Blocking on Facebook is a commonly used feature which allows all users to gain a certain level of control over who can interact with them on the platform.
There are an infinite number of reasons as to why you may want to block someone on Facebook, but the most common one is due to other users harassing or abusing you via the platform either publicly or privately.
If you have been blocked by someone on Facebook then there should be no way of you being able to even see their Facebook profile, never mind interact with them on the platform.
However, one glitch that many Facebook users have reported is that they can still see the profile pictures of those who have blocked them.
In this article, we are going to explore this glitch and see if there’s any way of preventing this from happening to you with users you have blocked. Let’s take a look.
Someone blocked me on Facebook but I can see their picture – Is this possible?
Facebook’s privacy and security settings are of the highest quality.
Therefore, if you have been blocked by someone then you won’t be able to see anything of that person’s profile, including their profile picture.
On their website, Facebook states that the following will happen when you have been blocked by a user on the platform:
- You will no longer be able to see things that they have posted on their profile.
- You will no longer be able to tag them in posts comments or photos.
- You will no longer be able to invite them to events or groups.
- You will no longer be able to start a conversation with them on Messenger.
- You will be unable to add them as a friend.
The issue of being able to see someone’s profile picture falls under the umbrella of bullet point number one – a profile picture is something that is posted on someone’s Facebook profile.
Therefore, if you are still seeing a user’s profile picture then you won’t have been blocked by them.
Instead, the user in question may have simply unfriended you on the platform or modified their privacy settings to prevent you from seeing parts of their profile (just not their profile picture).
Being able to view someone’s photo that has blocked you is a common question. But much like Facebook not suggesting friends based on who checks out your profile, it’s a little bit tricky to explain.
Can you see any pictures from people who have blocked you on Facebook?
Although we’ve ruled out the possibility of being able to see the profile picture of a Facebook user who has blocked you, there are some pictures of them that you may still be able to see.
The pictures in question are pictures that the person has been tagged in.
The reason why you might still be able to see these images is because blocking someone doesn’t change the fact that other people on the app will still be friends with them, and some of these people will also be friends with you.
As a result, you may well still see tagged photos of people who have blocked you on your Facebook timeline.
How to find out who has blocked you on Facebook
Facebook doesn’t allow users to know who has blocked them on Facebook, unlike Twitter and Instagram which notifies users when they try to visit a profile which has blocked them.
In order to find out who has blocked you on Facebook, you will have to do a little bit of investigative work and ultimately, make assumptions.
The best way to check is to simply type in the name of the the person who you suspect has blocked you on the platform into the Facebook search bar.
If their account doesn’t appear, and you know for certain they have an active Facebook account, then it is safe to assume that you have been blocked by them.
However, there’s also the chance that they’ve deleted their account. If you can’t find their profile on Facebook when doing an anonymous search, then they may have just deleted their account – not blocked you.
Bear in mind that if you’re blocked on Facebook, you’ll also be blocked on Facebook Messenger too.
How to block users on Facebook
The process of blocking someone on Facebook differs depending on what device you are using.
To block users while using Facebook on a desktop computer/laptop via a web browser, follow these instructions:
- Log on to your Facebook account.
- Navigate to your settings by selecting the downwards arrow on the top right hand side of the screen.
- From the left hand side menu, select ‘blocking’.
- Type in the name of the person that you want to block and then select ‘block’ once you’ve found the right account.
To block users while using Facebook on the mobile app, follow these instructions:
- Log on to your Facebook account.
- Navigate to your settings by selecting the three lined icon on the bottom right hand side of the screen.
- Select ‘blocking’.
- Select ‘add to blocked list’.
- Type in the name of the person you want to block and then select ‘block’ once you’ve found the right account.
Blocking a profile on Facebook is quick and easy, and the best solution to opt for when you’re fed up with that mutual friend that keeps messaging you.
However, bear in mind that they’ll likely know when someone has blocked them, so it might be a little awkward if you bump into them at the supermarket.
How come I can see the profile pic of someone who blocked me?
This could be an error with your Facebook chat, as this isn’t meant to occur for Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp users.
You can delete the chat and then re-open it with the other users if you want to check this for sure. You shouldn’t be able to see their Facebook posts or their profile picture if you’re blocked.
In fact, if after doing this you can still see their profile picture, there’s a good chance that you’re not actually blocked. It’s more likely that they’ve just changed their settings within their account.
Conclusion
To conclude, if you can see a user’s profile picture on Facebook then that particular user can’t have blocked you – it’s impossible.
However, if you can simply see photos that they’ve been tagged in then it is still possible that you have been by blocked them – you must just share mutual friends who have tagged them in photos.
