If you’ve noticed that your mobile uploads are missing from Facebook, you’re not alone. Over the past few months, many Facebook users have reported that photos and videos uploaded from their mobile devices are no longer showing up on their timelines or profiles. So what’s causing this issue and what can you do to get your mobile uploads back?
What’s Causing the Missing Uploads?
There are a few potential reasons why your mobile uploads may not be appearing on Facebook:
- Syncing issues between your device and Facebook
- Uploading errors or interruptions
- Visibility settings on your uploads
- Facebook bugs or glitches
Let’s explore each of these issues in more detail:
Syncing Problems
Facebook relies on syncing between your mobile device and their servers to upload your photos and videos. If the sync was interrupted or didn’t complete properly, your uploads can fail to show up.
Potential syncing problems include:
- Uploading on a poor internet connection
- Closing the Facebook app before the sync finished
- Your device losing connectivity during the upload
- Background app refresh disabled on your device
Uploading Errors
Sometimes the uploads fail on Facebook’s end rather than a device syncing issue. Uploading errors that could cause missing uploads include:
- Exceeding the upload size limit
- Prohibited file types like executables
- Corrupted or damaged files
- Server errors
If any of these errors occur, the upload will fail without you being notified. So the photos/videos won’t appear on your profile.
Visibility Settings
The visibility settings you choose for each upload could also be hiding your mobile uploads:
- Setting to “Only Me” will not show the uploads publicly
- Time-limiting posts through the expiration settings
- “Friends Except” and filtering out people
Double check that you haven’t accidentally limited the visibility for your mobile uploads if they are not appearing.
Facebook Glitches
Like any software platform, Facebook can have its fair share of bugs and glitches. Some users have reported missing mobile uploads due to technical errors like:
- Uploads stuck in pending status
- Incorrect timestamps making posts appear out of order
- Server outages
Technical glitches tend to resolve themselves eventually, but can still cause uploaded content to disappear in the meantime.
How to Get Your Uploads Back
If you’re missing mobile uploads on Facebook, here are some troubleshooting tips to help get them back:
Confirm the Upload Completed
First, check your photo gallery or camera roll to confirm the images and videos were actually uploaded successfully from your device. If they show as uploaded, the issue lies with Facebook. But if they still show locally as “not uploaded”, try uploading again with a stable internet connection.
Re-Sync Your Device
Force your mobile device to re-sync with Facebook to potentially grab any missing uploads. To do this:
- Open the Facebook app
- Tap the “More” menu icon
- Choose “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”
- Go to “Account Ownership and Control”
- Tap “Sync Contacts and Calendar”
This will initiate a re-sync which may restore your missing uploads after a few minutes.
Check Visibility Settings
Log in to Facebook on your desktop and check the visibility settings for your posts:
- Click the arrow on the top right > “Activity Log”
- Filter posts to “Photos and Videos”
- For each missing upload, check the audience setting
- Update any mistaken “Only Me” or other limited settings
This will rule out any visibility issues hiding your mobile uploads.
Search Notification Archive
If an error occurred during upload, Facebook may have sent you a notification. To check:
- Go to your notifications
- Click “Notification Archive” on the left menu
- Search for any error notifications related to failed uploads
The details may help identify any technical issues to troubleshoot.
Contact Facebook Support
If you still can’t get your mobile uploads to appear after troubleshooting, you may need to report the problem directly to Facebook:
- Go to the Facebook Help Center
- Click “Report a Problem” > “Something Went Wrong”
- Choose the “Photo and Video” issue category
- Select the appropriate problem and details
- Include any relevant information like missing image/video names
Facebook support can investigate further based on your report details.
How to Prevent Mobile Upload Issues
To avoid your mobile uploads disappearing again, keep these tips in mind:
- Upload on a stable WiFi connection whenever possible
- Keep the Facebook app open until the upload completes
- Check that your uploads are visible right after posting
- Confirm the file type and size limits for uploads
- Review all visibility and expiration settings before posting
Troubleshooting early and often can also help catch any syncing errors or glitches quickly before too many uploads are affected.
Conclusion
Missing mobile uploads on Facebook can be frustrating, but is usually fixable. Syncing and connectivity issues tend to be the main culprits, along with accidental visibility settings. Always confirm your uploads were successful right after posting. If you still have trouble getting uploads to appear, resetting app syncing, checking visibility settings, and contacting Facebook support can help get your missing posts back.