The flexibility of updating our relationship status anytime on Facebook to reflect what’s going on in real life has been an essential part of this amazing platform. With this, we can officially tell the world or specified persons about our relationships.
A lot of people have had their own fair share of dating and posting relationship status on Facebook when they’re together and enjoying the moment. What if they break up, get married, divorced, widowed or in a civil relationship?
Facebook allows you to update your relationship information as many times as it changes, just as you can login to Facebook any time of the day, post your recent photos, host a Facebook watch party, or stream videos on Facebook watch and many more.
In our today’s society, we use social media for so many purposes and as an apparatus to make our relationships more fun and lively, with Facebook being the major form of engagement with our loved ones, friends and well-wishers.
Statistically, 2 out of every 3 of your friends are on Facebook, it either they’re making more out of love or growing their Fanpage.
However, it is evident that so many persons have gotten into a romantic or sexual relationship through Facebook.
For the sake of honesty and to showcase happiness, we have always changed our relationship status on Facebook from single to “in a relationship”, married or divorced and even more LGBT friendly relationship statuses.
Although, deciding or changing your relationship status on Facebook is optional and not mandatory.
If you change your relationship status on Facebook to married, in a relationship or divorced, it doesn’t make you lose all your friends on Facebook. It only indicates your current status, some might find it interesting whereas others might not, its all but your choice.
When things go wrong in a relationship, the first thing among all other bulging problems that will strike your mind is on how to change your relationship status on Facebook or how to end your relationship on Facebook. You begin to have puzzles on how to remove it without letting the other person know or without posting it on your timeline so that people won’t mock you. This post is specially baked for you, feel free to ask questions through comments if you have any.
There are several reasons why people change their relationship status on Facebook to reflect what’s on their mind or what’s the latest with them. Sometimes they change profile photos, add a new Facebook cover photo and change their privacy – limit or increase number of persons to see their activities online.
Absolutely, we understand the joy of starting a new relationship, your nerves are calmed that you have found true love, we also grasp the pain of been dumped by someone you love.
When you’re in a relationship, you might want to let people on Facebook know you’re in love and when you’re out of love you still want to let friends, the public or no one to know you’re out.
Changing relationship status on Facebook is all about who’s in love and who’s out of love.
We will use the Facebook account of a co-author, who recently broke up with his cheating girlfriend and decided to change his relationship status on Facebook.
How to change Facebook relationship status
We will split this tutorial into two sections; those who wish to change their relationship status using Facebook App and those who use the Facebook web.
How to change your relationship status using Facebook App
- Login to your Facebook app
- Navigate to your Facebook profile, then tap on the menu icon at the top (Android users) or at the bottom (iOS users).
- Tap on the “About” section or the “update info” option on Facebook App
- Scroll down to find “Relationship” and edit it
4. Select from the drop-down any of the following relationship statuses: engaged, married, in a civil union, it’s complicated, divorced, separated, widowed and more. For relationship staus that involves two persons, you can enter the name of the person to indicate who you’re in a relationship with on Facebook. (see image below)
5. Enter your relationship anniversary if you want it displayed on Facebook (optional)
6. Set Facebook relationship privacy: You can decide to hide your relationship status on facebook, show only friends or even make it public in this section, tap the earth-icon on the above screenshot. And the image below will be shown to you.
- How to make your relationship status on Facebook public
- Let only your friends see your relationship status on Facebook
- Hide your Facebook relationship status (only you can see this)
7. Save your changes, to update your FB relationship status.
Note: Your other significant person will be notified when this changes, i.e when you say you’re in a relationship with someone on Facebook, the person will be notified to confirm if it is true, pending to when it is confirmed, it will not be showed that you’re in a relationship with them. But you can only see “in a relationship” the person’s name not inclusive.
Ho to change relationship status on Facebook web.
Follow the instructions below to change your relationship status on Facebook if you are using a web browser.
- Logon to https://web.facebook.com, if you have difficulties trying to login to your Facebook account, consider resetting your password.
- Navigate to your profile info section by clicking on your name usually at the top right corner of the browser.
- From the “About” section, scroll down to “Family and family and relationships“.
- Click on the drop-down near “Relationship status” and select your type of relationship.
- You are free to choose; engaged, married, in a civil union, it’s complicated, divorced, separated, widowed and more, as your relationship status on Facebook.
- If you’re in a relationship with someone, enter the name of the person. Facebook will auto-suggest as you type to make it easier for you.
- Set your relationship anniversary using the drop-down boxes close to “Anniversary“. – this is optional.
- Choose who sees your relationship status on Facebook; Friends, public or hidden.
- Click on “Save” to apply your changes.
Key facts about Facebook relationship status update:
- If you choose to add someone in a relationship, the person will be notified to confirm the relationship status.
- Currently, Facebook does not allow one person to be in more than one relationship at the same time.
- To add someone in a relationship on Facebook, the person will have to delist the person they’re already or was in a relationship with.
- If your confirmation is declined by the other person, Facebook will not mention they’re in a relationship with you it will only show “in a relationship” on your timeline. If your significant other, confirm the add, you will see something like; in a relationship with Joan on your Facebook timeline, depending on your relationship status privacy option.
