Facebook has some exciting hidden features which you might haven’t heard or known. One such interesting hidden feature is “Poke”.
The feature of poking was introduced on Facebook to use as a means of showing interest in a unique way to a friend or someone with a mutual friend on Facebook. It’s almost similar to swiping left and right on Tinder but possesses slight differences.
What Does Poke Mean On Facebook?
To poke is a simple way to say “Hello” to someone without starting any conversation. It is a feature on Facebook that acts as a way to show interest to a friend’s account or a kind of quick greetings, where the friend gets a notification that says along with your name “poked you” and they get another notification that states “send back poke”.
The “Poke” feature generally shows the user’s interest in the poked person, whether they respond to the poke or not, but helps to grab attention in a quite distinctive way.
The feature allows poking only your friend or accounts having mutual friends and they get an instant notification about the same when poked. With the notification being sent, the friend too gets the option of responding to it and poking back if they want to do so.
The poke feature on Facebook allows the user to send a poke to their friends privately, which means it doesn’t appear on the timeline or anywhere in the feed and no one else can see it other than you and the friend whom you poked. But over time, this single option gained controversy and as a result, Facebook made it extra tough for the users to access this option.
Can You Still Poke Someone On Facebook in 2022?
Yes, you can still poke your friends on Facebook. But the option is not easily accessible. You can use the search option to access the pokes page and poke your friends easily.
Where is Poke Button On Facebook?
Getting access to the poke option has become quite challenging. Instead of the easy option, to use the poke feature you now need to have access to the Pokes page by searching a “poke” option from the Home Screen of Facebook, or by going through the options of Help Center.
How to Poke Someone On Facebook App on Android & iPhone
There are three various ways to poke someone on Facebook.
Use the Search Option
Step 1: Open Facebook and head on to the Search icon at the top.
Step 2: Type “poke” and run the search.
Step 3: As the results start displaying, tap the first option, Pokes.
Step 4: After that, search for a friend whom you want to poke or you can use the Suggested Pokes. You will notice that the poke option is present next to their name, so tap it to poke them.
However, this process works only on the main app of Facebook and not on Facebook Lite. You can use the third method for Facebook Lite.
Go to the Help & Support Page
Step 1: To get access to the Poke feature from the help & support page, tap the three horizontal lines in the top right side of the app.
Step 2: Scroll down and select the Help & Support option. After that, tap Help Center where you will get an option to ask your question.
Step 3: Type the question, “how to poke someone on Facebook” and tap the first result.
Step 4: From the list of questions, tap How do I poke someone on Facebook?
Step 5: Tap the link given on the page as shown in the screenshot below and it will direct you to the pokes page.
This way you can get to the Pokes Page and poke someone.
Access it From Settings (Works for Facebook Lite)
For Facebook Lite, this is the only method to access the Pokes Page. However, this works on the main app too.
Step 1: After opening the app, tap the 3 horizontal lines present in the top right corner of the app and select the Settings option under the Settings & Privacy section.
Step 2: There is an option present that says “Access Your Information” under the Your Information section.
Step 3: Scroll down and tap the “Your Activity Across Facebook” section.
Step 4: Tap the Pokes option which will take you to the pokes page.
How to Poke Someone On the Web Version Of Facebook
More than 90% of the Facebook users are on the official Facebook App. However, some users may still prefer to use the web version either on their mobile browser or a PC. Accessing the pokes page is much easier on the browser. Here’s how to get to the “Pokes Page”.
Step 1: First of all, make sure that you’re logged into your account on your mobile browser or a computer.
Step 2: Visit facebook.com/pokes. This will directly take you to the Pokes page.
Step 3: Now, you can poke your friend from the suggested pokes list or use the search option.
Can You Poke Someone On Facebook Who Is Not Your Friend?
You can’t poke someone who is not on your “Friends” list. You can only search for your friends and poke them. None of the other users appear on the Pokes Page except your friends.
If you want to poke any random user, you first need to them as friends.
What Happens When You Poke Someone On Facebook?
The poke feature of Facebook has got into many controversies related to its usage. The users found this feature as unable to express the exact gesture and Facebook too has left it on the users to assume its meaning. Many users use it to say “hello”, as a way of attracting someone’s attention or even to show the fact that the user is thinking about the other user.
As you poke someone on Facebook, be it the main app or the Lite version, your friend will get a notification instantly along with your name.
Added with this, your friend will also get an option to “Poke you back”, which they can either respond to or may never revert depending on them.
Once you poke your friend, you will be unable to use this feature unless your friend pokes you back or removes the same first.
Moreover, if you remove a poke once from the pokes page of your page, you can never have it back. The poke feature lets your friend know that you are thinking about them and may catch their attention.
Wrap Up
Facebook has never removed the “Poke” feature completely, rather they have kept it in a secret mode. The app may get this feature changed to something that conveys more meaning and will gain more popularity among its users.
If you are an old user of Facebook and the use of this gesture holds memory, then there’s nothing to worry about. The search has become a bit lengthier, but by following the simple steps, the “Poke” feature can be used similarly in all the versions of Facebook.
