Update 29 October 2015: Fantastic news comes as Facebook has finally vowed to take action to stop annoying Candy Crush requests on its social network. Mark Zuckerberg told a Delhi audience yesterday: “There are some tools that are kind of outdated that allow people to send invitations to people who’ve never used a game, who have gotten invitations in the past but don’t play games on Facebook. We hadn’t prioritized shutting that down, we just had other priorities. But if this is the top thing that people care about, we’ll prioritize that and do it.”
Block Candy Crush Saga: Block Facebook app requests
Even if you’ve never played games on Facebook you can still find yourself irritated by constant requests from your friends that you join in. Half the time they may not even be aware that the app is sending that request on their behalf. Like Tech Advisor on Facebook. One of the biggest causes of irritation right now is still Candy Crush Saga, but no doubt you also get peppered with app requests from Farmville, Farm Heroes Saga, Pet Rescue Saga, Criminal Case, Dragon Saga, Texas Holdem Poker, Mafia Wars and more. Bitstrips is another guilty app (here’s how to remove Bitstrips). There are two ways to deal with these frustrating Facebook app requests. Either you can block the app, or if you notice most of your app requests are coming from a particular person you can block that person from sending you Facebook app requests, including future irritating apps that they have yet to play. (Also see: How to switch off notifications in Facebook Messenger.)
How to block an app on Facebook
If you have absolutely no interest in using a certain Facebook app, the simplest solution is simply to block the app. (Note that merely removing the app from your account won’t prevent future requests to play the game or send extra lives and so on.) To block an app on Facebook you must open a web browser and log into your Facebook account. Click the downward arrow at the top right of the screen, then choose Settings.
On the next screen choose the Blocking tab.
At the very bottom of the page is the option to block apps. Start typing the name of the app into the text field, then select it from the list that appears.
In the above screenshot we are showing you how to block Meow Chat requests on Facebook; the process is the same to block Candy Crush Saga requests or block any other Facebook app requests. If you ever change your mind and want to play the app, just return to this option and click Unblock next to its name. Alternatively, if you want to turn off the notifications without blocking the app, you can wait until you receive one, then hover your cursor over the notification. A little circle and an ‘x’ should appear. Click on the ‘x’. You will now be presented with two buttons, one to turn off notifications from this all and the other to keep them on. Click ‘Turn off’ and you should stop receiving the notifications.
How to block all app requests from a Facebook friend
If it’s not one game but lots of games that are sending you Facebook requests, and many of them are coming from the same Facebook friend, it’s also possible to block someone sending you app requests on Facebook. I’ve already blocked three of my Facebook friends from sending me app requests. I have no problem with their status updates, photos or other posts; they just play a lot of irritating Facebook games such as Candy Crush Saga and Farmville, or use apps such as Meow Chat. They won’t know I’ve blocked app requests from them either… unless they read this article. (Sorry guys.) To block someone sending you app requests on Facebook you simply go to Settings, Blocking (as above), but this time look for ‘Block invites from’. Enter the name of the person you want to block in the text field and select them in the list that appears.
If you change your mind and decide to give that person a second chance, just return to this option and click Unblock next to their name.
How to stop Facebook apps posting on your behalf
Let’s be honest: it’s not always your friends irritating you with Candy Crush Saga app requests; sometimes it’s the other way around. You can be annoying, too. I play Bejeweled Blitz, and I can’t stand the way it posts to my news feed every time I complete an achievement or beat someone’s score. The same is true of other Facebook games, too – your friends really don’t need to know that you’ve just completed a level or sent someone an extra live on Candy Crush Saga, nor that you’ve just watered your farm. In common with many other Facebook apps, Bejeweled Blitz will tell you that in order to play the game you must allow it to post on your behalf. Rather than not play the game for fear of irritating your friends, just tweak the settings so that when it does post on your behalf only you will see the post. Return to the Settings menu and this time choose the Apps tab. Find the app you want to stop posting on your behalf and select it. At the top of the pop-up window on the ‘App visibility and post audience’ drop-down select Only me. Then hit Save.
Your friends will still be able to see your app activity when they log into that app, but their news feeds will no longer be plastered with your app posts and achievements. And your boss will no longer know you’re playing that game when you should be working. Of course, if Facebook still proves to be a source of irritation, you could just deactivate your Facebook account. Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
