From the Mailbox – How Do I Block Facebook® App Status Updates?

A client asked this Facebook® question recently:

“How I can get rid of the various application notifications (i.e. Farmville, Indiana Jones, Words with Friends, etc) from friends without deleting the friends that keep sending them?”

That’s a great question!  When scrolling through Facebook® status updates, there are days that it seems like the only updates showing are from friends playing games.  If you are tired of seeing all of those status updates about what supplies they need or how they need help feeding their animals, there is a solution!

Cleaning Out Your News Feed

Here is a simple way to clean out your News Feed and focus on what you want to see.

Below you will find a screenshot from my news feed about someone needing spackle for their project in this particular game.

Hide Facebook® status updates

We’ll pretend my friend’s name is Sam.  If I am tired of seeing these types of status updates in my news feed from Sam, I have three choices (the last three items in the drop down box):

  1. I can unsubscribe from Sam
  2. I can unsubscribe from game stories by Sam, or
  3. I can hide all status updates from this particular app
Now, I still want to follow my Sam’s updates… just not the ones about him playing games.  So I don’t want to unsubscribe from him, but rather, would choose option 2 or 3.  Here is the difference:
  • Option 2 allows me to unsubscribe from game stories by Sam.  If Sam is notorious for playing games and the majority of his status updates are about various games, I would probably choose this option.
  • Option 3 allows me to hide all status updates from this particular app.  So if Sam, Sarah, Suzy, Stu and Sherri all play one certain game and I am tired of seeing those updates in all of their status updates, I would probably choose this option.
So how do you do this?  When you see a status update you want to hide in the future, simply hover over the top right of the status update.  You will see a down arrow appear.  Click on that arrow and you will see those options appear.  Click on your preferred option and you are done!
Enjoy your cleaner news feed without all those app status updates!

About the Author

Lisa Schulteis bridges the gap between brain science and unforgettable events. As an event strategist with over a decade of experience, she translates behavioral science and neuroscience research into practical design strategies for conferences, corporate gatherings, and destination events.

Before working with associations and Fortune 500 organizations, Lisa worked in neuropsychology with Alzheimer’s patients at a research hospital, then traumatic brain injury and stroke patients in rehabilitation. She conducted assessments and developed rehabilitation plans with multidisciplinary teams. This foundation in how the brain processes and responds to experiences now informs every event she touches.

Lisa explains not just what works, but why it works and how to adapt evidence-based principles to specific audiences and goals. She speaks internationally on the neuroscience of engagement and believes that when we design with the brain in mind, we create experiences that truly stick.

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