Accepting a relationship status update on Facebook can have a variety of effects on your profile and how you interact with others on the platform. When you change your relationship status, it becomes viewable to all of your friends and connections on Facebook. This means it can change how people perceive you and interact with you online. Accepting a relationship request also links you to another person’s profile and means you will show up as “In a Relationship” on each other’s profiles. There are a few key things that happen when you accept a relationship status change on Facebook:
Your Profile Updates
– Your relationship status field will change to “In a Relationship” and display the name and profile picture of the person you are now linked to.
– Your profile will show a new “Relationship” section under your intro box, listing the name of your partner and how long you’ve been in a relationship.
– You and your partner’s names may appear together in some sections of Facebook, like “Friends” suggestions.
– Your feed and page may show more posts and activity involving your new relationship partner.
Visibility to Others
– All of your friends and connections will see your new relationship status displayed when they visit your profile or see your activity in their feeds.
– People will be able to click on your relationship partner’s name and be taken to their public profile.
– Accepting the status change will post an update about your new relationship that appears in your friends’ News Feeds.
– Your family members and close connections are likely to “like” and comment on your new relationship status when they see the update.
Interactions May Change
– Friends may start interacting with you and your partner more as a “couple” when commenting, liking posts, and messaging you.
– Some connections may message you privately to ask about the new relationship or offer congratulations.
– Your social circles on Facebook may start to blend together more with your partner’s as you interact more as a couple.
– You may receive more relationship-themed content and ads based on your new status.
Showing the Relationship on Both Profiles
When you accept a relationship status change on Facebook, it links you and your partner’s profiles together and displays the relationship on both people’s profiles simultaneously. Here is what happens when the relationship status is accepted:
| On your profile | On your partner’s profile |
|---|---|
| – Your status changes to “In a Relationship” and shows your partner’s name and profile picture | – Their status changes to “In a Relationship” and shows your name and profile picture |
| – A new “Relationship” section appears under your intro box listing your partner | – A “Relationship” section appears listing you as their partner |
| – You are tagged in a public post about the new relationship | – They are tagged in the same post about the new relationship |
This mutually accepted status is visible on both people’s profiles. You will both show up as in a relationship when friends and connections view either person’s Facebook profile. The relationship is publicly confirmed from both sides once the request is accepted.
Tagging in Posts
In addition to the profile relationship status, accepting the request triggers a public post that tags both people to confirm the new relationship. For example, your post may read:
“[Your Name] is in a relationship with [Partner’s Name]”
And your partner’s post would read:
“[Partner’s Name] is in a relationship with [Your Name]”
These autogenerated posts appear in your respective News Feeds and timelines, visible to all friends and connections. It allows your larger social networks on Facebook to discover your new relationship status through posts on your feeds.
Relationship Details Section
The “Relationship” section added under your intro boxes includes details like your partner’s name, their profile picture, and the length of your relationship. Information like anniversaries and where you met may also appear if you’ve added it to your own profiles.
This section serves as a quick summary of your partner and relationship details that anyone visiting your profile can see. It reflects the same information on your partner’s relationship section to publicly document you as a couple.
Privacy Settings
While accepting a relationship request is designed to make your partnership public to your Facebook circles, you do have some privacy controls:
Adjust Post Audience
When your relationship status changes, you can adjust the audience of the public post from “Public” to “Friends” or smaller groups if desired before it posts. However, your relationship status itself will still be visible to all friends/connections.
Limit Old Posts
Use the “Limit Past Posts” tool to restrict old posts with your partner from being visible to new friends. This lets you maintain privacy.
Untag Posts
If you don’t want certain relationship posts appearing on your timeline, you can untag yourself from your partner’s posts.
List Privacy
Customize your privacy settings so you aren’t automatically added to your partner’s posts and tags going forward.
While you can’t hide your relationship status completely, these controls allow you to limit its visibility and how it appears to the public.
Updating or Removing the Relationship
Once you accept a relationship status request on Facebook, either person in the relationship can update or remove it later. Here’s how:
Editing the Relationship
To edit details like your anniversary date or where you met, go to your Relationship section and select “Edit Relationship.” Make any changes and hit Save.
