Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms around the world with billions of monthly active user profiles. While Facebook is a good medium to stay in touch with family, friends, and acquaintances around the globe, there are times when a user might feel the need to safeguard his/her privacy from certain members of the friend list. For this, Facebook offers various privacy and security options one pivotal feature being the ability to ‘Block’ anyone. Blocking prevents any further contact between the user and the profile he has blocked.
However, there are times when one might feel the need to know who has blocked him/her or if a certain someone is still in their friend list. Today’s write-up will delve into the workarounds that can help you know who has blocked you on Facebook.
Does Facebook Notify When Someone Blocks You?
The straightforward answer is ‘NO’. Facebook never notifies or informs when they are blocked by someone. No list shows people who have blocked you.
There can only be a few indicators to know that you have been blocked. Below is the list of those seven indicators.
Seven Indicators That Show You’ve Been Blocked
- Check your Friends List. Go to the Friends List Page and type the name of the friend in the search box. If there are no results, it is a sign that you might have been blocked.
- You won’t be able to tag that person in your posts. This could be because they blocked or unfriended you.
- You will no longer see their posts on your timeline.
- Facebook users can be searched by typing their names in the search bar. If you look for a person and there are no results, but you know their account exists, then you might have been blocked or unfriended.
- You will not be able to invite that person to events or groups.
- Even if you click on the direct URL link to the person’s profile, you will be shown ‘content is unavailable’ which means they have blocked you.
- You won’t be able to send messages to that user via Facebook Messenger. There will be an error which means they have blocked or unfriended you or their profile has been deleted.
Getting Blocked Vs Getting Unfriended
There is a vast amount of difference between being blocked by someone and being unfriended by someone. Although some indicators might be common, these are two entirely different things. Let us understand the difference between the two.
When a user unfriends you, you can send them another friend request and still see their profile, comments on posts, and public posts they share. However, when you are blocked, you won’t be able to see anything of these. Your contact with them will be blocked completely. This means when someone blocks you, they disappear from Facebook for you. Keep in mind that if a person isn’t in your friend list but is still visible on Facebook, then you have been unfriended not blocked.
Ways to Know If You Have Been Blocked by Someone on Facebook
More than the confusion between blocked and unfriended, it is difficult to find out if you have been blocked or the user account has been deactivated. This is because both will look the same to you, you won’t be able to message them, and their past likes and comments won’t be visible.
Facebook itself won’t let you know if you are blocked, the person’s account has been deleted or the account got banned. Certain tricks can be adopted to know if you have been blocked.
1. Search for the User’s Facebook Profile
If a friend that was earlier a part of your friend list is no longer visible on your Timeline or friends list, look for their profile in the User Search Bar. While not foolproof, this can help if you feel you had an argument or incident with the person. In such a case you just might have been unfriended, not blocked. To search for user profiles-
- Go to the Facebook “Search Bar” at the top side of the page.
- Key in the name of the user’s profile you are looking for.
If the profile doesn’t appear, the user might have blocked you.
2. Using Facebook Messenger to Find Someone
Facebook Messenger can help you know if someone has blocked you or not. Through Messenger, there are two ways to check if you have been blocked.
- Use the search bar of the messenger and key in the name of the user you are looking for.
- If the user doesn’t appear in the list, it means you have been blocked.
- Try to send a message to the person via messenger. In case you get a prompt “This person isn’t available right now”, it mostly means you are blocked.
3. Take a Friend/Acquaintance’s Help to know if you’ve been blocked
Ask a third-party person having a Facebook account to open their account and look for the person you have been looking for. If the page appears, then their profile is very active, and specifically, you have been blocked. When using this trick, choose a person who is a disinterested party and someone who is not likely to be blocked.
If anyone has blocked you on Facebook, they will have to wait for 48 hours after unblocking before any messages can be sent or communication can be re-established. The same applies to you too, so if you have blocked and then unblocked someone, be patient for two days.
4. Check Previous Facebook Posts & Comments
In case you have been unfriended, by mistake or intentionally you will still be able to see their past activity on your timeline. These include any posts they made for you or any comments they left on your posts. To check a specific post-
- Click on the arrow in the top right corner and tap on “Settings and Privacy”.
- Click on “Activity Log”
- Under the heading ‘Filters”. Select “People”.
- Look for the name of the person you are looking for.
- The posts and comments of the friend won’t disappear from your page. But now, instead of an active link, it will appear as bold black text. If this happens, you are blocked.
Contacting a Facebook User Who Has Blocked You
Sometimes a User intentionally blocks you as they don’t want to remain in contact with you any longer. That is OK but, in some cases, a user might have accidentally blocked you or changed their mind months/years later, and they might respond to your message. Here is how you can message that user.
1. Creating a New Facebook Account
You can create a new Facebook account or page to contact that person. If they don’t accept your request, your message will go to Messages Request Folder.
- If someone has blocked you by mistake, here’s how you can be unblocked-
- Create a new Facebook account with a unique username and password.
- Search for the particular person who has blocked you accidentally.
- Send them a message using messenger asking the reason for blocking you. Be respectful and don’t force them to give you an answer.
While doing this, being respectful is important as otherwise the person might identify you and report you to Facebook. Facebook can identify your real account and you might end up being banned. Use this method with discretion.
2. Logging Out of Facebook, & searching for the user as a Guest
By logging out of Facebook, you will not be able to get identified easily. Look for the user who blocked you as a guest. You might not be able to view the entire profile due to privacy settings, but a glimpse would be visible. The aim is to get any contact details like phone number, email id, etc. Using the information, contact them. The shortcoming of this method is that it only works on mobile phones.
3. Using a Friend of a Friend’s FB Account to Send Messages
Use the Facebook account of someone else to message the recipient, but this might not work out too well. This might help in some cases while in others it will make you look desperate, pushy, or stalkerish, which will not end up well for the user whose account you are using.
FAQs
1. Can you block someone who blocked you?
Yes, you can block someone who blocked you. In this case, even if the Facebook user unblocks you and tries to see your profile, they won’t be able to.
2. Can one send messages to the person who blocked them?
Yes, but not privately only in group chat. This is possible only if you are a part of a group before that user blocks you.
3. Can the name on Facebook be changed?
To change your name on Facebook, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Name. Edit the name and click on Review Change> Save Changes.
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