How to Know If Someone Restricted You on Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger has several security features to keep your annoying friends, strangers, and family members away. Since it’s a privacy add-on, Messenger doesn’t alert you when someone blocks or restricts you on the platform. However, if you have an eye for detail, you can make an educated guess about being restricted by someone on Messenger.

Do you notice someone continuously ignoring you on Facebook Messenger? Chances are that the person has restricted you on the platform. Since you don’t receive any alert for the same, you must rely on several signs to know if someone restricted you on Facebook Messenger. Before we start, let’s first understand what the restrict function means on Messenger.

What Does Restrict Mean on Facebook Messenger

Before starting, you need to know about Facebook Messenger’s restrict function. When someone restricts you, Facebook doesn’t alert them about your incoming messages and calls. The recipient’s phone doesn’t even ring.

Your conversation remains intact, but Messenger hides the chat thread in the Settings menu. If you are restricted, you don’t see the person’s online status and profile picture either. These are the two major red flags to confirm your restricted status with someone on the platform (more on that later).

You do remain friends on Facebook. But basically, you are on a DND mode when the person restricts you on Messenger.

How to Know If You Are Restricted on Messenger

Here are the signs to look for when someone restricts you on Messenger. You can combine all the points and confirm your troubled relationship with the person.

1. Lack of Responses

When someone restricts you on Messenger, the app hides your conversation on their mobile apps. You can send as many messages as you want, but Messenger doesn’t notify the person about any of them.

If the person doesn’t reply to your messages for several weeks or months, two possibilities exist – either the person is inactive on Messenger, or he/she has restricted you on the platform.  

2. Look for Active Status

You can also check the person’s active status on Messenger. When you are restricted on Facebook Messenger, you can no longer check the person’s last active status on the platform.

However, it’s not a foolproof trick. If the person has turned off the active status on Messenger, you can’t check the same. You can ask your mutual friends to check if they can see the person’s active status. If the status is visible to others, you are definitely restricted on the platform.

3. Check Profile Picture

If the person has restricted you on Facebook Messenger, you can’t check their profile picture. Do keep in mind that not having an account picture can be a personal choice, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the person on Messenger has restricted you.

4. Check Sent Messages

When restricted on Messenger, your sent messages will never go through. Technically, you can still send messages, but they will show a small blue empty checkmark. The app won’t fill the round tick.

5.  The Person Doesn’t Pick Up the Call

It’s another effective way to check if someone restricted you on Messenger. You can call the person on Messenger, but they won’t pick it up since the calls don’t ring on their phones.

6. Lack of Activity on Facebook

Did someone restrict you on Facebook Messenger? While you can glance over their previous posts on the social media platform, you can’t check new ones. If you notice someone absent from Facebook for a few months, the person may have restricted you.

How to Restrict Someone on Messenger

You can combine the indications above and verify your restricted status. If you want to return the favor, use the steps below to restrict such accounts.

Step 1: Open Facebook Messenger and select a conversation.

Step 2: Select the contact name at the top.

Step 3: Scroll down to Privacy & support and select Restrict.

The steps above remain identical on Messenger for iOS and Android.

Try Another Platform for Communication

After you validate your restricted status on Messenger, you can use another platform to establish communication. You can sort out differences via mutual friends and ask the person to remove you from the restriction list.