Blocking someone on Facebook is a way to restrict their ability to see things you post, contact you, or view your profile. When you block someone, it prevents them from seeing things you post on your timeline, starting conversations with you through Facebook Messenger, inviting you to events or groups, tagging you in photos or posts, and more. Blocking is a privacy feature intended to give you more control over your interactions on Facebook.
But what happens if you later decide to unblock someone you had previously blocked? Does it restore the previous relationship and interactions you had with that person before blocking them? Or does unblocking not fully undo the effects of having blocked someone in the first place? Here is a look at what changes and what remains the same when you unblock someone on Facebook after blocking them.
They Will Be Able to View Your Public Posts and Profile Again
The main effect of blocking someone on Facebook is that it limits their ability to view things you post publicly on your profile. When blocked, someone would not be able to see normal posts you make to your timeline, photos you’re tagged in, updates to your profile info, and other public content you share on Facebook. They also can’t search for your profile or view your full profile while blocked.
So when you unblock someone after having blocked them, one of the main things that changes is it once again gives them access to view all your public posts, photos, profile updates, and other content you share broadly on your timeline. They can search for your name and view your full public profile just like any other Facebook user. Unblocking restores their ability to passively see the public things you choose to share on Facebook like all other users can.
They Will Be Able to Contact You and Tag You Again
In addition to limiting what someone can view passively, blocking also prevents someone from actively contacting you or interacting with you on Facebook. When you block someone, it stops them from being able to:
- Send you messages on Facebook Messenger
- Tag you in posts, photos, or comments
- Invite you to events or groups
- Start a video call with you on Messenger
- Send you Facebook pokes
- Add you as a friend if you are not connected
Unblocking undoes these limitations as well. Once you unblock someone, they will once again be able to actively contact you, tag you, invite you to events/groups, poke you, and send you messages through the various communication channels Facebook offers. It reopens the channels that were closed when you initially blocked them.
Any Posts or Tags Made While Blocked Will Remain Hidden
Although unblocking restores someone’s ability to contact you or view your profile going forward, it does not automatically reveal any posts they made about you or interactions they tried to initiate while blocked. For example:
- If someone tried to tag you in a post or photo while blocked, that tag will not appear after unblocking.
- If someone sent you a message on Messenger that you could not see while blocked, unblocking does not make that message visible.
- Any comments someone tried to post on your posts while blocked will remain hidden after unblocking.
Essentially, unblocking does not retroactively approve posts, tags, and messages that were hidden from you while blocked. Anything someone tried to send you or tag you in remains unseen after unblocking.
They Will Not Get Notified When You Unblock Them
When you block someone on Facebook, they do get notified of the block so that they are aware their ability to contact you has been restricted. However, when you subsequently unblock someone, Facebook does not notify them or send any indication that your block has been lifted.
From their perspective, they may be able to notice that they can now view your profile again or send you messages. But Facebook will not explicitly alert someone if they have been unblocked. The changes are simply reflected in their ability to interact with you normally again.
Their Posts and Tags Made While Blocked Remain Unseen
To summarize the key points:
- Unblocking allows someone to view your public profile and posts again
- They can contact you and tag you again after being unblocked
- Any of their posts, tags, messages, etc made while blocked will remain out of view after being unblocked
- They will not get a notification they have been unblocked
In essence, unblocking brings interactions back to the normal state as if they had never been blocked in the first place. Other than their posts or attempted contact remaining unseen, it essentially undoes the block.
You Can Block Them Again
Importantly, unblocking does not prevent you from blocking someone again in the future if needed. If you regret unblocking someone or find they continue contacting you in undesirable ways, you can always block them again, even immediately after unblocking them.
Some reasons you may want to unblock and then reblock someone include:
- To give someone a second chance after conflict, but then needing to block again if problems resume
- Accidentally unblocking someone you meant to keep blocked
- Unblocking as a temporary measure before planning to block again
- Not getting along again after a period of unblocking
The ability to reblock means unblocking does not have to be permanent. You can test it out and then reinstate a block if needed. There are no restrictions on how often you can block and unblock someone.
When Immediate Reblocking May Be Necessary
In some cases, it may become obvious immediately after unblocking that you need to block the person again right away. This can happen if they immediately resume unwelcome behavior that led you to block them originally, such as:
- Bombarding you with messages or friend requests
- Tagging you excessively in irrelevant posts or photos
- Making harassing, threatening, or embarrassing posts about you
- Trying to spread rumors about you
- Sharing private information about you publicly
When someone shows no consideration for your boundaries and resumes intrusive behavior instantly, reblocking quickly may be the best course. You gave them a second chance by unblocking, but they demonstrated immediately that the same problems remain.
Conclusion
Unblocking someone on Facebook restores their ability to interact with you and see your profile, but does not reveal any hidden posts or tags made while blocked. The block is essentially lifted as if it never happened, except for their contributions remaining unseen. You can always reblock the person again if problems continue.
Blocking is intended to help control unwelcome interactions. Don’t hesitate to use your blocking and unblocking ability as needed to maintain boundaries and manage your Facebook experience.
Here is a summary of the key points about unblocking someone on Facebook:
- They will be able to view your public profile/posts again
- They can contact you and tag you again after being unblocked
- Their posts/messages made while blocked stay hidden after unblocking
- They do not get notified when you unblock them
- You can always block them again if needed
Hope this gives you a better understanding of how unblocking works on Facebook and how it differs from the initial block. Let me know if you have any other questions!