How to find secret conversations on facebook messenger

Secret conversations: what next?

Secret Conversations echoes features other apps, such as Snapchat, have had for some time, but there are safety implications for parents to consider if your child has a Facebook account.

Table of Contents Show

Secret conversations: what next?
Find your hidden Facebook inbox and read your lost messages
What to Know
Access Hidden Facebook Messages From the Desktop
View Hidden Facebook Messages With Messenger on Android
View Hidden Facebook Messages With Messenger on iOS
Facebook Message Requests and Community Standards
How can I see my secret conversation history?
How do I know if my partner has a secret conversation on Messenger?
How do I view my secret messages in Messenger?
Can you retrieve secret conversations on Messenger?

Legally, they can sign up for the service from the age of 13. This means children will be able to have completely private conversations with anyone they are friends with on Facebook. The main difference between this and the previous ‘direct messaging’ feature is that these conversations cannot be accessed on devices other than the one the conversation is created on.

Some parents of younger children only allow them to open a Facebook account in return for knowing their password so they can monitor what they are doing in the app. If this is you, you should be aware that this feature means that children could be having private conversations on their phones that you will never see if you log into their account on another device.

One other thing to note is that if someone sends your child something that upsets them, the messages will disappear. Facebook says it can decrypt communications (up to 30 of the most recent messages in a Secret Conversation) to check the content if you contact its Help Team to report them.

But if someone has been cyberbullying your child, for example, it looks like they will have to remember to screenshot the message to provide proof of what was said, unless they think to report it pretty much immediately.

As ever, one of the best things you can do to keep your child safe using any social media app, or when going online in general, is to talk to them about the possible safety implications of the platforms they are using. Teach them how to block users they don't want to talk to, and encourage them to come to you or an adult they trust if anyone they talk to online does anything to make them feel upset or uncomfortable.

To read Facebook's advice about Secret Conversations and discover how to report posts when using it, click here.

Spot something that doesn't look quite right? You can email to submit comments and feedback.

This article was last updated on 06/07/22.

Find your hidden Facebook inbox and read your lost messages

What to Know

Desktop: Select Messenger icon > three dots > Message Requests > See All in Messenger.
Android: Tap your profile picture > Message Requests > You May Know or Spam.
iOS: Tap Message Requests > Spam to see filtered messages.

Follow these steps on the web and in any version of the Messenger app to find your hidden Facebook messages—Facebook's equivalent of junk mail that comes from people you don't know.

Access Hidden Facebook Messages From the Desktop

The quickest way to check your hidden messages on the desktop is to find your Facebook message requests and filtered messages in a web browser.

You can also check for these hidden messages on the desktop version of Facebook using the steps below.

Open Facebook, and select the Messenger icon on the top right side of Facebook.
Select Options which looks like three dots at the top of the Messenger menu.
Select Message Requests in the menu.
From the list of messages, select the message and choose to either Reply to open the conversation, or Delete to remove the request.
Select See All in Messenger to check for Spam messages.

View Hidden Facebook Messages With Messenger on Android

Check for hidden messages on the Android version of the Facebook Messenger app using the steps below.

Open the Messenger app.
Tap your profile picture in the upper-left corner of the Chats window.
Select Message Requests.
Select You May Know to see message requests and Spam to see messages marked as spam. Choose to accept or delete the

View Hidden Facebook Messages With Messenger on iOS

Follow these steps to check for hidden messages on the iOS version of the Facebook Messenger app.

Open Messenger on your phone and tap your profile picture in the upper-left corner.
Select Message Requests.
Tap Spam to see filtered messages.
When you have message requests, select Accept or Decline to authorize or hide them.

If Facebook thinks you know someone based on connections with your current friends, it will deliver a new message from this person as a message request. If there's no evidence that you know the sender, Facebook sends them to your spam mailbox.

Facebook Message Requests and Community Standards

Facebook enforces Community Standards that cover bullying, harassment, threats, and sexual violence or exploitation. If you feel you have received a message that violates these standards, you can report the message to Facebook. Doing this will decrypt the encrypted message so the Facebook Help Team can review it.

When this happens, Facebook does not tell the person who starts the secret conversation. You also have the option to block someone on Messenger. You can also block them on Facebook.

FAQ

How do I delete Facebook messages?
To delete Facebook messages in a browser, select Messenger and choose See all in Messenger. Select a message and hover the cursor over it > select More (three dots) > Remove. In the app, tap and hold a message > Remove.
How do I recover deleted Facebook messages?
While you can't recover deleted Facebook Messenger messages, you can try some workarounds. Check to see if you archived the message instead of deleted it, or download your Messenger data and examine the report for the message you hope to retrieve. You can also try asking your contact if they have a copy of the chat.
How do I find archived messages on Facebook?
In the Messenger app, tap your profile picture > Archived Chats. Swipe a message and select Unarchive. On a browser, select Messenger and choose See all in Messenger. Select More (three dots) > Archived Chats.

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How can I see my secret conversation history?

You can easily access all your secret conversations by following the below steps:.

Open the Facebook Messenger app on your device..

In the top left, click on your profile..

Clicking on the profile will take you to a menu..

Scroll down. ... .

Hit that button, and you can see all your secret conversations..

How do I know if my partner has a secret conversation on Messenger?

The recipient must also agree to use Secret Conversations before they can access messages. You are able to have both a normal Facebook messenger conversation as well as a Secret Conversation with the same person. A padlock icon is displayed next to the person's profile picture to tell you if a conversation is 'Secret'.

How do I view my secret messages in Messenger?

How to view secret conversations on Messenger. You can view your secret conversations like any other message; just choose it from the list of open message threads on the main screen of the Messenger app. There will be a lock symbol next to the contact name, which indicates that it's not a regular chat.

Can you retrieve secret conversations on Messenger?

Access the device of the person whose conversations you want to read and open Facebook Messenger. Find and select Recent conversations. Use the search tool to find the conversation archived earlier. Tap the three-dot icon and choose Hidden chats.