You can search for friends on the Facebook app.
However, there will be times where you won’t be able to find matching people no matter how much you search.
This is rare on Facebook where most people register using their real names, but you should look at the causes and solutions in this article if the problem arises.
Reasons why you are unable to search on the Facebook app
Below are the causes for not being able to search your friends on the Facebook app.
If you can’t find your friend by searching their name
The chances of finding the result will go up by searching with an email address or a mobile phone number, but searching by name will fail if the person’s name has changed from marriage and such.
Searching by name will come up with no matches in such cases.
Search function is restricted
There are users who do not like receiving friend requests from people who they do not know.
It is possible that they have changed the settings to not be searchable on Facebook.
You should try searching not just by name but by email address and mobile phone number as well.
You are blocked
It may be that you have been blocked by the person you are searching.
It is possible that the various searches will not bring a result, but you should know that it may also be that the person is new to Facebook.
Solutions to not being able to search on the Facebook app
Below are the solutions to the various causes for not being able to search on the Facebook app.
If you can’t find your friend by searching their name
You should try searching by email address or mobile phone number if searching by name doesn’t work.
It may be that the person’s name has changed.
We also recommend directly contacting the person if you have their email address or other contact information.
Search function is restricted
The search will come up with no results if the person has limited search visibility or wishes not to be found by search.
You can limit people who can find you on search to friends of friends, in which case search will only work for friends of friends.
If you actually know the person and have their contact, you should call out to them and ask them to search for you instead or to lift the search restrictions.
You are blocked
It isn’t likely that you have been blocked.
However, it is a possibility if no results come up even after searching by name, email address and phone number.
There is no way you can find a friend or send a friend request if that person has blocked you.
New to Facebook
If search comes up with no results even if you aren’t blocked, it may be that the person has only just registered on Facebook.
The search may come up with a result if you try again in a few days.
Summary
- When searching by name doesn’t work
- Search is restricted
- You are blocked
In this article we looked at causes and solutions to the problem of not being able to search on the Facebook app.
This is a common problem not just on the app but also on the web browser version of Facebook.
It is unlikely that you have been blocked, but it is best to contact your friend before sending a friend request.
I hope this was useful to Facebook and Facebook app users.