Facebook notifications allow users to stay up-to-date on activity happening on the platform. Notifications appear in the top right corner of Facebook with a red icon and number to indicate how many unread notifications you have. Tapping on the notifications icon will open a drop-down menu with more details about your latest notifications.
There are many different types of Facebook notifications that users may receive. Some of the most common notification types include:
Friend Requests
You will receive a friend request notification when another Facebook user sends you a request to become friends on the platform. The notification will show the user’s name and profile picture so you can identify who sent the request. You can choose to confirm or ignore friend requests.
Post Reactions
When another user reacts to your Facebook post by liking, loving, laughing, wondering, etc., you will get a notification. The notification will specify which post received the reaction and the name of the user who reacted to it. Post reactions are a way for users to interact with your content.
Comments
If another user comments on your Facebook post, page, photo or video, you will get a comment notification. The notification will show you which piece of content received the comment and a preview of the comment text. You can tap on the notification to view the full comment thread.
Shared Content
When another user shares your post or content to their own Timeline, you will receive a notification about the shared post. The notification will show you which post was shared and by whom. Content sharing helps expand the reach of your posts to new audiences.
Mentions
If another user mentions your name in a post, comment or photo tag, you will get a mention notification. The notification will show where you were mentioned, so you can view the full context. Mentions make it easy to include and notify other users about relevant conversations.
Event Invites
When another user invites you to an event on Facebook, you will receive an event invite notification. It will show details like the event name, date/time, host and location. You can choose to accept, decline or mark yourself as interested in the event invite.
Birthday Reminders
Facebook will send you a notification on your friends’ birthdays as a reminder to post on their Timeline or wish them a happy birthday. The notification shows the friend’s name and age they are turning on their birthday.
Page Notifications
If you manage a Facebook Page, you can get notifications about new likes, comments, shares, reviews and messages to your Page. Page admins and editors will see these Page notification updates in their personal accounts.
Facebook Live Notifications
When you go live on Facebook or another user you follow goes live, Facebook sends a notification. Live video notifications show you which user is streaming live video and allow you to join the broadcast.
Friend Request Confirmations
When a user you’ve sent a friend request to accepts your request, Facebook will notify you that they confirmed your friend request. This notification confirms you are now connected as friends on Facebook.
Pokes
Facebook Poke notifications let you know when another user has poked you on the platform. Tapping the Poke notification will open a window where you can poke them back.
Messages
When another user sends you a new message on Facebook Messenger, you will receive a message notification. This notification will show you a preview of the message text. You can tap to open the message in Messenger.
Game Requests
If another user sends you a request to play one of the Facebook instant games, you will receive a game request notification. The notification will let you know which game they want to play and allow you to accept or decline the request.
Recommendation Notifications
Facebook may send notifications recommending you join certain Groups, invite friends to Messenger, try certain features and more. These recommendation notifications aim to improve your Facebook experience.
Other Notification Types
There are a few other notification types you may encounter on Facebook from time to time, including:
- Friendversary reminders for Facebook friend anniversaries
- Suggested posts Facebook thinks you will like
- Requests to add info to your profile
- News Feed ranking survey requests
- Notifications about new features
- Login alerts and security notifications
Managing Notifications
If you are receiving too many notifications on Facebook, you can manage them to cut back on the noise.
Go to the Settings menu and select “Notifications” to access the notification management options. From here you can:
- Turn off certain notification types
- Unfollow people to avoid their notifications
- Mute Push Notifications from Facebook on your device
- Turn off Sounds for notifications
- Prevent notifications from interrupting your video watching
Taking steps to refine your notifications can help ensure you only see updates that are important and relevant to you. The notification management tools give you control over your Facebook experience.
Significance of Notification Number
The little red notification bubble showing a number on Facebook serves as an indicator that you have unread notifications waiting for you. Some key things to know about the notification numbering include:
- The number represents your total unread notifications across all types
- It sums up notifications you haven’t clicked into yet
- The number will decrease as you view notifications from the drop-down menu
- The number turns bold red when you have very high unread notifications
If you see a rapidly increasing notification number, that’s a sign you have lots of unattended notifications piling up. Stay on top of it by frequently checking and clearing your notifications. The number should return to zero once you’ve caught up.
Troubleshooting High Notification Numbers
Some troubleshooting tips if your notification number seems stuck or higher than expected:
- Make sure you have viewed and cleared all your latest notifications
- Check that notifications aren’t being hidden in the “More” list
- Try restarting the Facebook app to refresh the count
- You may have unseen notifications across multiple devices logged into your account
- It could be a temporary glitch that resolves itself over time
Having a high notification count doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem with Facebook. But if the number seems inaccurate or won’t return to zero, try the troubleshooting steps above.
Notification Sounds
Facebook offers various configuration options for notification sounds and vibrations:
- You can set a specific notification tone sound
- Vibration options are also customizable
- Sounds and vibrations can be turned on or off completely
- Notification sounds only play when the Facebook app is in the background
- They alert you to new notifications when you aren’t actively using Facebook
To manage your notification sounds and vibrations, go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings. Toggle the sound and vibration preferences on or off as desired. You can also select a unique Tone to personalize your notification sound.
