When you open your messenger app, you should be able to see a notification in red at the top where your profile picture is. This indicates that you either have unread messages or a notification you have not checked.
When you open the facebook app, you will also see the same red notification sign at the top where there is a messenger icon in case you have notifications in the messenger app.
However, some people have been experience this same red notification icon over and over without it going away. And this is the problem that will be addressed here
In this article, you will learn all the causes of the notification message or icon not going away on Facebook messenger and some methods you can use to address it.
Why Won’t Facebook Messenger Notification Go Away
1. There’s an Unread Message Deep Down in Your DMs
When you get the notification icon on Facebook messenger, it means that you have an unchecked notification or an unread message. When messages come to your Facebook messenger account, they are arranged from the earliest to the latest.
Each unread message is stored as a notification and it has an icon showing it is unread. In some cases, you may get so many messages unread, that you will open some on the top part of the list and forget others at the bottom. As more messages come in with time, the ones at the bottom and unread, are pushed further below the list.
Now, your Facebook messenger account will still recognize those unread messages and provide the red notification icon even if all the messages above it are read. Many people may not know such things happen.
As a result, they will experience a Facebook messenger notification that does not go away and easily think there is something wrong with their messenger app.
Fix – Scroll Down to Check Messages You Haven’t Opened
Here is what you should do. Since the red notification icon means that you may have unread messages, you have to check if there are any in your DMs. During this process, do not just check the first messages on the screen. Scroll down as much as possible for that unread message could be all the way down the list.
It can be a boring task but you have to do it. Scroll down until the last message to check. Once you find it and open it, the icon should disappear.
2. You Just Got A New Messages
How busy is your facebook account? Do you receive messages quit often? There are people who accounts will receive messages more often that other. If you have a lot of people trying to reach you, then you might get messages immediately after reading the previous ones.
This means that it is possible that there is nothing wrong with your Facebook messenger account and it is just providing notifications as they come. Note that this is different from having unread messages in your DM section. This is happens when a message is sent as soon as you exit the DM section.
Fix – Go back and check your messages
The best solution for this part is to just open your Facebook messenger and look again to see if there are new messages that have arrived. Facebook messages can be delivered within a fraction of a second. So, if you had checked your messenger and read messages, it is possible that as soon as you exit another message drops in.
It is also a case that can happen if you are constantly chatting with a person. Go back and look at the messages again. If you are chatting with someone and they keep on sending you messages, it means they will keep on sending texts that will put the notification icon on.
3. It’s Happening Because of an Unread Message Request
When messages are sent on facebook, they are processed differently. So, when people message you, their messages are treated differently depending on the type of relationship they have with you.
People who are your friends on facebook, their messages are delivered directly into your messenger account and you can see them as soon as you open the messenger app. However, for those who are not your friends, the process is different.
When people who are not your friends on facebook send a message, it is delivered to the message requests section. This is to allow you to choose whether you would like to talk to them or not.
From this particular section, you can see those who are sending the requests, and then accept or decline their requests to have a conversation.
However, when these messages get into the requests section, the app will still register them as notifications and show on you there is a notification that you should respond to.
Fix – Check Messages in the Message Request Section
The only way you will be able to fix the problem of a red icon stuck on your notifications, and it is caused by message requests, is if you can open them. You must open the messages requests section on your Facebook messenger app to access this section and respond to the notifications.
Here are the steps you should follow.
1. Open your Facebook messenger app.
2. Tap on the profile pic icon at the top of the page.
3. You will then be guided to a menu.
4. Scroll down the menu and look for the option “message requests”.
5. Now tap on the option to open it.
6. You will be provided with a list of message requests sent by people who are not your friends on facebook.
7. Here, the messages will show those that have not been opened with a red icon and those that have been opened will not have any icons.
8. All you have to do is open the unread messages in this section.
9. You can choose to accept the requests or decline them.
10. Either way there once you have opened the unread ones, they should be able to fix the notifications issue on your Facebook messenger app.
