Can someone tell I’m on Facebook? Will they understand if I visit their profile? Two questions asked by a TechJunkie reader a few days ago. Along with an assurance that they are not planning any following while on the social network. Yes that’s true!
Let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of looking at pictures of our ex or checking out their current relationship status. Many of us have also looked at friends, bosses, teachers, and a number of other people we probably shouldn’t really be doing. It’s a harmless curiosity in most cases, and I don’t see anything wrong with that.
A recent rumor, not so long ago, has a few people worried. Rumor has it that if you follow someone’s Facebook page, you will appear in the list of People You May Know. Users were checking this list to see if someone was following them or checking their profile. I think these questions come from here. Fortunately, this rumor turned out to be unfounded.
Can someone tell I’m on Facebook?
To the original question. Can someone tell I’m on Facebook? The answer depends on whether you are friends with them and whether you use standard Facebook Messenger or Facebook Lite.
If you’re friends, they’ll likely see you on Facebook Messenger. If you are using the browser version, they can see you in the chat bar. If you’re in the app, they’ll only see you if you’re on Messenger.
If you’re using Facebook Lite, you can distinguish between Facebook and Messenger Lite to a degree that doesn’t always have to reflect the same online situation.
If you’re not friends on Facebook, they can’t see you anywhere. The only exception is if you have chatted with them on Messenger before and then you can see each other in your Messenger list. People with chat history can see each other regardless of whether they are friends or not.
Will they understand if I visit their profile?
The short answer is no. People can’t tell if you’ve visited their profile. Facebook says: ‘Facebook does not allow people to keep track of who has viewed their profile.’ It also says ‘Third-party apps cannot provide this functionality either’. If you come across an app that claims to offer this feature, please report it.’
There is an exception in Facebook Stories, though. If you visit someone’s profile and read a Story, the person reading it will be shown. Your name will appear in the list just like on Snapchat.
Hide your status on Facebook Messenger
If you want to surf Facebook in peace for a while, you can hide your online status in Facebook Messenger. Whether you’re running away from someone or just want some alone time online, you can do it with a simple trick. It works on both iOS and Android and lets you use Facebook the way you want it to go without being noticed and texted.
- Open Facebook Messenger on your phone and select Contacts.
- Select the Active tab at the top.
- Turn the top setting off.
The good thing about doing this is that Facebook Messenger will no longer promote you online. The downside is that you will no longer be able to see which of your friends are online either. Probably to prevent you from using this setting all the time.
Read Facebook messages without notifying the sender
If you’re trying to manage your free time without wanting to chat, you can also read Facebook messages sent to you without notifying the sender. You can then read, digest, do your work, and respond when you’re ready.
- Open Facebook on your phone and let it download messages or updates.
- Turn on Airplane Mode. (Swipe down on Android, swipe up on iOS).
- Open Messenger and read your messages.
You should leave Airplane Mode on until you are ready to notify the user or close the Facebook app completely. Otherwise, they will receive a read receipt as soon as you reconnect.
Even though Facebook is a data collector, there are still some things you can do privately on the platform. While I certainly wouldn’t encourage following someone on Facebook, a little harmless curiosity never hurt anyone. Now you at least know how to use Facebook without telling the world you’re online, and how to use Messenger without getting hung up on chats.
Got any other Facebook tips you’d like to share?
