When you send a message to someone on Facebook Messenger you can be presented with a few message notifications that inform you about the status of your message. Two of the most prevalent message notifications that you will see are the Sent and Delivered notifications.
Some users might be confused and wish for a little more insight into what these notifications mean and how they differ. This guide will break down all of the common questions people have regarding the Sent and Delivered notifications on Facebook.
This guide will also cover some troubleshooting methods you can use to solve problems with your Facebook Messaging application, as well as some answers to other common questions people have with the app.
It is important to understand these notifications so you can be accurately informed about the status of your message. This guide can help you do that.
Difference Between Sent and Delivered On Facebook Messenger
The key differences between the Sent and Delivered notification on Facebook Messenger are fairly simple to break down. When a message says Sent on your screen after sending a message, this means that Facebook Messenger has successfully processed and sent your message to the desired user.
There are instances where your message might not be sent correctly, in which case you will be met with a notification indicating that the message was not sent properly. So if you are seeing the Sent notification in your Facebook Message chat this means that the message was properly processed and sent.
When the status of your message changes from Sent to Delivered, this means that the user you are messaging has properly processed and received the message to their Facebook Messaging app.
This does not however indicate that they have read or interacted with the message in any way. This is simply an indicator that your message has been properly processed and sent to the correct account.
The status of your message will remain Delivered until they interact with the message in some way, after which the status will change to Read. More information regarding the difference between Delivered and Read will be covered later on in this guide.
Knowing the difference between Sent and Delivered is important for accurately gauging the status of your sent messages. Use the guide above to help you differentiate these two notifications.
Facebook Sent Vs Delivered Icons
Another important aspect of Facebook Messenger that you should be aware of is the different icons that you might see while using the app. There are four messaging icons that you will see while using the Facebook Messaging app, each with its unique meaning.
If you send a message and see an empty circle beside your message, this means that there has been an issue processing and sending your message. This could be due to several reasons, some of which will be covered later in this guide.
Whatever the reason you are seeing the unfilled, empty circle icon by your message, your message will have to be resent after the issue has been resolved.
If you see an unfilled icon containing a checkmark, this means that your message has been sent to the recipient successfully. This will be accompanied by the Sent notification. Seeing both the unfilled icon containing a checkmark and the Sent notification will indicate to you that your message has been properly processed and sent.
Once your message has been successfully delivered, the icon with the checkmark will become filled in. This will let you know that the message is waiting for the user as soon as they can log into Facebook Messager to receive it.
Finally, when the icon is filled in with the recipient’s profile image, that means that your message has been read. Only when the icon changes to their profile picture and is accompanied by the Read notification can you safely assume that they have seen your message.
When You Ignore Someone On Facebook What Do They See?
What someone you are currently avoiding on Facebook sees will depend on the type of interaction you have with their message. When you receive a message on Facebook Messenger you can see the beginning of the message without opening it, as well as an indicator of who has sent the message.
If you recognize a user or message that you do not wish to interact with in this way, there is no way for the user to tell that you are ignoring them. This will cause the message status on their end to remain on delivered until you interact with the message in some way.
If you open the message and choose not to respond, the user will receive a notification that you have read their message and their status notifications will update to Read and they will see your profile icon.
If you wish to ignore someone on Facebook Messenger without them knowing, you should not open the message to read it first. Doing so will cause the message status to update reflecting your interaction with their message.
If You Ignore A Message Request, What Do They See?
If someone is attempting to message you on Facebook that you are not currently friends with, the Messaging app will require you to approve a message request before delivering the message.
When someone denies this request, there is usually no notification to the sender that the message has been denied. They will simply see the Sent message status indefinitely till you accept their message request or interact with it in some way. If you leave a message request alone for some time without accepting or denying it, it will be channeled and classified as spam.
If Someone Is Logged Out Of Messenger, Will The Message Still Be Delivered?
The Facebook Messages that you send can still be marked as delivered even if the user you are sending messages to is not currently logged in. As long as the message has been sent properly and received by the account of the user successfully, you will still be shown the Delivered messages status notification.
Some instances that could cause your message to not be delivered properly can be found later on in this guide. It is not a requirement that a user be online to properly receive messages. When a message is delivered, this implies that the user to whom you have sent a message too will receive a notification.
As long as they can receive messages then the message will be delivered and waiting for them to read whenever they log back in.
When Is Says Delivered in Messenger, Does This Mean That The Person Has Seen It?
The Delivered message status notification does not indicate that the user has read or seen your message. It merely indicates that the message has been successfully sent over Facebook’s network to the other user.
The only way to confirm that someone has seen your message on Facebook Messenger is to look out for the status notification Read.
Someone could have seen your message without opening it, which would lead to your message status remaining as Delivered. The Delivered status of your message is not a good indication of whether or not the message has been seen.
Does Delivered In Messenger Mean Read?
The Delivered message status notification does not mean that someone has read or seen your message. It merely indicates that your message has been properly processed and received by the account of the recipient.
You can only know for sure if your message has been read by looking for the Read message status notification accompanied by an icon of the recipient’s profile picture. When you see these notifications together, you can safely assume that your message has been seen.
Can A Message Be Delivered But Not Read?
It is not uncommon for a message you send on Facebook Messenger to remain on Delivered for some time while it waits for the user to log in and read it. As long as the user you are trying to message can receive messages, the status will be marked as delivered in your message window.
