There are very well hidden discussions on Facebook Messenger. If you didn’t know about filtered messages, which group together contact requests from people who are not close to you, here’s how to access them.
Messenger does not necessarily display all messages that are sent to your inbox. There are in fact those sent by your contacts and which arrive quite normally in your unread mail. But there are also requests from other people who try to contact you, without them being part of your contact list. And you might not know anything about it!
Unless you are a “power user” of Facebook Messenger and know all its functions inside out, it is possible that you have never seen the filtered messages page. This section has existed for years, but you have to admit that its access path is not the most convenient – especially if you don’t spend your time on Messenger.
This guide shows you how you can display these filtered messages according to your preference: the Facebook website, the one for Messenger or via the mobile application.
View filtered messages on Facebook
- Click on the Messenger icon;
- Click the ellipsis in the window;
- Choose the “Invitation by message” line;
You will then see a list of filtered conversations with people who may have reached out to you, but who are not on your contact list. It is also in this section that messages considered by the social network as potential spam may fall. Clicking on one of the requests opens a chat window, if you wish to respond to it.
Facebook indicates that opening an invitation by a third party you don’t know is risk-free: in short, the person calling you will not know anything about it until you respond. So, if you consider that his message does not require a particular response from you, you simply need to close the discussion and move on.
You also have the option to block an individual so that they no longer have the ability to send you messages.
View filtered messages on Messenger
The method for displaying filtered messages on Messenger is similar to that provided for Facebook. The path to follow is roughly the same, except that the interface and layout elements change. It may be more comfortable to use the web version of Messenger, in order to benefit from a clean display over the entire screen.
- Go to Messenger and log in to your account;
- Click the ellipsis at the top left of the screen;
- Choose the “Invitation by message” line;
- Review requests and respond or not respond to individuals.
View filtered messages in the Messenger app
Facebook also provides a path on its Messenger application in order to see hidden messages by default.
- Open Messenger on your smartphone;
- Click on your portrait at the top left;
- Choose the “Invitation by message” line;
- View the conversation(s) that matter to you;
- Answer them or leave them as they are.
On mobile, Facebook provides access to a very simple option to delete all those contact requests that you no longer want to see. This option is activated by clicking on the “Modify” button. Then select the conversation(s) to eject and then validate by pressing “Delete” in the pop-up window. Your ephemeral interlocutor will know nothing about it.
What are secret conversations?
Secret conversations are another feature of Messenger. Here, it’s about using end-to-end encryption to secure, make reliable and hide messages between a sender and a recipient, without a third party outside the conversation being able to read anything.
These secret conversations work just as well in two-person conversations as in group exchanges. Until now optional, these secret conversations are being activated by default in messaging. This process will, however, take a few months, and initially just for two-person exchanges.
Do you want to know everything about the mobility of tomorrow, from electric cars to e-bikes? Subscribe now to our Watt Else newsletter!