This article was published on May 11, 2015

Facebook’s recent pushy birthday notifications were actually a bug


Facebook’s recent pushy birthday notifications were actually a bug

Have you noticed how insistent Facebook has been lately about reminding you of your friends’ birthdays?

Usually, it’s one notification per birthday but recently people (myself included) have been getting multiple reminders about the same birthdays in various formats.

While one notification is often a handy hint, the sheer number of them had me tearing my hair out.

Luckily for us, Facebook confirmed to Slate that it was actually a bug and it has now been amended.

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So, whether you signed up on purpose or by accident, you’ll only be getting one bump from now on.

And a top tip for anyone who’s looking to do a ‘friend cleanse’ – use the notifications as a way of spotting who you do and don’t know in your list and adjust accordingly.

You’re welcome.

➤ Too many happy returns: Facebook bug spams users with birthday reminders [The Guardian]

Read next: You can now pre-register for apps on the Google Play Store

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