This does not however mean that the user has seen or read your message. The only way to know for sure if someone has read your message is to look for the message status notification to change to Read and be accompanied by an icon of the user’s profile picture.
Can Someone Be Active on Messenger But Not Receive My Delivered Message?
There are some instances where someone active on Facebook Messenger might not receive your delivered message. The most common cause of an issue like this is bugs or glitches that are causing their chat to not update correctly.
The user you are messaging could have also recently logged out after your message was sent. It takes some time for the active list to update which could cause you to message a user marked as active that is offline.
Generally, if the message has been marked as Delivered it will be available for the recipient at some point in time when they log back in. If they have not received your message after it has been marked Delivered in your chat window, it is likely due to an error such as a bug or glitch on their end.
Why Did My Message Go From Delivered To Sent?
The only circumstances that could cause your message status to go from Delivered to Sent is a bug or error that is causing the chat window to update incorrectly. These bugs and glitches are typically caused by outdated software or run-time errors.
Facebook Messenger server outages could also cause incorrect message status updates. Server outages are rare but are still a possibility when using the Facebook Messaging service.
If you see your message that was previously marked as Delivered change back to Sent, then you should consider restarting your application to resolve the issue.
Why Do Messages Send But Not Deliver
The next part of this guide will focus on some of the reasons that your message has been marked sent but not delivered. Use the list below to properly identify your issue and accurately just the status of your sent message.
1. They Are Not Friends With You On Facebook
When you send a message to someone on Facebook Messenger that you are not currently friends with, they will have to manually approve the message before it will be marked as delivered.
This restriction is meant to help lower the amount of unwanted or spam messages that you receive. Even though to message has been sent and likely received by the recipient, you will not be notified of its delivery until the user approves the message.
Try adding them as a friend before sending the message so that you can be accurately updated on the message status. This will allow you to receive the Delivered and Read message status notifications correctly.
2. They Have No Signal
If the recipient of a message does not currently have a phone signal, then the message will not be marked as delivered until they regain service. The Facebook Messaging application depends on an internet or phone connection to successfully send messages to other users.
If the user currently has no phone service after you have sent a message, your message status will remain as Sent until they regain service and log back into the application. Once Facebook Messenger detects a connection, the message will automatically resend and be delivered.
3. They Have No Internet
If the recipient of a message does not currently have a stable internet connection, then the message will not be marked as delivered until they regain service. The Facebook Messaging application depends on an internet or phone connection to successfully send messages to other users.
If the user currently has no internet connection after you have sent a message, your message status will remain as Sent until they regain service and log back into the application. Once Facebook Messenger detects a connection, the message will automatically resend and be delivered.
How To Fix Facebook Messaging Problems
If you are having issues with your Facebook Messenger status updates and notification, the list of troubleshooting methods below could help resolve your issue. Use this guide to properly identify your issue and choose the appropriate method.
1. Restart The Facebook Messaging App
Sometimes a simple restart of the Facebook Messaging application can help to resolve any run-time errors that could cause your message status to not update correctly.
This is a good first method to consider as it has been proven to resolve most issues regarding the Facebook Messaging app.
2. Update The Facebook Messaging App
The most common cause of Facebook Messaging message status errors is out-of-date software. The Facebook Messaging app depends on periodic software updates to function optimally. If you fall behind on updates, you risk missing out on important patches and optimizations.
You will have to download the update and apply it manually for it to go into effect on your device.
3. Reinstall the Facebook Messaging Application
There are some instances where files associated with the Facebook Messaging application could become corrupted or damaged. When that happens, you will likely run into frequent errors in functionality.
To resolve this, you should consider uninstalling and then reinstalling the application. This will remove any damaged files from your device and replace them with fresh copies. This is a good method to solve a host of problems that you might be encountering while using the Facebook Messaging application.
4. Restart The Device You Are Using Facebook Messaging On
If the device you are using to access Facebook Messaging is experiencing problems, you might consider restarting it to encourage the resolution of any run-time errors. This will let you start your Facebook Messaging application and your device with a fresh start.
5. Contact Facebook Support
If you are experiencing persistent problems with your Facebook Messaging application and none of these troubleshooting methods in this guide have helped solve your problem, then you should consider contacting Facebook support.
Facebook Support will take a detailed account of your issue and investigate it. They will then get back to you with detailed troubleshooting methods and suggested solutions. This option should only be considered after you have exhausted all of the troubleshooting methods on this list.
Facebook Support will likely suggest to you most of the troubleshooting methods listed in this guide, so it is important to attempt them first to save yourself time when dealing with Facebook Support
It can be frustrating dealing with customer service on the phone, so some patience is for this to be a viable troubleshooting method. Rest assured that Facebook Support is the highest authority on your Facebook Messaging app and can offer the most insight into your current issue.
Final Thoughts
This guide has provided you with all the information that you need to understand the difference between the Sent and Delivered Facebook Messaging status notifications.
These message status notifications have led to some confusion but with the knowledge, you now have you can better understand what the notifications mean and more accurately gauge your message status.
If you are experiencing issues with your Facebook Messaging application you can use the troubleshooting methods provided to help resolve your issue.
Facebook Messaging is vital to the lives of many people as their main form of communication. This guide can help ensure that your Facebook Messaging app is always functioning as intended.