It can be alarming to notice that your Facebook friend list is growing without you actively adding new friends. There are a few potential reasons why Facebook may be automatically suggesting friend connections or adding friends without your knowledge.
Facebook Friend Suggestions
The most common reason for unexpected friend additions is that Facebook is suggesting friends for you to add. Facebook’s friend suggestion algorithm looks at things like mutual friends, networks, education/workplace, location, interests, and other profile details to find potential connections.
Facebook wants to help you expand your network on the platform, so they are constantly using data mining techniques behind the scenes to recommend new friends. You may suddenly notice these recommended friends being added if you accidentally click ‘Confirm’ on a suggestion. It’s easy to quickly click through friend recommendations without realizing you are actively confirming them as friends.
How to Control Facebook Friend Suggestions
If you want to prevent accidental friend additions from suggestions, here are some tips:
- Pay close attention when reviewing the friend suggestions page – don’t click ‘Confirm’ unless you intend to add that person
- Remove any accidentally confirmed friend suggestions by going to your friend list, finding their profile, and selecting ‘Unfriend’
- Consider disabling friend suggestions in your Facebook settings if you don’t want to see them at all
Facebook Friends Syncing
In addition to friend suggestions, you may find unexpected friends being added if you have enabled contact syncing between Facebook and other platforms. For example:
- If you sync your phone contacts, any matching contacts will be auto-added as Facebook friends
- Syncing services like Twitter or Instagram can also add any matching accounts as Facebook friends
How to Control Contact Syncing
To prevent contacts from being auto-synced as Facebook friends:
- Go to Facebook settings and disable any contact/account syncing features
- If you have the Facebook mobile app, also disable syncing in the phone app settings
- Unfriend any contacts that were synced without your knowledge
Facebook Games and Apps
Some Facebook games and apps will automatically send friend requests or add friend connections between users. For example, if you play a game like Words with Friends or Farmville against another user, Facebook may automatically connect you as friends in order to facilitate gameplay interactions.
How to Control App Friend Adds
To prevent unwated gaming friend adds:
- Avoid connecting your Facebook account to games/apps entirely
- Only connect Facebook to trusted games that won’t spam your friends list
- Pay close attention to friend request/add prompts when opening new games
- Unfriend any gaming friends that were auto-added
Facebook Friend Requests
While most unexpected friend additions are due to suggestions or syncing, sometimes it may be caused by accidentally confirming a pending friend request. Here are some tips to avoid this:
- Carefully review new friend requests and do not click ‘Confirm’ unless you want to accept that request
- Delete any mistakenly accepted requests by removing the friend connection
- Change your friend request settings to better filter requests
Friend Request Settings
To tweak your friend request settings:
- Go to Settings > Privacy
- Adjust filters under ‘Friend Requests’ to optimize as desired (e.g. acquaintances, friends of friends, etc)
- Enable manual review if you want to confirm each request before accepting
Accidental Clicks and Mis-taps
In some cases, you may have added an unintended friend simply by accidental clicks or taps while using Facebook, especially on mobile. Ways this can happen include:
- Tapping a profile and then tapping ‘Add Friend’
- Clicking ‘Add Friend’ next to a comment or tagged photo
- Accidentally confirming a notification prompt to add a friend
If this occurs, simply remove the unwanted connection right away via your friend list. Also, pay closer attention to any taps or clicks asking you to confirm a new friend connection in the future.
Hacked or Compromised Accounts
While less common, another explanation for unexpected friend additions is that your account has been compromised. A hacker may have gained access and started adding their own connections. Signs your account may be hacked include:
- Unfamiliar friends appearing
- Strange posts or messages being made from your account
- Profile details like location or bio being changed
- Forgotten passwords or lost account access
Steps if You Suspect a Hacked Account
If you think your Facebook was hacked, act quickly:
- Change your Facebook password and revoke account access for any suspicious sessions
- Enable two-factor authentication for increased security
- Scan devices for malware in case of a compromised computer/phone
- Remove any unknown friends or connections made from the hacked account
- Report the issue to Facebook so they can investigate
Facebook Bugs
In very rare instances, Facebook bugs could cause friends to be added. Bugs are errors or glitches in Facebook’s platform coding that cause unexpected behavior. While major bugs affecting friend connections are unlikely, they have occurred in the past. For example:
- A 2017 bug added random Facebook users as friends to a small group of accounts
- In 2018, some users reported friends being removed and re-added due to an issue
If you notice very unusual, unexplained activity that looks like a platform bug, reporting it to Facebook can help them investigate and fix the issue faster.
How to Remove Unexpected Facebook Friends
If you notice any friends that were added without your intention:
- Go to your Facebook friend list and find the profile of the unintended connection
- Select “Unfriend” or “Remove Friend” to delete the connection
- Repeat for any other unwanted auto-added friends
You can also take preventative steps like disabling syncing or reviewing requests more carefully to reduce unwanted adds in the future.
Conclusion
Facebook’s algorithms aim to connect you with more people, which can sometimes result in friends being added without your explicit approval. But with the right privacy settings and some vigilance about confirming new connections, you can keep full control over your Facebook friends list.