4. The bummer of them all…Facebook messenger is down
This is the real bummer of them all issues. When this happens to be the cause of the red notification icon bothering you, it is not something you can fix easily. You will have to prepare yourself to have the icon there for some time.
We all know how big Facebook messenger is. Someone might also believe that due to the size of the platform and the users, then their systems are all perfect. Well, they are not.
Facebook messenger servers also experience downtime. It has happened a few times and people were not able to access the platform as they would wish. So, could this be the reason you are experiencing this problem? Yes.
In some cases, do not expect to see the whole platform failing but some parts of its can have issues. And in this case, it is the part that controls the notifications feature.
Fix – Wait for Facebook messengers Servers to Correct Itself
Unfortunately, when Facebook messenger is down, there is nothing you can do to change this situation. It is a problem that has to be resolved by the company as they have to fix their servers. For the user, you have to do is relax and wait for the problem to be fixed.
However, you can check to confirm for sure the problem is Facebook messenger downtime before you decide to wait. Doing a quick google search will enable you to know whether for sure the systems are down.
As for the waiting time, it is never specific. Sometimes you may have to wait for a few minutes and at other times it may take a few hours. So, do not seat there looking at your phone waiting for the issue to be resolved.
5. Is it Possible You’ve Got a Bug?
Bugs are a common issue when it comes to technology. It is not just hardware systems that experience bugs. Even software systems and apps will experience bugs. Even your Facebook messenger app will experience bugs and glitches out of nowhere.
When there are bugs in your systems, which can be your app, network, phone, or even account, it can easily cause the problem of the red notification icon. The main challenge about this is that it is difficult to pinpoint with certainty where the bugs are.
However, there is a way to fix this that involves a series of troubleshooting activities that will help solve the problem. Below you will find a list of methods to fix bugs starting with the most probable one.
Fix – Turn Off Notifications
If there is a bug in your Facebook messenger app, then one of the areas could be the notifications settings. Although you may not be able to fix this problem at once, you can handle it such that you will not continue getting that red annoying notification icon.
The best way to do this is by turning off the notifications on your Facebook messenger app. Here are the steps you should follow.
1. Start by opening your Facebook messenger app.
2. Now tap on the profile pic app on top of your messenger page.
3. Now scroll down on the menu and look for the “Notifications and Sounds” option.
4. Tap to select this option.
5. You will see an “On” option at the top. Toggle the button on the side to switch it to off
6. By doing this, you will have switch off Facebook Messenger notifications and you will not get the red notification alert again.
Fix 2 – Log Out and Log In
If the account has some bugs, that might also cause the problem you are experiencing. Sometimes the bugs can be within the app, or in the system of your account. Either way, you may not know, and the best thing to do is to take actions that will help fix it.
Logging out and back in again will help clear the bugs in the system. Here is how to do it.
1. Go to your messenger app.
2. Now tap on the Profile icon at the top of the profile.
3. You will get a menu and you should scroll down and look for the option “Account Settings” and tap on it.
4. Wait for the page to load and you will get several other options.
5. Tap on “Security and Login” option.
6. You will get a page and you should scroll down to the option titled “Where You’re Logged In”.
7. You will then see a list of devices that your messenger is logged in to.
8. Now select the one active, and written “messenger” below it and press “Log out”.
9. Your messenger will be logged out.
You can also log out from your messenger app using your Facebook app. Here are the steps to follow.
1. Start by opening your Facebook app.
2. Now look for the three lines at the top corner and tap on them.
3. Now scroll down and look for the “Settings and Privacy” option and tap to open.
4. Then tap on “Settings”.
5. Look for “Security and Login” or “Password and Security” and tap on it.
6. Scroll and look for an option titled “Where You’re Logged In”. Below this section, you will see all devices logged into your Facebook account as well as the messenger.
7. Look for the device with the name “Messenger” under its title.
8. Now, tap the three dots next to the title.
9. You will get an option to log out.
10. Tap on “log out” to initiate the process.
By doing this, the messenger app will log out your account.
