as group members to you
– You both can still see each other’s posts and comments in the group
– Any admin roles they have in common groups remain intact
– You could still get tagged by them in group posts
The only exception is that they won’t be able to message you directly through group chat or Messenger if restricted. But otherwise, group interactions continue as normal.
Can a restricted person see your active status?
No, when you restrict someone on Messenger, they can no longer see your active or online status. Some things they won’t be able to see:
– When you were “Active Now” or “Active Today”
– The last time you were active on Messenger
– Any indication that you read their messages
– If you’re currently online and active on Messenger
– If you’ve seen their story posts and updates
So your active status on Messenger completely disappears from their view. There is no trace of your activity visible to them.
Should you notify them of the restriction?
Since restrictions happen silently without the other person knowing, you may want to directly inform them about it in some situations:
If they are harassing you
Letting toxic or abusive contacts know they are restricted can reinforce boundaries and prevent further issues. The lack of response from you after restriction may aggravate them otherwise.
When restricting someone close temporarily
If restricting a partner, family member, or close friend temporarily, giving them a heads up about the restriction can avoid misunderstandings.
When confusion could impact relationships
If lack of replies could confuse work colleagues, clients, or important contacts, notifying them about the restriction may be wise.
To mutually agree on space from each other
Informing an ex or former partner about restricting them can help gain closure post-breakup and prevent unwanted persistence.
In summary, consider informing restricted contacts directly in delicate situations to reduce friction and confusion. But often, “out of sight, out of mind” works best.
How to remove a restriction?
If you change your mind later and want to lift the restriction on someone, it’s easy to undo. Here is how to unrestrict them:
On iOS
1. Open your messages list in the Messenger app.
2. Long press on their name to bring up the menu.
3. Tap on “Unrestrict” to remove the restriction.
On Android
1. In your messages, tap on their name.
2. Tap the three dots menu icon.
3. Select “Unrestrict” to stop restricting them.
Once unrestricted, they will be able to message and call you normally again. Past messages they sent while restricted will remain hidden. The slate is essentially wiped clean.
Can you temporarily restrict someone?
Yes, restriction does not have to be permanent. You can choose to restrict someone’s access temporarily if needed:
– Restrict an ex until you recover from a breakup
– Restrict co-workers when on vacation to focus on time off
– Restrict friends when needing space for exams or work
– Restrict someone acting inappropriately until they improve their behavior
Since it’s easy to lift restrictions at any time, don’t hesitate to restrict people temporarily in relevant situations. Communicate the reason and duration if appropriate.
What’s the difference between blocking and restricting?
Blocking and restricting both limit contact on Messenger, but there are some notable differences:
| Blocking | Restricting |
|---|---|
| Removes friend connection on Facebook | Keeps Facebook friend connection |
| Prevents all contact on Facebook too | Only limits Messenger, not Facebook |
| Sent messages show as undelivered | Sent messages show as delivered from their end |
| Can’t find your profile, groups etc. | Can still see profile, groups content |
| Can’t request to connect again | Interaction resumes if restriction is lifted |
In summary, blocking severs all connection while restriction acts more like a timeout limiting just Messenger interaction.
Does restricting notify Facebook?
No, when you restrict someone in Messenger, Facebook is not notified or informed about it in any way. Here are some key points:
– Facebook does not receive notice about the restriction
– It does not affect their Facebook presence or profile
– The restricted person can continue using Facebook normally
– Your privacy settings remain fully in control of contact
– You can choose exactly who to restrict and when
So in essence, restriction allows you to privately manage who can message you without any involvement from Facebook itself.
Can a restricted person see your Facebook stories?
Yes, restricting someone only limits your communication on Messenger itself. Outside of Messenger, they can still view your Facebook stories just like any other friend.
When you share a story on Facebook, a restricted person will be able to see it and react to it just like before. The only exception is that you won’t see their reactions or story replies yourself.
So if you wish to limit someone’s access to your Facebook stories as well, you’ll need to block them fully or adjust your story privacy settings accordingly. Restriction focuses solely on your private chat interactions.
Conclusion
Restricting someone on Messenger is a convenient middle ground between completely blocking them and keeping open access. It lets you silence their messages and calls selectively without removing them as a friend.
Use restriction thoughtfully when you need more control over your Messenger communications. Keep it temporary or reversible when possible. With great power comes great responsibility!
Restricting is a scalpel, not a sledgehammer. Wield it wisely.