Don't look up your ex! Facebook bug auto-sending friend requests (Update: Fixed)

Update #2, 12 May, 2023 (01:44 PM ET): Meta has responded with the following official statement: ““We fixed a bug related to a recent app update that caused some Facebook friend requests to be sent mistakenly. We’ve stopped this from happening and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

Update #1, 12 May, 2023 (11:16 AM ET): It appears as though Facebook’s auto-friend request bug has been fixed (phew). We’ve checked several unfollowed profiles on different accounts and didn’t see any unwanted friend requests being sent. Meta has yet to comment on what the issue was, but for now it seems safe to peek at your crush once again.

Yikes. If you’re in the habit of stalking profiles on Facebook you might want to respect people’s privacy for a little bit. According to many reports from disgruntled users across social media, Facebook is sending unintended friend requests to other users just by looking at their profiles.

There are plenty of reports on Facebook and Twitter with users complaining about the bug, but we had to test it for ourselves to be sure. Turns out that it’s absolutely real. Check it out in action in the video below and take note of my taps inside the Facebook app. You’ll notice that while I clicked on my wonderful colleague Hadlee’s profile (look, I don’t use Facebook otherwise we’d already be pals, okay), there was no corresponding tap on the “Add friend” button, it just sent it automatically. Hadlee also confirmed that he received my friend request.

It’s not clear what the cause of the bug is, but it doesn’t yet show on Meta’s Platform Bug Reports website. We’ll keep you updated on any changes, but for now, your safest bet is to not click on any profiles that aren’t already on your friend list. We’ve contacted Meta regarding the unsolicited friend requests and will update this article when we hear back.

Have you experienced the bug? Let us know!