Facebook refreshing by itself can be frustrating for users. There are a few potential reasons why this happens:
Buggy Facebook App
One of the most common reasons Facebook might refresh randomly is because of bugs or glitches in the Facebook app itself. As Facebook frequently updates its app with new features and optimizations, sometimes these updates introduce new bugs that cause strange behaviors like random refreshes.
For example, some Facebook app versions have had issues where scrolling down the News Feed causes it to suddenly refresh. Or the app might randomly refresh when switching between different parts of the interface. These types of glitches tend to be fixed relatively quickly with app updates, but they can be annoying when they occur.
Connection Issues
Problems with your internet connection can also lead to Facebook refreshing itself. If you have a spotty wifi or mobile data connection, Facebook may have trouble loading new content. This interruption in the data stream can cause the app to appear to refresh.
Similarly, if there are issues with Facebook’s servers, this can manifest as refresh issues on your end. Server outages or downtime at Facebook can lead to loading failures that make the app reset.
You can troubleshoot connectivity problems by trying the following:
- Switching from wifi to mobile data or vice versa
- Trying Facebook from a different device on the same network
- Checking if Facebook is down for everyone at downdetector.com
If the refresh problems go away by changing networks or devices, it points to something amiss with your local connection.
Too Many Tabs Open
Do you tend to keep dozens of browser tabs open at the same time? Having too many tabs puts a strain on your device’s memory and can cause pages like Facebook to refresh unexpectedly.
Try closing some of your open tabs and see if that makes a difference. You may want to limit your tab usage to under 10 tabs if possible.
Similarly, if you are low on storage space or RAM on your device, this can lead to out-of-memory errors that manifest as refreshes.
Page Loading Errors
Sometimes Facebook refreshes when certain page elements fail to load properly. Videos, gifs and ads in the News Feed may have errors loading at times. When that happens, Facebook may do a full refresh to try loading the problem elements again.
This issue tends to happen most on slow connections. But even fast connections can experience periodic glitches loading Facebook content.
Using an ad-blocker extension can help mitigate this problem by preventing ads from even trying to load in the first place.
Incorrect Refresh Gestures
On touchscreen devices, you might accidentally cause Facebook to refresh due to tap and gesture issues.
For example, on an iPhone, pulling down on the feed invokes the pull to refresh gesture. If you scroll down and make a pulling motion by accident, the feed may reset.
Try being more careful and deliberate when scrolling to avoid triggering unintentional refreshes.
Outdated App or OS
Using an outdated version of the Facebook app or an older OS on your device could potentially lead to refresh problems in some cases.
Make sure you are running the latest version of the Facebook app from your device’s app store. And check that your device OS is updated to the newest available version as well.
Updating to the latest app and OS reduces the chance of bugs and glitches that might cause random refreshes.
Server-Side Flow Control
One lesser-known reason Facebook may sometimes refresh is due to flow control mechanisms on Facebook’s servers. If the servers detect potential bandwidth congestion upstream, they may intentionally break TCP connections downstream to affected users. This causes the appearance of random app refreshes.
It allows Facebook’s infrastructure to regulate data usage during times of peak demand. Unfortunately the effect is that users see their Facebook app unpredictably refreshing due to broken TCP connections.
Facebook Account Security
If your Facebook account appears logged out unexpectedly and the app is refreshing, it could be because your account’s security was temporarily flagged. This safety check causes a re-login request and app refresh.
Try securely logging back into your Facebook account again. The refreshing behavior should stop if no real security threats were detected.
Enable login approvals and two-factor authentication as precautions to protect your account.
Too Many Login Attempts
If someone is trying to gain access to your Facebook account by brute forcing your password, this can sometimes manifest as Facebook refreshing repeatedly.
Check your account’s login activity and lock it down if you see suspicious behavior. Once resolved, the constant refreshing should go away.
Corrupted Cache/Cookies
Corrupted app caches and cookies related to Facebook can occasionally cause technical issues like refreshing glitches. Try clearing the Facebook app’s cached data and cookies to see if that helps.
On an iPhone, go to Settings > Facebook > Clear Cache and Clear Cookies. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Storage > Clear Cache and Clear Data.
Bad Facebook Browser Extensions
If using Facebook in a desktop browser, buggy browser extensions can sometimes interfere with page loading and cause refreshes. Try disabling your browser extensions one-by-one to identify any problematic ones.
High CPU/RAM Usage
If your device is under heavy system strain from apps running in the background or lots of browser tabs open, Facebook may refresh unexpectedly due to insufficient resources.
Close background apps and browser tabs to free up CPU and RAM usage on your device.
Overheated Device
Devices can malfunction in strange ways when they overheat, including random app refreshes. Make sure your phone or computer is not too hot before running Facebook.
