Facebook has two main ways for users to communicate with each other and stay updated on activity happening on the platform: messages and notifications. While they have some overlaps, there are key differences between messages and notifications that impact how and when you receive them.
Messages
Facebook Messages allow you to send private, direct communication to one or more Facebook friends. Messages can include text, photos, videos, GIFs, stickers, and more. You can access messages on Facebook by clicking on the Messages icon in the top toolbar or on mobile via the Messenger app.
Here are some key features of Facebook Messages:
- One-on-one or group messages – You can message just one friend or create a group message with multiple friends.
- Read receipts – You can see when your message has been read by the recipient(s).
- Typing indicators – You can see when friends are typing a reply to your message.
- Photos/videos – Easily send photos and videos in messages.
- Reactions – React to any message with a like, love, laugh, sad, angry, or custom emoji.
- Message requests – If you aren’t friends with someone, your message will go to their message requests folder.
- Search – Search through your messages by friend name, content, links, etc.
- Notifications – You will get notifications on Facebook when you receive new messages.
Messages allow for real-time, private conversations between you and your Facebook friends. You can carry on an ongoing conversation or just send a quick note to say hi. It’s a way to connect more deeply with friends and family on Facebook.
Notifications
Facebook notifications alert you when there is activity related to your account, such as friend requests, posts you’re tagged in, comments on your posts, and more. Notifications appear in the notifications menu at the top of Facebook or on the homepage news feed.
Here are some common types of Facebook notifications:
- Friend request notifications – Someone wants to add you as a friend.
- Post reactions/comments – Someone reacted to or commented on your post.
- Tags – Someone tagged you in a post or photo.
- Shares – Someone shared your post.
- Mentions – Someone mentioned your name in a post, comment or photo.
- Live videos – A friend has gone live or invited you to watch a live video.
- Event updates – Notifications about an event you’re invited to or interested in.
- Page updates – Updates from Pages you’ve liked or followed.
- Group updates – Updates in Groups you’ve joined.
- Game updates – Updates related to games you play through Facebook.
- Pokes – When a friend “pokes” you on Facebook.
Notifications help you stay up-to-date with what’s happening around you on Facebook. They appear in real-time and disappear once you’ve read them. You can control which types of notifications you receive in the notifications settings.
Key Differences
While there is some overlap, here are the key differences between Facebook messages and notifications:
| Facebook Messages | Facebook Notifications |
|---|---|
| Private communication between friends | Alerts about public activity on or related to your account |
| One-on-one or group messages | Automated alerts (not direct communication) |
| You initiate sending messages | Triggered by other people’s activity |
| Ongoing conversations | One-time alerts that disappear after being read |
| Sent via Messenger | Appear in notifications menu and news feed |
| You control who you message | Anyone can trigger a notification (comments, tags, etc) |
In summary, Facebook messages facilitate direct communication while notifications provide alerts about public activity on or related to your account. Messages are sent intentionally to specific people while notifications are generated automatically when other Facebook users interact with your profile.
Receiving Messages and Notifications
Now that we’ve compared messages and notifications, let’s discuss how you actually receive them on Facebook:
Receiving Messages
- A red notification bubble will appear on the Messages icon when you have unread messages.
- The number in the red bubble tells you how many unread message threads you have.
- You’ll also receive push notifications on mobile when you get new messages.
- Open the Messages menu or Messenger app to view your full message inbox.
- The message thread will show as unread (bold text) until you open it.
- You can turn off notifications for messages in the Messenger settings.
Receiving Notifications
- A red notification bubble will appear on the Notifications icon when you have unread notifications.
- The number shows how many total unread notifications you have.
- Notifications also appear in a pop-up box at the top of the News Feed.
- On mobile, notifications will trigger push notifications.
- Once read, notifications disappear from the notifications menu.
- You can turn off notifications by type in Settings & Privacy.
So in summary, unread messages and notifications are both indicated by a red bubble on their respective icons in the toolbar. Notifications also appear in the news feed and trigger push notifications on mobile until read.
Managing Messages and Notifications
Facebook provides settings to help you manage your messages and notifications:
Managing Messages
- Mute threads – Stop receiving notifications from specific message threads.
- Leave group chats – Remove yourself from group message threads.
- Block users – Block specific friends from sending you messages.
- Turn off chat – Disable the ability for non-friends to message you.
- Adjust notifications – Choose if you get notifications for new messages.
Managing Notifications
- Turn off notifications – Disable notifications by type or from specific people.
- Snooze notifications – Temporarily snooze all notifications for a period of time.
- Adjust frequency – Choose how often you receive notifications.
- Unfollow people – Stop seeing posts from specific friends in your feed.
- Unlike Pages – Remove notifications from Pages you no longer want to follow.
- Leave Groups – Stop getting notifications from Groups you’ve joined.
Using these tools, you can customize your messaging and notification experience on Facebook. Reduce disruptions from unwanted messages or notifications you don’t find useful. The control is in your hands.
Message and Notification Limitations
There are a few limitations to be aware of when it comes to Facebook messages and notifications:
Message Limitations
- You can only message friends – Can’t message non-friends unless they accept your message request.
- Limited to 250 recipients – Group messages max out at 250 people.
- No SMS messaging – Can’t directly message someone’s phone number.
- Character limits – Text messages limited to 63,206 characters.
Notification Limitations
- No custom notifications – You can’t create your own notifications to send to friends.
- Friends only – You can only control notifications from friends, Pages, and Groups.
- Hidden notifications – You won’t know if you’ve been tagged or mentioned if the post privacy is set to exclude you.
- Notification overload – It’s easy to get overwhelmed by too many notifications.
While messages and notifications are useful Facebook features, it’s import to recognize their inherent constraints. Use them effectively by understanding how they work and managing them to suit your preferences.
Use Cases
Now that we’ve compared messages and notifications in depth, let’s look at some common use cases for each feature:
When to Use Messages
- One-on-one conversations
- Group chats with friends
- Saying a quick hello to a friend
- Making plans and coordinating logistics
- Sending photos, videos, or documents
- Catching up with family and friends
- Talking to friends while gaming
- Reconnecting with old friends or classmates
When to Use Notifications
- Staying up-to-date with posts from friends and Pages
- Interacting with friends’ posts (liking, commenting)
- Responding to tags and mentions
- Accepting/rejecting friend requests
- Seeing event invites and updates
- Tracking new followers and connections
- Monitoring engagement on your own posts
- Discovering trending topics and viral content
As you can see, messages facilitate personal communication while notifications act more like a news feed highlighting public interactions and activity on Facebook.
Conclusion
Facebook messages and notifications serve important but distinct purposes:
- Messages allow for private conversations and direct messaging between friends.
- Notifications provide alerts about public activity related to your profile and connections.
While there is some overlap, messages represent proactive communication while notifications are reactive updates. Understanding the differences allows you to use each feature more effectively and avoid notification overload.
With Facebook’s intricate communication tools, it’s important to manage your settings, mute conversations, unfollow friends, and limit notifications you don’t find useful. This gives you control over your messaging and notification experience.
By comprehending the capabilities and limitations of Facebook messaging and notifications, you can have meaningful connections with friends without getting overwhelmed. Master your Facebook communication and stay up-to-date on what matters most!