Skip to main content

Facebook wants to send you fewer email notifications

facebook-email-evilThe world isn’t lacking for Facebook complaints, but chief among them is the deluge of emails its users are flooded by on an hourly basis. And no matter how many filters you set on your inbox, it seems a few always manage to slip through. The more active you are on Facebook, the more notification emails you get, until it’s a sick, never-ending cycle, and you’re seemingly being punished for your site loyalty. But mobile apps and seasoned users mean it’s becoming more and more of a non-issue.

Still, Facebook has announced it is testing a new feature that will limit the amount of emails particularly active users get. “We’ll provide a new summary email and turn off most individual email notifications. If you want to turn them back on, there’s a control in your account settings,” the site says.

emailsYou will receive notifications in the form of that well-known red icon when you log into Facebook, but your email inbox won’t feel the pain of separate messages for every friend request, tagged photo, or Wall Post Like your profile’s been through. For the litany of things Facebook users have to complain about, overly active emails is one of the easiest to control. Nonetheless, tooling and retooling your account settings is a pain, particularly on Facebook, and we’re always happy when the site eliminates these types of steps.

Given the fact that the most minute of Facebook updates yields an outpour of backlash, we shouldn’t be surprised that some are calling foul on this latest alteration. Some users aren’t thrilled that Facebook has been slowly implementing and testing this feature without informing account holders or gaining their consent. Couple this with the fact that most users have found their own workarounds for inbox oversaturation, and you’re bound to get concern that Facebook’s adjusting its settings before informing us. Seeing as this isn’t so much a privacy issue as a “it’s the principle of it” sort of thing, we’d imagine it won’t attract too many pitchforks.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
You can now use the Add Yours sticker on Reels for Facebook and Instagram
A series of three mobile screenshots on a gray background showing the new Add Yours sticker for Facebook Reels.

As of today, Facebook and IG creators have six new features they can use for their Reels content. But of the six, the most intriguing feature is support for a sticker prompt that was first used and popularized in Instagram Stories.

Meta announced via a Facebook video post that, in addition to all of its other new Reels-focused features, it would now offer support for its Add Yours sticker prompt in Reels for both Instagram and Facebook.

Read more
How to create a Facebook group
A series of social media app icons on a colorful smartphone screen.

Are you interested in cultivating an online community about one of your hobbies? Do you just need a way to organize a family event or book club? If so, you may want to consider creating a Facebook group. Facebook groups can provide a central, online location for gathering and communicating with your friends and family or for meeting new people to discuss your shared interests or plan an event together. It can be a great way to cultivate a sense of community online.

Plus, creating a Facebook group is incredibly easy.

Read more
Instagram is undoing its TikTok-like changes you hated so much
New features for Instagram Reels

Popular social media service Instagram is reconsidering its pivot to a TikTok-style video feed after recent changes proved to be highly unpopular with its fan base.

Over the past several weeks, Instagram has been testing a version of the app that opened into a feed of full-screen photos and videos, seemingly attempting to morph the service into something that more closely resembles TikTok. Similarly, the new feed also disproportionately pushes seemingly random "recommended" posts, squeezing out content from those folks that Instagram users have actually chosen to follow.

Read more