- Each time you modify your relationship status with your significant other, a confirmation will be generated for them to authorize the new relationship status involving them.
Facebook relationship status change FAQS
There are a good number of persons who are worried about knowing if they can change their relationship status on Facebook without anyone knowing, others have also asked to know if Facebooks shows when your relationship ends.
We will use this section to attempt answering all the questions people have asked us about Facebook relationship status update and some which we see people ask in online forums.
What are the relationship status on Facebook?
Here are the Facebook status list and their meaning to help you choose that which suits you the most.
| Relationship type | meaning |
| Single | unmarried, not in a relationship and not part of a civil union. |
| In a Relationship | the friendship between two, it could be romantic or sexual |
| Engaged | committed to getting married to someone |
| Married | having a husband or wife |
| It’s Complicated | relationship not in a fully committed fashion – not just sure. |
| In an Open Relationship | not sexually monogenous, usually an agreement between both partners. |
| Widowed | your spouse is dead |
| Separated | not living together with your spouse but might still be legally married. |
| Divorced | legally dissolved, no longer married |
| In a Civil Union | similar to marriage, a recognition in law for same-sex marriage. |
| In a Domestic Partnership | not married but living together and shares a common domestic lifestyle. |
The above Facebook status meaning is to make sure you are not signifying a wrong relationship type on your profile, which could make your partner pissed off when they see it on your timeline or even affect the way other community members treat you in the society for your choice of relationship.
You can decide to leave the option blank if you are currently not in a relationship or make use of the Facebook relationship privacy option to set it to “only me” as illustrated above.
How to hide your relationship status on Facebook
Yes, you can make your relationship status private on Facebook.
We understand that for any reason, you might one day decide to hide your relationship status on Facebook.
This is not rocket science, it’s easy to change your Facebook status, simply follow any of the aforementioned steps and select your relationship status privacy to be “only me”.
This is most suitable for people who decide to end their relationship on Facebook.
Once you set your privacy to “only me” it will be hidden to others, and only you can see it. This is also a way to change your status not to show on news feed.
1. Changing my Facebook status to single does it alert the other person?
If you’re in a relationship with someone, married or engaged, when you decide to change your relationship status to single, they are likely not to be notified, but it will no longer appear on your profile that you’re in a relationship with them, and in their own relationship status, it will not be mentioned they’re in a relationship with you.
Your new relationship status will show on your timeline, they will see it, including your other friends on Facebook, that’s if you have to use the friends or public privacy options while updating your relationship status.
2. How to check someone’s relationship status on Facebook?
Interestingly, to check someone’s relationship status depends on the user type and what you’re allowed to see, you can find out someone’s else relationship status on Facebook from the person’s profile when you navigate to the >> “About” and then >> Family and relationships section.
You can also tell when one changes their relationship status as displayed on their timeline if they allow others to see their relationship status.
3. How to share relationship status on facebook timeline
You can share your relationship status on your timeline immediately you’re done adding or editing it, but it depends on the following:
The relationship status you chose, will appear on your timeline only if your privacy is set to “Friends” or “Public”.
It will be hidden if you decide to set your privacy to “only me”. If you couldn’t see your relationship status on your timeline, make sure you set it to “friends” or “public”.
4. Wrong Facebook relationship status, what should I do – Relationship Hub reader
Her Facebook status says single, what should I do? This is a question we often receive from a number of guys who are in a relationship but complain about the single status on their girlfriend’s timeline.
Here’s what we have to say:
Honestly, almost everyone at a particular stage in life was never sure to make their relationship public or not.
In the light of the aforementioned, a lot of people have asked us the question “should I put single on Facebook?” simply because they know everyone seeing their profile, believes everything they said in the about section.
Honestly, it is not everyone that’s comfortable with shouting out their relationship status at the peak of the mountain (Facebook is a global community).
There’s nothing wrong with your partner not wanting to indicate that they’re “in a relationship” with you on Facebook. Hence they’re honest and loyal to you and you both are in a relationship in real life.
Additionally, we have seen teenagers who choose to leave their relationship status on Facebook as “single” because they wouldn’t want their parents to know they’re dating.
Maybe they’re still in high school or still not allowed to date. So they make their dating hidden by not showing it on Facebook.
In conclusion
However, we understand it is your Facebook account, you have full access and can go on and say “I want to remove my relationship status on Facebook“.
Honestly, we’re not against what you want online, but we recommend that you consider telling people who are most important or close to you about your relationship and why you want to change it.
They can be of help to you, deciding whats the most appropriate thing for you to do about changing the status of your relationship online.
Nevertheless, you have to give your partner some time to resolves issues before you can finally say you are no longer in a relationship with them on Facebook.
Obviously, it is not everyone that’s comfortable with showing who they’re in a relationship with online, good enough Facebook has implemented the relationship verification model, that your other significant person will have to confirm first.
Honestly, you don’t have to be afraid of someone trying to add you as a partner on Facebook, it will be pending your approval. If it is okay with you, then you can go on and approve it.
