The “presence not established” message on Facebook typically means that the user you are trying to contact or view does not have an active Facebook session at the moment. There are a few potential reasons why you might see this:
They are not currently logged into Facebook
The most common reason for seeing “presence not established” is that the person simply is not currently logged into their Facebook account. If they have not used Facebook recently or have logged out, their online status will show as “presence not established” until they log back in.
They are logged in but have turned off active status
Users can also manually turn off their active status in their Facebook settings. This prevents others from seeing when they are actively online. If someone has disabled this feature, you’ll see “presence not established” when viewing their profile or trying to chat, even if they’re logged in.
It’s a temporary glitch
Less commonly, the “presence not established” message can be caused by a temporary technical glitch on Facebook’s end. Sometimes the online indicator fails to update properly. Trying again after a few minutes may show their actual online status.
They’ve blocked you
In some cases, seeing “presence not established” for a specific person can mean they have blocked you on Facebook. Blocking prevents you from viewing someone’s profile or interacting with them. However, it’s not the only cause of this message.
Their account is deactivated or closed
If someone has deactivated their Facebook account or fully deleted/closed it, their online status will always show as “presence not established.” In this case, you would be unable to view their profile or contact them on Facebook at all.
What does the message mean for messaging?
You can still send a Facebook message to someone showing “presence not established.” It will go through as normal and they will receive a notification the next time they log in or open Facebook on their device.
However, you won’t be able to see if they have read or opened the message. The seen/delivered receipts will not display until the person comes online and establishes presence again.
Tips for troubleshooting
Here are some things to try if you keep seeing “presence not established” for someone you expect to be online:
- Refresh your browser or app – this forces an update
- Check if Facebook is down for maintenance
- Try viewing their profile from a different device
- Ask the person if they recently changed any privacy settings
- See if you can contact the person outside of Facebook
Conclusion
In most cases, the “presence not established” status is normal and just means the user is currently inactive on Facebook. It’s nothing to worry about. Keep in mind that people log in and out of Facebook all day long – their status is bound to flip back and forth. But if the issue persists or prevents you from contacting someone, re-check your privacy settings and troubleshoot potential problems.
| Reason | Explanation | Troubleshooting Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Not logged into Facebook | They need to open Facebook app or website to come online | – Ask if they’re logged out currently – Try contacting later |
| Turned off active status | They have disabled the active/online indicator in settings | – Ask if they changed this setting – You’ll always see this status for them |
| Temporary glitch | Facebook is having a technical issue updating status | – Refresh page/app – Check Facebook status page – Try again later |
| Blocked by user | You’ve been blocked which prevents seeing their profile or messaging | – Try viewing profile from another account – See if you can contact them elsewhere |
| Deactivated/closed account | The account is no longer active on Facebook | – See if they have a new Facebook profile – Try contacting outside of Facebook |
When messaging someone with presence not established
You can still send them a message. They will get a notification on Facebook when they log back in. However:
- You won’t know if/when they read it
- Delivered receipts will not show up until they are online again
- Overall slower response time expected
Presence needs to be re-established before you can see if messages have been read. This is normal – just be patient for a reply.
Troubleshooting tips
If you continually see “presence not established” for a contact, try these troubleshooting steps:
- Refresh page or app – forces status update
- Check Facebook Platform Status page for issues
- View profile from another device or web browser
- Ask the user if they recently changed privacy settings
- Try contacting the person outside of Facebook
- See if you can view/message the person from another Facebook account
- Check for any Facebook notifications explaining the issue
- Wait and try again later in case it’s temporary
This presence issue is usually just due to the user not actively being on Facebook. But if troubleshooting does not resolve it, you may need to contact Facebook support for help.
Why presence and active status matters
Being able to see when your Facebook friends or contacts are actively online can be useful for a few reasons:
- Know the best time to start a chat conversation
- See when someone may be ignoring your messages
- Avoid messaging people who appear offline or busy
- Coordinating plans and meetups in real-time
- Understand interaction patterns and habits of contacts
However, presence and online status are not guaranteed or always accurate. Bugs and technical issues can sometimes occur. And users can also manually hide their active status or go invisible if they want to browse privately.
Changes coming to Facebook presence
In 2022, Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to remove the green active status indicator from Facebook Messenger. Users will still be able to see when contacts are actively using Messenger, but their broader Facebook presence may be hidden.
This change is intended to give people more control over their privacy. You will still be able to message contacts normally regardless of their presence status.
Presence on other platforms
Many social media, messaging, and communication platforms also show user presence and online status in different ways. Some examples include:
- Green dot – user is online and available
- “Last seen” shows when user was last online
- Read receipts show when messages are opened
- Green dot in DM – user is currently active
- Following tab shows “active” if used in last few minutes
- “Active now” status indicates currently online and using site
- Shows timestamp of last profile viewing activity
Slack
- Green dot – online and active
- Orange dot – away but still signed in
- Red dot – do not disturb mode enabled
Zoom
- Green icon – available for calls and chat
- Orange icon – away or busy
- Red icon – do not disturb mode on
Presence and online status help users gauge availability for conversations across different platforms. But keep in mind people can always appear offline intentionally if they want privacy.
Key takeaways
- “Presence not established” typically just means the user is not actively on Facebook currently.
- It does not prevent you from sending messages, but read receipts/replies may be delayed.
- Troubleshoot by refreshing, checking Facebook status, trying other devices, etc.
- People can also hide active status in settings, or fully deactivate/delete accounts.
- Online indicators help with coordinating chats and meetups, but are not 100% reliable.
- Facebook is moving toward hiding presence more for user privacy.
So in summary, the “presence not established” message is normal Facebook behavior in most cases. While it can have useful benefits, online status should not be depended on as the only way to communicate. Focus on the conversation itself, not just the presence indicator.