One of the great things about the Facebook Messenger app is the way that it filters messages you receive – sending messages from people who you don’t know into a Spam folder so as not to clutter your main inbox.
Of course, there may be occasions when an important message is accidentally sent to your spam folder, or times when you want to check these messages for anything interesting – which is where this article comes in.
3 Steps to Find Filtered and Restricted Messages
The first thing to do is to open your Messenger app – the epicentre of all messages that you receive on Facebook.
From there, follow these three steps…
- Click on the menu button in the top left hand corner, indicated by the three horizontal lines
- Select ‘Message Requests’ from the pop up menu
- You will see two headings: ‘You May Know’ and ‘Spam’. The restricted messages tend to be those listed under the ‘Spam’ heading, as they have been sent by people that Facebook has not linked with you and your account. Tap on each message to open it
Once you’ve opened a message, you will be given a few options at the bottom of the screen. These include ‘Block’, ‘Delete’ or ‘Accept’. You cannot respond to the message until you have chosen one of these three options.
Blocking the message will block the sender and prevent them from being able to message you again.
Deleting the message will remove it from your Messenger app completely.
Accepting the message will move it into your main inbox and allow a conversation to be started.
Managing Your Messenger Inbox
And there you have it! It’s up to you how you deal with restricted spam messages – whether you move them to your inbox, delete them, or leave them unread.
The messages listed under ‘You May Know’ tend to be from people linked to a Facebook page that you manage, or those with mutual friends. The default list that you see when you open your Message Requests is this, as they are more likely to be messages that Facebook thinks you will want to see.
However, keeping an eye on both this and the ‘Spam’ folder is the best way to keep on top of all messages.
