It bugs me, I've had Facebook for years but I barely ever log in. Yet I keep getting SMS notifications like "so-and-so liked your photo" or stuff like that. I tried disabling notifications in the settings but it keeps happening. How can I stop this once and for all?
Don't forget that blocking Facebook's number on your phone isn't enough - they can use several different numbers. What actually works is unsubscribing from SMS directly by replying "STOP" to the message or going into your Facebook account settings specifically for SMS notifications (it's different from push and email notifications). Some people also need to check that the phone number linked to their account isn't being used for other purposes - sometimes Facebook reactivates SMS if you've changed your privacy settings or if your number was recently modified.
Facebook can keep sending you SMS even if you've disabled notifications in the app, because SMS settings are usually separate from other notifications! You need to go directly into your Facebook account settings (not just the app), find the "SMS notifications" or "mobile" section and turn that off there, or just remove your phone number from your profile entirely if you really don't want to receive anything anymore. If that still doesn't work try replying STOP to the SMS directly, sometimes that's enough to get you off their mailing list!
Facebook texts often come from a short code number or a masked number, so even if you don't touch the app for months they can keep coming. What really works is going straight to facebook.com, your privacy settings, then "Notifications" and look there specifically for "Notifications via SMS" or "Text message notifications" - it's completely separate from everything else. Once you find it, you can turn everything off at once or dial it down to zero. If it keeps happening after that, contact their support directly and report that you've already disabled it but the texts are still coming through, sometimes it's a bug on their end.
The thing that actually works is checking directly on Facebook's website, not in the app - go to account settings, look for "Notifications" or "Communications", and you'll find a specific section for SMS that's often hidden somewhere different from the other notifications 📱. Also try updating your phone number (like by removing it and adding it back), it forces Facebook to resync its sending preferences. If nothing really works, you can send an SMS with the word "STOP" to the number that's sending you the messages - it's a legal requirement they generally follow.
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