How to unlock my Messenger account

Facebook attempts to keep on top of scams and community standards violations, so if your account has been locked for security reasons, something about your account or activity has caught the attention of Facebook staff or its automated systems. While your account can be temporarily locked for a variety of reasons, there are only a few common ones.

Questionable Identity

1. Facebook requires its users to provide a full and correct name to use its service, so while calling yourself by an alias in an attempt to either maintain your privacy or be amusing may seem harmless, it's a quick way to get your account locked. Other similar causes include using a photograph of a celebrity, entering an obviously incorrect birth date or creating an account for a fictitious person or company.

Phishing and Spam

1. Offering your products or services on a Facebook page is perfectly okay, after all social media is all about connecting with others and helping people get what they need. You can't, however, use your personal Timeline for this purpose and frequently sending out mass messages or posting repeatedly on other Timelines is considered spam. Either can result in your account being locked. Any attempts at asking for passwords or other login information, no matter how innocuous -- such as publicly asking a colleague for a forgotten password -- can be taken as a phishing attempt, and could result in an account lock.

Security

1. Facebook takes the security of its users' accounts very seriously, and if it suspects that an account has been compromised, Facebook locks the account down until it can confirm the account is secure. A sudden increase in posting frequency, link sharing or messaging are just a few things that can appear suspicious, especially when an account is generally passive.

How to Restore Your Account

1. If Facebook feels your account has been compromised or is unsure of your identity, as a representative of your business you may be asked to provide a color image of a government-issued photo ID, such as a passport or driver's license. It should clearly show your name, picture and birthday. You are free to cover or otherwise obscure any data not required to verify your identity like your address or license number. In less extreme situations, you may simply have to provide answers to the security questions you established when creating your account.

Facebook brings App Lock feature to Messenger starting today. The feature is currently rolling out to iPhone and iPad users only. The social media giant has confirmed that the App Lock will come in the upcoming months to the Facebook Messenger app for Android. As the name itself suggests, the App Lock feature will help users secure their private chats on Messenger. 

With this new privacy feature, Facebook wants to provide more control to users to secure their personal messages. App Lock adds another layer of security to private messages and helps prevent others from accessing them. 

The new feature uses the device’s privacy settings like fingerprint or face authentication to unlock the Messenger app. The company confirmed that the user’s touch or face ID is not transmitted to or stored by Facebook.

How to enable App Lock on Facebook Messenger

As noted, the App lock feature s currently rolling out to iPhone and iPad users only. While Android users will get the feature in the months to come.

* To enable the App lock feature on Messenger, first update the app to the latest version.

* Open the Facebook Messenger app after the update is completed.

* Head over to the Privacy Setting of the Messenger.

* Scroll down to the App lock feature and turn it on. Users will be able to disable the feature whenever required.

“The Privacy section makes it easy to access settings and features like the audience for your stories, muted stories and blocked people. App Lock and the Privacy section let you tailor your experience and choose settings that work best for you. We’re always working to give you more control over your privacy, so as we introduce more privacy features, you’ll have this centralized place to find them,” Facebook noted in an official press release. 

More privacy feature coming soon

Facebook is working towards introducing more privacy and security features in the days to come. The social media platform is working to provide more controls to users over inbox and calls. Highlighting the upcoming privacy features Facebook noted, “we working on new controls so you can decide who can message or call you directly, who goes to your requests folder, and who can’t message or call you at all. This will be similar to the message controls on Instagram, and we’ll share more details when we start testing these controls.”

The social media giant is also exploring more ways to protect user privacy and safety when someone they don’t know sends a message.

“We’ll be testing a feature similar to what exists on Instagram and WhatsApp that blurs images in your message requests folder. This way, you have the choice to view an image from someone you may not know before replying to the message or blocking or reporting the account,” Facebook stated. 

Why is my Messenger locked?

How can I unblock my Messenger?