Is Facebook’s “Nearby Friends in FB” option unavailable or broken? You have the choice to share your location with one another. When “Nearby Friends in FB” is enabled, “Location History” will also be enabled.
“Nearby Friends” won’t function if “Location History” isn’t enabled. It used to be possible to use this feature on both iOS and Android devices. However, it appears to have vanished from the Facebook app or gone missing.
This article will explain why “Nearby Friends in FB” stopped working or showing up on Facebook and how to fix it.
Table of Contents
Why can’t I see nearby friends in FB?
On Facebook, you can’t see friends who are close by because Facebook disabled that option.
Facebook will no longer offer “Nearby Friends,” “Weather Alerts,” “Location History,” and “Background Location” as of June 1, 2022.
Initially, the purpose of the feature was to make it simple for you to contact your pals.
Both you and your friend must activate the functionality for it to function.
This is comparable to the “Snap Map” feature on Snapchat, which lets you see where your friends are.
Privacy is becoming more and more significant in the modern world.
In actuality, the biggest corporations, like Google and Apple, are moving towards a web that prioritizes privacy.
Facebook is no exception, as they strive to be more transparent about how they use data.
According to Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer, Michel Protti, Meta wants to provide personalized experiences without compromising the privacy of its customers.
The “Nearby Friends in FB” option, which stops your friends from learning your location, has been removed as a part of this endeavor.
How to fix “Nearby Friends” not showing on Facebook
You must download an older version of the Facebook app to fix “Nearby Friends in FB”.
This is due to the feature no longer existing in the updated version of the app.
Unfortunately, this only functions on Android-powered devices.
- You need to delete the Facebook app.
- Click the button to download the Facebook App
- Select “Download” then “Download anyway” by tapping.
- Click “Install” after opening the file.
- The “Nearby Friends” function will be available once you open Facebook.
You could get an error notice if you’re installing an APK for the first time.
You must enable “Install unknown apps” in your options in order to remedy this.
Go to Settings > Install unknown programs> Allow from this source to accomplish this.
Additionally, you might see a warning that the file is potentially dangerous.
The website is entirely safe, so don’t worry.
Did Facebook get rid of nearby friends?
Yes, as of June 1, 2022, Facebook stopped showing friends in your area. Facebook’s Nearby Friends feature is broken.
After May 31, 2022, we won’t be collecting the data you gave us for “Nearby Friends,” “Weather Alerts,” “Location History,” and “Background Location.”
However, until August 1, 2022, you can still access and download your location history.
After that, you won’t be able to recover your location history because it will have been permanently lost.
If you want to see what data Facebook has on you before August 1, 2022, you can download it.
If “Location History” is not used, nothing needs to be done on your end; the data will be erased on its own.
How do I see nearby friends on Facebook?
You could enable or disable “Nearby Friends” on Facebook at any moment prior to its elimination.
Only if both you and your friend activated the functionality will it function.
For instance, you won’t be able to view your friends’ whereabouts if “Nearby Friends” isn’t enabled.
They won’t be able to view your location if your friend turned on the feature but you didn’t.
- Locate “Location services” in your settings and enable it.
- Open Facebook, then click the menu button.
- Choose “Nearby Friends“.
- Activate the three dots by tapping on your name.
- Press “Settings” once.
- “Nearby Friends” should be on.
The “Nearby Friends” option is no longer available on Facebook’s most recent version.
This is because as of June 1, 2022, Facebook eliminated it along with 3 other tracking features.
Conclusion
Many businesses have been concentrating on privacy and data protection in recent years.
Apps must request your permission before tracking your activity on iOS 14.5 and later.
You won’t receive personalized advertising if you don’t let them track your online behavior.
Additionally, Google has promised to get rid of third-party cookies from Chrome by 2023.
The Facebook team often updates its privacy policy, so they are not an exception.
Additionally, they launched the Privacy Centre to inform users of Meta’s privacy policies across all of their apps.
As part of its efforts to further safeguard users’ privacy, Facebook has decided to remove the “Nearby Friends” feature.
Muhammad Irshad is the founder of activemarketingfunnel.com, with 8+ years of experience in Social Media Management and Marketing. He is a professional content writer, focusing on technology and Social Media Marketing. He researched, tested, and wrote thousands of articles about everything from messaging apps to social media platforms. He graduated with a B.S. from the University of North Florida in 2018. When he’s not working, you will find him interested in sports or sci-fi movies.