Troubleshooting Notification Sounds
If notification sounds from Facebook are not working properly, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure sounds are turned on in your Facebook notification settings
- Confirm your device volume is turned up enough to hear notification sounds
- Check that Facebook app sounds are not muted in your device settings outside of the app
- Consider switching to a different notification tone in case the current one is glitchy
- Try restarting your device and the Facebook app to resolve any software issues
- Update to the latest version of the Facebook app in case it fixes bugs
By going through the notification sound settings methodically, you should be able to get Facebook sounds and vibrations working properly again.
Push Notifications
Push notifications are the notifications delivered by Facebook to your device when you are not actively using the app. They allow you to receive real-time updates even when Facebook isn’t open on your phone or computer.
Some key things to know about Facebook push notifications:
- They appear as native system notifications from the OS like iOS and Android
- You can customize what types of push notifications are enabled
- Options may vary across device platforms and operating systems
- Push notifications can be completely disabled if desired
- They are especially useful for time-sensitive updates and messages
The main advantage of push notifications is convenience. You don’t have to keep Facebook constantly open to stay updated. Critical notifications come through even when Facebook isn’t in use.
Troubleshooting Push Notifications
If you are having issues with Facebook push notifications, here are some troubleshooting steps to resolve them:
- Confirm push notifications are enabled for Facebook in your device settings
- Check that specific notification types are enabled in Facebook notification settings
- Make sure you are logged into just one Facebook account on your device
- Reinstalling the Facebook app can clear up push notification bugs
- Restart your device to refresh the push notification processes
- Update to the latest Facebook app version in case fixes were released
Properly configured push notification settings are key. Also rule out device-level issues and software conflicts impacting Facebook’s push notifications.
Lightbulb Notifications
Facebook’s “lightbulb” notifications indicate there are new Stories available from friends and Pages for you to view in the Stories feed. Lightbulb icons will appear over profile pictures in the Stories bar when new content is available.
Key facts about Facebook’s lightbulb notifications:
- Lightbulbs mean new Stories were recently shared
- They appear for friends and followed Pages with unviewed Stories
- Tap on a profile with a lightbulb to jump into their latest Story
- Viewing the new Stories will clear the lightbulb indicator
- Stories expire after 24 hours, removing lightbulbs
Lightbulbs provide a visual cue to make checking Stories more enticing. They go away once you’ve caught up on the newest shared Stories.
Troubleshooting Lightbulb Issues
If lightbulbs remain stuck even after viewing Stories, try these troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure to tap through the entire user’s Story, not just preview it
- Check Stories from all devices linked to your Facebook account
- Log out and back in to Facebook to refresh the lightbulbs
- The indicators may take time to disappear after viewing Stories
- Stories may have been deleted after 24 hours expired
With Stories that auto-delete daily, lightbulbs naturally come and go quickly. But consistent viewing habits will keep annoying stale indicators away.
Seen Indicators
Facebook’s “seen” indicators help you determine if someone has viewed your messages, posts, stories, and other content you’ve shared.
Here’s what to know about Facebook’s seen notification indicators:
- “Seen” shows recipients viewed messages you sent
- Seen indicators appear next to message timestamps
- Chat heads also show when your messages are seen
- Seen cannot be disabled; it’s always on by default
- Pages often display seen status when you view their Stories
- Seen helps confirm your shares have been viewed
The ability to see when your Facebook messages and Stories have been seen makes communication feel more real-time and interactive.
Troubleshooting Seen Indicators
If seen indicators are not working properly, here are some troubleshooting steps to take:
- Make sure you have an active internet connection
- Confirm you are running the latest Facebook app version
- Try reloading the Facebook app and restarting your device
- The viewer may have seen your message from another device
- Seen glitches are usually temporary due to outages
As long as you have a stable connection, seen status should update reliably. Restarting the Facebook app and your device can often resolve indicator display issues.
Conclusion
Facebook’s notifications keep you informed of the latest activity and interactions happening across the platform. Whether it’s new comments, shared posts, messages, or other updates, notifications help ensure you never miss important happenings from friends.
Notification customization settings give you granular control to reduce noise and tailor notifications to your preferences. Take advantage of options like disabling notification sounds, turning off push notifications, and unfollowing people to optimize your experience. Keeping notifications manageable makes Facebook more enjoyable to use.
Understanding the meaning behind different notification types also makes it easier to parse the signal from the noise. With handy troubleshooting tips for common notification issues, you can address problems getting in the way of your ideal notification setup.
| Notification Type | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Friend Requests | User avatar | Someone sent you a friend request |
| Post Reactions | Like/love icons | Someone reacted to your post |
| Comments | Comment bubble | Someone commented on your post |
| Shared Content | Share icon | Someone shared your post |
| Mentions | @ symbol | Someone mentioned you in a post/comment |
| Event Invites | Calendar/date | Someone invited you to an event |
With a solid understanding of how Facebook notifications work and troubleshooting advice, you can take control of your notification experience. Master your notifications to become a Facebook pro.