Clean out dust buildup around vents and fans and avoid putting your device in confined warm spaces prone to overheating.
Bad Facebook Customization
If you have heavily customized your Facebook settings, news feed, or layout, this can potentially backfire and cause glitches like spontaneous refreshes in some cases.
Try resetting your Facebook customizations to their defaults and see if it stabilizes the app.
Website Caching Issues
Facebook employs a complex system of caches and content delivery networks to serve content fast around the world. Occasionally issues with invalidated caches or CDN problems arise.
To rule out caching problems, try loading Facebook using a forced refresh in your browser (such as Ctrl + F5 or Shift + Reload).
Excessive News Feed Scrolling
If you excessively rapid fire scroll down your news feed, Facebook may intentionally refresh itself to discourage this behavior.
Facebook tries to balance fast scrolling with optimal data loading behind the scenes. Overly aggressive scrolling can throw off its algorithms and cause a reset.
Timeline Review Stalls
When using the “Review Recent Posts” viewer in activity log, sometimes this gets stuck or times out, causing a blank screen. The app then refreshes itself to recover.
Avoid the review viewer if you notice it stall and refresh often. Wait for an app update which hopefully resolves any bugs with that feature.
Facebook Lite Issues
The streamlined Facebook Lite app aims to operate smoothly in areas with poor connectivity. But its aggressive loading and caching mechanisms can backfire and inadvertently cause refreshing.
Try the full Facebook app instead if available for your device. It tends to have less aggressive connection handling.
Misbehaving Facebook Browser Plugin
The Facebook browser plugin for Chrome and Firefox is designed to enhance integration with Facebook. But it can sometimes act buggy and cause page reloads.
Temporarily disabling the browser plugin is worth trying to see if it resolves any Facebook refresh issues.
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook’s refreshing itself can stem from bugs, connectivity problems, UI gestures gone awry, outdated software, overloaded hardware, caching issues and more. With so many potential culprits, it takes some trial and error to pinpoint what exactly is disrupting the loading of your Facebook feed.
Follow the troubleshooting suggestions outlined here to isolate the root cause. And make sure to report any persistent Facebook bugs you encounter to the developers so they can investigate further.
With some detective work, you should be able to stop Facebook from randomly resetting itself and enjoy smooth scrolling through your News Feed again.
| Potential Cause | Troubleshooting Suggestions |
|---|---|
| Buggy Facebook App | Update app to newest version |
| Connection Issues | Switch networks; check Facebook server status |
| Too Many Tabs Open | Close excess browser tabs |
| Page Loading Errors | Use an ad blocker |
| Incorrect Refresh Gestures | Be more deliberate when scrolling |
| Outdated App/OS | Update app and OS to latest versions |
| Server-Side Flow Control | Not much users can do |
| Account Security Flags | Secure account and re-login |
| Too Many Login Attempts | Lock down account |
| Corrupted Cache/Cookies | Clear Facebook app cached data |
| Bad Browser Extensions | Disable extensions one-by-one |
| High CPU/RAM Usage | Close background apps and tabs |
| Overheated Device | Clean vents, avoid confined spaces |
| Bad Facebook Customization | Reset customizations to default |
| Website Caching Issues | Force refresh browser |
| Excessive News Feed Scrolling | Do not rapid fire scroll |
| Timeline Review Stalls | Avoid review viewer for now |
| Facebook Lite Issues | Use full Facebook app if possible |
| Misbehaving Browser Plugin | Try disabling plugin |
Facebook’s infrastructure has to balance many factors to deliver optimal performance for billions of users worldwide. Small hiccups in the ecosystem from time to time can have ripple effects causing refreshing issues. With some targeted troubleshooting, these technical disruptions can usually be mitigated or avoided.
The key is isolating the factor at fault, whether it is on the client-side with your device and internet connection, or server-side within Facebook’s architecture. While random refreshes may always crop up on occasion due to Facebook’s complexity, staying on top of app updates and following best practices will minimize their occurrence.
At the end of the day, refreshing is Facebook’s way of resetting itself when its feed algorithms get disrupted. Temporary glitches ultimately allow Facebook to recover and continue reliably serving you the content you care about. The minor annoyance of the odd refresh is a small price to pay for the conveniences of staying connected through Facebook, given there are workarounds available by being an informed user.
Facebook’s massive scale means that smooth operation 24/7 is an immense challenge. Thankfully, its world-class engineering team is dedicated to constantly optimizing performance by sniffing out any flaws that degrade the user experience. They are pretty good about quickly rolling out fixes once refreshing-related issues gain enough attention.
By reporting refresh problems when you encounter them, updating software, and reducing strain on your devices, you can avoid most cases of unstable Facebook behavior. Stay the course through any temporary technical headaches, and you’ll be rewarded with the full potential of Facebook at your fingertips.