Having trouble getting your relationship status to show up on your Facebook timeline? There are a few common reasons why this important relationship milestone may not be posting properly.
Your Privacy Settings Are Restricting the Audience
The most likely culprit is that your privacy settings are not allowing your relationship status to be visible to the audience you want. Go to your profile, click on the About section, and make sure your relationship status is set to be visible to the public, friends, or customized group of your choosing. You may have it set to show to only yourself or a limited group of people. Open up the visibility to ensure it will post to your timeline where you want it to be seen.
The Person You Are in a Relationship with Has Not Confirmed It
Facebook requires both people in a relationship to confirm it before it will show up on your timelines. So you may have changed your status, but your partner needs to do the same before it becomes Facebook official. If you do not see it posting after you changed it, check with your significant other to make sure they have confirmed the status as well. Both people need to approve the relationship for it to fully publish.
There Was a Glitch When You Updated the Status
Sometimes there are technical glitches that prevent relationship statuses from positing properly even if both people confirmed it. Try editing the status again, making sure to click Save after changing it. Or try having both people remove the relationship status and re-add it from scratch. That should prompt Facebook to sync the information correctly and post it to both timelines.
You Have Not Updated Your Status in a While
If you have been in a relationship for a long time but have not updated your status in a few years, Facebook may require you to reconfirm the relationship. Even if you are married, Facebook will sometimes expire relationship statuses after a certain period of inactivity. Update the status again on both ends to tell Facebook the relationship is still current.
You Do Not Have Timeline Review Enabled
Facebook has a feature called Timeline Review which allows you to approve posts before they go live on your timeline. If you have this enabled, relationship statuses will not auto-post and need to be manually approved. Go to your Settings, then Timeline and Tagging, and make sure Timeline Review is disabled so relationship statuses can publish right away without needing review.
You Have Restricted Relationship Statuses from Your Timeline
In your Facebook settings, you have the option to restrict certain info sections like Relationship Status from appearing on your timeline. If you have previously blocked relationship statuses from publishing, you’ll need to update your settings to allow this. Go to your profile, click About, and make sure “Show Relationship Status” is checked so it can post to your timeline properly.
You Have Not Updated Your Hometown in a While
Facebook requires you to keep your hometown and relationship status updated within certain time periods for it to keep publishing your relationship on your timeline. If it’s been a few years since you updated your hometown, try editing both your hometown and relationship status again to give Facebook current information.
Conclusion
Trouble getting relationship statuses to post to timelines is generally caused by inconsistent privacy settings, needing confirmation from both people, technical glitches, inactive statuses, restricted timeline settings, or outdated profile information. Go through and check each of these potential issues to ensure your settings are configured properly so this important relationship milestone can be displayed on your timeline where you want it visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can I see my relationship status but others can’t?
If you can see the relationship status change on your own timeline but others say they can’t see it, your privacy settings are likely restricting who can view it. Go to your profile, open your relationship status, and adjust the audience selector to Public or Friends instead of a limited group.
What do I do if my relationship status won’t change from single?
If your relationship status remains stuck on single even after changing it, try manually typing in the new status again, making sure to click Save. Or remove the status completely and re-add it fresh. If it still says single, have your partner confirm the status on their end as well.
Why does my relationship status only show on my page and not my timeline?
You may have Timeline Review enabled under your settings which requires approving posts first. Or you could have timeline posting disabled for your relationship status specifically. Check your Timeline and Tagging settings and make sure you have relationship statuses allowed to auto-publish.
Can you hide your relationship status completely?
Yes, you can hide your relationship status from your timeline and others by going to your profile, clicking on your status, and changing the audience selector to Only Me. This will prevent it from displaying publicly.
How do I change my relationship status back to single?
Go to your About section, click on your current relationship status, select Single from the drop-down menu, and make sure to click Save. Your status will change back to single but you may need to also remove any anniversary dates or shared story posts.
Common Relationship Status Posting Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Privacy settings too restrictive | Open up visibility of status to Public or Friends |
| Partner has not confirmed status | Have partner confirm relationship too |
| Glitch when updating status | Re-save status or re-add it completely |
| Old inactive status | Update status again to reconfirm |
| Timeline review enabled | Disable timeline review in settings |
| Statuses restricted from timeline | Enable relationship statuses to post |
| Hometown not updated in years | Update hometown and relationship status |
Relationship Status Etiquette
When adding relationship statuses, keep in mind it’s good etiquette to:
- Inform your partner first before changing it
- Update changes together at the same time
- Keep statuses simple and positive
- Agree on level of detail to share publicly
- Remember social media does not define your relationship
The way you portray your relationship on Facebook should align with your actual relationship and what both people are comfortable publicly sharing. Keep conversations open about what information you each want visible.
Improving Your News Feed Relevance
If you are in a new relationship but find your news feed flooded with irrelevant old content, try taking these steps to improve relevance:
- Actively Like, comment on, and share new relationship-related posts
- Click See First on new partner’s posts
- Snooze or Unfollow friends less relevant now
- Remove yourself from old groups or Pages
- Follow Pages and join Groups related to your new interests
Facebook’s algorithm will learn over time to highlight the most relevant updates from your new relationship while downranking outdated content that no longer fits your life. Be patient as the News Feed adjusts to your changes.
Considerations for Changing Relationship Status
Before you update your relationship status on Facebook, some important things to consider include:
- Are you both ready to publicly declare your relationship?
- Have you discussed boundaries and details to share?
- Are you prepared for reactions from friends and family?
- Does your privacy allow the right audience to see updates?
- Will it pressure or disrupt the relationship at this stage?
Think carefully before taking your relationship to the next level on social media. Make sure you are on the same page with your partner. Not everyone approaches sharing relationship details online the same way.
Alternatives to Posting Relationship Status
If you or your partner are not comfortable publicly posting a relationship status, some alternatives to consider include:
- Only sharing with close friends and family
- Just posting about major milestones like engagements
- Keeping details limited or private
- Using notes, stories or groups instead of news feed posts
- Disabling timeline review to avoid approving each post
You can still celebrate your relationship online while maintaining the boundaries that feel right for you as a couple. Find creative ways to share that don’t feel overexposed.
Troubleshooting Tips
To troubleshoot relationship status issues, try these tips:
- Re-add the status completely instead of just editing it
- Make sure your partner has also confirmed on their account
- Check your privacy settings and timeline posting options
- Update your hometown if not changed in several years
- Contact Facebook support if the problem persists
Work through each possible cause methodically and you should be able to get your status posted properly. Reach out to Facebook if you cannot resolve it.
When to Remove a Relationship Status
Some good times to remove your online relationship status include:
- You have broken up or divorced
- It has been a long time since other updates
- The relationship has evolved or changed
- You are having issues and want more privacy
- You both feel it is causing unnecessary pressure
If your relationship status feels like it is causing more harm than good, it may be time to remove it from Facebook for a while or indefinitely.