Changing Your Status
If you want to change your overall relationship status, go to your intro section, select your current status, and choose a new option like “Single” or “In an Open Relationship.”
Removing the Relationship
You can fully remove the relationship by going to your partner’s profile, hovering over Friends, and selecting “Remove Relationship.” This deletes the status from both people’s profiles.
Once removed, your profiles will no longer display the relationship or link to each other in any way. Your past posts together also won’t be affected. You can always add the relationship back later by sending another request.
Impacts on Your News Feed
Accepting a relationship request can also change what you see in your Facebook News Feed based on increased interactions with your new partner:
More Posts from Your Partner
With an established connection, you’re likely to see more of your partner’s posts, links, photos, and life updates in your feed. Their content will automatically have a higher priority.
More Shared Content
You may also see an increase in posts and media that you and your partner are both tagged in or have shared back and forth. Your feeds begin to merge.
Comments and Reactions Together
You’ll probably notice more comments and reactions on both your and your partner’s posts coming from each other. These will appear at the top of your feed.
Relationship-Themed Ads
Facebook may use your new relationship status to target more ads focused on couples gifts, dating apps, relationship articles, and related content.
Friends of Your Partner
With mutual friends in common, your feed is also likely to start showing posts from your partner’s social circles, even if you aren’t directly connected.
Overall, you’ll see your feeds mirror and tie together your real-life relationship more. Your Facebook world will revolve more around your coupledom once it’s public on the platform.
Notifications
Accepting and updating your relationship status also triggers notifications to your partner as well as friends:
Confirmation Notice
When you accept the request, your partner will receive a notification that you have officially confirmed the status change.
Announcement in Feed
Friends and connections will get notified of your Life Event post announcing the new relationship.
Reminders About Status
Facebook may periodically send you and your partner reminders about your relationship status in case you want to update or edit the details.
Friend Suggestions
Both you and your partner will likely get friend recommendations based on each other’s connections, since Facebook’s algorithm sees you as linked.
Overall, the notifications help spread the word about your new status and keep it top of mind. They serve to continually publicize your coupledom on the platform.
Linked Profiles
Once you accept a relationship status change, your Facebook profile also becomes linked to your partner’s in several ways:
| Profile Links |
|---|
|
These links allow friends and connections to easily click over to your partner’s profile to learn more about them and your relationship. Their name and identity become tied to yours.
Merged Privacy Settings
Your privacy settings also merge to a degree, giving your partner access to certain posts, photos, stories, and updates set to “Friends” rather than strictly “Public.” Your profiles open up to each other.
Relationship Activity
Milestones you share together like anniversaries, trips, and life events will be jointly visible and searchable on both your timelines as your histories intertwine.
Overall, accepting the status meshes your Facebook presence and makes aspects of your partner’s profile just a click away. Your online lives become an open book to each other on the platform.
Searching as a Couple
Facebook’s graph search function also changes when your relationship status is public. You and your partner can now search for and explore content as a couple using the following types of Graph Searches:
| Couple Search Options |
|---|
|
Rather than searching as individuals, you can frame Graph searches around your relationship, with results pulled from both your profiles and connections.
This allows you to reminisce and explore your shared Facebook history as a couple through search. You have new options to curate your past and present experiences together on the platform.
Customizing Visibility
You can customize what relationship content is visible in searches by adjusting the audience filters in your privacy settings for timeline posts, life events, and any content tagged with your partner’s name. This gives you control over what coupled content appears in searches.
Overall, accepting the status opens up joint search capabilities that provide a new lens into your interconnected social media lives and histories as a public Facebook couple.
Conclusion
Accepting a relationship status request on Facebook has a number of effects on your profile visibility, privacy settings, interactions, feed content, notifications, profile connections, and search capabilities. It publicly confirms your coupledom on both your and your partner’s Facebook presence.
While it allows you to showcase your relationship and intertwine your online lives, it also requires sacrificing some privacy. However, you can use Facebook’s tools to limit visibility and unwanted sharing if desired. Overall, displaying your relationship status provides a new way to interact with friends, share milestones, and bond with your partner through the platform as an official couple.