With hundreds of Facebook friends, it can be difficult to tell if someone has suddenly slipped off your radar. But if you haven’t heard from that ex or an accomplice in a while, they may have decided to cut off their social media ties altogether.
It’s not always easy to tell if someone has blocked you. After all, Facebook does not notify people when they are blocked. The blocker disappears into the background, never to be seen again. But if you’re determined to learn the truth, there are a few things you can try.
What Does It Mean to Be Blocked?
Begin to look for revealing signs of inhibition. If someone blocks you, you cannot do any of the following:
- Find them in search.
- View their profile.
- Send them a friend request.
- Message them via Messenger.
- Tag them in any photo.
- Post it on their timeline.
If these six things are true, you are probably blocked. Of course, it is possible that it is something else. You might notice these issues if someone deleted their account or Facebook disabled it in some other way. It’s also possible that they unfriended you and have really strict privacy settings.
Check with a Friend
Still not sure? Go to a mutual friend’s profile and look at their friend list. If the person you suspect has blocked you isn’t on that list, you’ve either been blocked or your mutual friend is no longer friends with them.
Try asking that mutual friend to spy on you. Will they be able to find the person? Can they see their profile? If so, then you are definitely blocked.
See Old Conversations
Maybe you don’t have mutual friends who want to play detective. Do not worry. There is another surefire way to tell if you have been blocked or not.
Search for an old conversation with them on Facebook Messenger. If you still see their names and photos, you have not been blocked, you have just been unfriended. If their name has been changed to a generic “Facebook User”, their account has been disabled. But if you see that their profile picture has been replaced with a Facebook logo and their names are the same, but bold and unclickable, you’ve definitely been blocked.
Blocking via Messenger
It’s possible to block someone only through Messenger, not through the broader Facebook app. Doing so will allow the blocked person to see your Facebook profile. All this means that the blocked person cannot send you messages via Messenger or Facebook.
If you can see the blocker’s Facebook profile but can’t send messages, you can tell if you’ve been blocked in Messenger. It’s that simple.
Try an App
App developers know that following their social media circles can be stressful, and no one wants to feel unloved. If you’re so eager to find out that people have unfriended you or blocked you outright, get an app like this: Who Deleted Me or Who Unfriended Me and keep your eyes open.
Knowing If You Have Been Unblocked
Sometimes people change their minds and Facebook friends that were once blocked are no longer blocked. But Facebook won’t send you a message letting you know you’re no longer out in the cold, and you won’t automatically revert to pre-blocking Friend status. The only way to tell if you’ve been unblocked is if the blocker sends you a friend request or keep checking the signs above.
In the meantime, try to worry less about those who block you and more about friends hanging around.
