Facebook fixes the bug that caused old messages to resurface as new

Facebook says the issue, caused by software updates, has been fully resolved.

Facebook Messenger bug resurfaced older chats as new (AFP)

With several users complaining about old messages resurfacing on their Facebook Messenger, the social networking giant said it was aware of the issue and had rolled out a fix.

The issue of old Messenger threads resurfacing automatically, without context or explanation was first raised by users on Twitter. These messages popped up as old messages are being treated as new, unread ones.

"Some people are seeing older messages on Facebook.com. We are aware of the issue and are actively working to resolve it in as soon as possible," a Facebook spokesperson told The Verge.

Later, Facebook confirmed that it had resolved the problem.

"Earlier today, some people may have experienced Facebook resending older messages. The issue, caused by software updates, has been fully resolved. We're sorry for any inconvenience," a company spokesperson told TheNextWeb. 

Old Facebook messages popping up from years ago. Temporary security scare turned cringefest.

— Leslie Waghorn (@lawaghorn) November 26, 2018

The problem is particularly damaging for people who want to forget about some past conversations which could be with a former love interest or a dead person.  

Thank you @facebook for sending me notifications of messages sent over a year old. Many were from the day my partner, Dean, passed away & now I've spent my evening in fear of what else I'm going to see.

— Adam (@adamadzp) November 26, 2018

This is, however, not the first time something like this has happened by accident. Back in 2015, Facebook notoriously began resurfacing painful memories for people using its "On This Day" callback feature, the report said.