# Did you know you had an "Other" message inbox on Facebook? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 16, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115 "2013-03-16T19:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/1 "2013-03-16T19:49:21Z")
I didn’t. I just discovered it for the first time when I was messaging someone I’m not friends with. There are 5 years of missed stuff in here. Half of it is spam, but the other half isn’t; one of the messages is the invitation to my own bachelor party (which fortunately I was aware of through other channels). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/2 "2013-03-16T19:55:44Z")
Huh, didn’t know that either. Just checked it out, I had an invitation to a friend’s party (which I already knew about), some spam, and something about a British lottery that I could’ve won $1 million dollars. Darn it. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/3 "2013-03-16T19:58:41Z")
Yes, but I use Social Fixer which automatically separates it out as a second heading underneath Messages. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/4 "2013-03-16T19:59:31Z")
Yup, had regularly checked it before the various “did you know?!” [scandals](http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/mom-finds-son-death-police-via-facebook-message-181645445.html)started. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/5 "2013-03-16T20:01:10Z")
I don’t see it using my Android phone app. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/6 "2013-03-16T20:18:16Z")
So how does one find it? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/7 "2013-03-16T20:34:00Z")
If you click the message notification icon in the top bar, and click “see all”, above the preview list there are links for “Inbox” (which is shown by default), and “Other”. On my Android app, it’s available from the overflow menu in the softkey bar at the bottom. If you have an earlier version of Android, you should be able to get to it using the menu button or whatever your version uses to show you the Settings menu. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/8 "2013-03-16T20:42:22Z")
That’s fascinating. There are also “spam” and “archived” folders. I have one message in the “spam” folder and three (from 2011 it looks like) in the “archived” folders. Didn’t know about either of those. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/9 "2013-03-16T21:15:05Z")
The only message in my “other” box is one informing me that the founder of Doggie Diner passed away, and that was almost three years ago. I guess the “other” box was indeed the best place to put that. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/10 "2013-03-17T01:00:13Z")
I only knew because I recently tried to PM someone I was not (yet) friends with and Facebook said I could pay a dollar or else the message would go to her “other” folder. a dollar!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/11 "2013-03-17T01:32:53Z")
Dang! Bunch of junk from 2011. Thanks for this heads-up! ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/12 "2013-03-17T02:26:47Z")
Someone here mentioned this a couple of months back, and I went and checked mine. Turns out that a good friend I’d lost touch with had sent me a message way back in July! The Dope sure is useful! ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/13 "2013-03-17T03:40:41Z")
Only important one was for an invitation to a since cancelled gig for my bro’s band. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/14 "2013-03-17T03:41:51Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > Someone here mentioned this a couple of months back, and I went and checked mine. Turns out that a good friend I’d lost touch with had sent me a message way back in July! The Dope sure is useful! I _Like_ this! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/15 "2013-03-17T03:48:58Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > I only knew because I recently tried to PM someone I was not (yet) friends with and Facebook said I could pay a dollar or else the message would go to her “other” folder. > > a dollar!:eek: When word got out that Opal died I messaged someone on FB (that I’m not FB friends with) to pass the message along and it said the same thing. I wasn’t going to pay the dollar, but for whatever reason, I didn’t think anything of it beyond ‘What’s an ‘other’ folder/who cares what folder it goes into’. Then, yesterday, I saw something about this ‘other’ folder on a blog and went and checked mine. A few missed messages, nothing important. The thing about the other folder is that there’s no notification, you actually have to go and check it. I’m guessing the person I sent the message to never received it (or doesn’t check FB that often). ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/16 "2013-03-17T03:51:52Z")
I have a message from a stranger from 2 years ago that says “??? are you a real read head?” ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/17 "2013-03-17T04:31:27Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > Someone here mentioned this a couple of months back, and I went and checked mine. Turns out that a good friend I’d lost touch with had sent me a message way back in July! The Dope sure is useful! I think it was the same thread/same poster for me. Another tool I didn’t know I had. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/18 "2013-03-17T05:14:23Z")
Thanks for posting this! I found a message from two years ago from someone I went to summer camp with for 8 yrs in a row, we haven’t been in touch for 20 years. I sent her a message and told her I totally wasn’t ignoring her. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/19 "2013-03-17T13:19:22Z")
Huh. I found one from 2008. It wasn’t important, but he must have wondered why I never responded to him. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115/20 "2013-03-17T13:29:09Z")
Is there some purpose to hiding it, or is it just awful design? There’s no reason a message from some potential long lost friend or relative should be so hidden. Some of you discovered such messages - I would have to guess that most would go undiscovered. Weird. Edit: I guess it isn’t really hidden, but it is awful design. At the very least they should’ve had some number next to it. I just checked mine, and found out that I was indeed contacted by a friend 2 years ago. Good job facebook. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-you-had-an-other-message-inbox-on-facebook/653115.md?page=2)