It is normal to get a little bit obsessed with the status of messages you send – especially now that platforms go out of their way to display said status. Facebook being one of the most popular messaging platforms and most used apps in the world has employed different statuses for messages.
While these statuses are useful to users, they can also cause confusion and frustration. Hence, questions like ‘why are my Facebook messages delivered but not seen or read’ have become more commonly asked. Sometimes, it could be because of a misunderstanding of the statuses, network/app issues, or human obsession.
This article should help you better understand Facebook message statuses to avoid this confusion and frustration.
Why Are Your Facebook Messages Delivered but Not Seen?
If your Facebook message is delivered but not seen or read, it means it has gotten through to the recipient, but they have not opened it.
Similar to other messaging apps like WhatsApp and Kik, Facebook sends a notification to recipients of messages from their ‘friends’ or contacts. If you are not on the friend or contact list of the recipient, then your message will go to a Message requests folder and will only be marked as delivered when the recipient accepts the message request.
However, if your message indicates that it’s been delivered, then you are on the friend list of the recipient, and they have gotten a notification for your message – they just haven’t read it yet. It could also mean that they are having internet connection issues. If they read it while the internet connection is bad, it might not register as seen or read until the network is better, and you might not get their response either.
Another reason your Facebook message is delivered but not seen or read is that the recipient reads your message from either the notification center or Facebook instead of instant Messenger and vice versa.
This could also be the case if the recipient marked your message as spam, muted/ignored it, or deleted it – although, in this case, it might indicate sent and not delivered.
It could also mean that you have been blocked. If the recipient of your message has blocked you, your message will still indicate that it has been delivered, but the recipient will not receive it. Even if they open your chat, the message will not come up and, therefore, won’t be marked as seen or read.
If you notice that your Facebook message is delivered but not seen or read and the recipient is online, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are being ignored. Sometimes, Facebook indicates that someone is online even when they aren’t. For example, this could happen if they are online on Instagram or Messenger but not on Facebook – or Facebook and not on Messenger.
This could also happen when the person exits the app just as your message comes in. Facebook will still display them as online for a few minutes after they have exited the app, and they will not receive a notification for your message because it came in a split second before they exited the app. And they probably didn’t notice it come in.
What to Do If Your Facebook Message Is Delivered but Not Seen or Read?
If your Facebook message is delivered but not seen or read, you can send another text, voice call, or video call to the recipient to draw their attention to it. If you cannot call the person, you might be blocked.
Your message will indicate that it’s been delivered when it has successfully gone through to the recipient, but they might be occupied with something that’s keeping them from opening your message. They might’ve also read it from the notification center and decided to respond later – yes, people are allowed to do that.
Does Previewing a Facebook Message Mark It as Seen?
Previewing a Facebook message does not mark it as seen – although it depends on how you preview it.
- If you read or preview it from the notification center without actually opening the message, it will remain marked as delivered.
- If you go offline or turn on airplane mode, open the message, close it, and exit the app before going back online or turning off airplane mode, it will remain marked as delivered
- If you don’t close the message or exit the app before going back online, the message will be marked as seen
- If you move the message to your spam/message requests folder by ‘ignoring’ it, you can open it, and it will remain marked as delivered until you reply to it
- If you log in to your Facebook account via the web, either on your PC or phone browser with ‘desktop site’, you can preview the message without it being marked as seen
Read also: Why Do People Use WhatsApp Obsessively?
What Does Deliver Mean on Messenger?
The delivered status on Messenger indicates that your message has successfully made its way to the recipient’s phone – it does not mean they have seen it. However, if the recipient has opened the message to read it and respond, it will be marked as seen or read.
You can liken it to actual mail – when you drop off mail, it’s been sent but not delivered. Likewise, when the mailman puts the mail in the recipient’s mailbox, it becomes delivered but not seen or read.
Note that a hollow circle indicates a sending message and a sent message displays a hollow circle with a check icon in it. A delivered message shows a blue-filled circle with a white check icon in it, and a read message shows the profile picture of the recipient in a small circle.
Read receipts and message statuses on messaging platforms are notorious for causing fights and raising doubts between friends, couples, and family. When your Facebook message is delivered but not seen or read, and the recipient is active, you start to wonder if you’re being ignored. However, it is important to remember that there are many reasons why this could happen.
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