Yet Another Reason Facebook Disgusts Me

Did you know you are NOT able to stop the slide up “Please turn on Notifications” nag from the Facebook Messenger app?

Last night at nearly 11pm, I was already fast asleep when a Facebook Messenger group message came in. A family member in Seattle sent out a group message to a bunch of we cousins and I was startled awake. Then two people replied until I then realized all 10 of us on the group message would probably start replying! I then messaged everyone to please respect time zones and only group message in the early evening. No one else messaged after that.

I then turned off Notifcations and went back to sleep.

Early this morning I launched the app to see how to permanently stop this nag from sliding up after I’d turned off Notifications for Messenger. It didn’t work. Then I turned on Notifications and selected “None”. The slide up nag continued to come up every single time I launched the app.

So I searched Google for ways in which to stop this slide up nag since I am NOT going to turn on Notifications. Guess what? It cannot be defeated.

You may ask, “Why don’t you just delete the app you big baby?” I would, but both my wife’s side of the family and mine use Messenger to communicate with everyone. That is the ONLY reason I have the app, even though I’m getting very, very close to deleting my Facebook account forever and saying ‘good riddance’ to Messenger.

Facebook really, really wants people to use Messenger since, by default, location tracking is turned on so they can help advertisers pinpoint and market to you geographically. In fact, TechCrunch published this post, “Facebook Messenger Wants To BE Your Phone Number With New Message Requests” which points out what the “payoff” is for a company to give a free app like this away (and remember the old adage that if you’re not paying for a product, then by default you are the product:

Facebook is already experimenting with ways to let you receive customer service, attain a quote on home repair, or contact Page admins via Messenger. And there’s already a payment system built into Messenger. Imagine one day getting a Message Request from a business you’ve interacted with, then being able to receive important updates or even buy things from them right from chat.

This is Facebook’s long-term motivation and why their messages-removal-on-mobile was set to MAKE you use their Messenger app and the slide up nag—coming up every single time you launch the app—is designed to FORCE you to turn on Notifications.

No thanks Facebook. Stop the nag or my (and many other’s) disgust with your business practices will continue to grow toward hate. Here is the Facebook page where you can give them feedback if you hate this too.