Now, you can go ahead and login again.
The easiest way to log into your Facebook messenger is by using your Facebook App.
1. Open your Facebook app.
2. Look for the Messenger icon at the top corner and click on it.
3. You will be redirected to a new page with your profile picture.
4. Tap on “Continue as (Your Facebook name).
5. You will be automatically logged into your Facebook messenger app.
Fix 3 – Clear the Cache
Build-up and accumulation of caches on your app could be another reason.
1. Go to the settings on your phone
2. Open the list of apps and look for Facebook messenger.
3. Tap on the app and open it for more options.
4. Now look for the option “Clear Cache” and tap on it to initiate the process.
Fix 4 – Update the App
An outdated Facebook messenger app will mostly have issues with how it functions. As a result, you should also consider updating your app. All you have to do is to go to your play store or AppStore, look for your Facebook messenger app, open the options and click update. The update will be downloaded and installed automatically.
Fix 5 – Reinstall Facebook messenger
This means that your entire Facebook messenger app has a problem and you have to get another one. This means uninstalling the current app and getting another one.
Go to the app list on your phone. Tap and hold on to the Facebook messenger app icon until you get more options, click on uninstall. This process can vary depending on the type of phone.
Now go to your either play store or app store depending on your phone, and download and install the Facebook messenger app afresh.
Fix 6 – Contact Facebook messenger
If the above methods of fixing the bugs do not work, then you have to contact Facebook messenger to help you fix the issue.
As you visit the help center, note that there are several methods that facebook allows you to get help in case you are experiencing something like this. In most cases, you will first be asked several questions to ascertain the nature of your complain or issue.
6. How’s Your Internet Connection
Notifications on your Facebook messenger app are directly linked to your internet connection. So, if your internet connection is poor, you will not get notifications.
However, if you get the notifications, and open them, for your app to process that action and update the system, it will need an internet connection. So, you may be left with a stuck red notification icon because of poor internet.
Fix – Fix Your Internet Connection
Poor internet connection does not necessarily mean that it is unavailable. So, to fix your connection, you first need to check whether it is available.
The next step is to restart your router and see if it will work. You can force restart your Wi-Fi router by unplugging the power cord while it is still on. If you find out none of this restores your connection, you can also contact your internet service provider to fix it.
Another alternative is switching from Wi-Fi to your mobile data connection.
7. Messages Haven’t Updated the Status
Your messages might get stuck on the status. That is, you may open the messages, and they will fail to update the status from unread to read. As a result of this, your Facebook messenger app will still identify them as notifications and bring the red notification icon.
It is a case that may happen sometimes, especially when there is a glitch in the system. To find out if this is the case, go back to the messages you have open and see where they are still in unread status.
Fix – Try Restarting The App
If the messages are stuck on the unread status, and they keep on showing the red notification icon, it means that the message system is stuck. This can be caused by a bug in the messages update system. As a result, restarting the Facebook messenger application is one of the easiest ways to address it.
You can restart the app by going to its settings and using the “Force Stop” option, or you can just restart your phone.
8. You’ve Already Opened the Message or Notification But Facebook messenger is Taking Too Long to Adjust
This is another scenario that happens quite often to many people and before they know what is going on they will panic. Consider this. You see the red notification icon and know there are notifications, You tap and open the notifications. Then go through them and if they are messages read them.
However, when you go back to the app feed, the notifications and message status update systems slow down. As a result, they will make the app identify the notifications you have already checked as unchecked.
Fix – Refresh Your Direct Messages
For this type of scenario, you can give the messages and notifications update system some time to update the status and clear them from the notifications alert system.
Another method is to go back to your direct messages and refresh them. By refreshing the direct messages, you speed up or force the system to update that you have read the messages. This will help clean the stuck red notification icon on your Facebook messenger app.
Conclusion
If your Facebook messenger is misbehaving and you are getting the message notification all the time, note that there are several factors that might be causing that. You have to be patients and go through the above troubleshooting steps as discussed. Note that it is not guaranteed that he first method will work.