In a move aimed at providing users with greater control over their online interactions, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is now allowing users to create multiple accounts on the platform. Meta’s announcement states that it seeks to offer individuals the ability to compartmentalize different facets of their online lives. This means you can keep personal and professional accounts separate or maintain profiles tailored for specific audiences. For instance, family members can follow one profile while friends follow another, simplifying the organization of shared content and the content you see. With this update, your feed no longer needs to be a jumble of disparate elements; now, you can keep it streamlined and orderly. Furthermore, Facebook will not publicly disclose the creation of additional profiles on your main page.
It’s important to note that when creating an additional profile, your personal settings will not carry over; they will revert to their default configurations upon creation. Additionally, each profile’s settings are managed independently, meaning you cannot use your primary account to make adjustments to others. It appears that this update will be exclusive to the Facebook mobile app, as Meta has not mentioned whether it will be possible to create alternative accounts through Facebook’s web interface.
How to Create an Extra Profile
Creating an additional profile is a straightforward process. Here are the steps:
- Open the Facebook mobile app.
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner to access the Settings.
- Below your name in the menu, you will find a field where you can enter a new username.
- Provide a name for your new account, and wait a few seconds for the process to complete.
- You can then choose to follow your friends or discover other communities to curate a unique feed.
Switching between profiles is equally effortless; simply tap the profile image of the account you want to access, and it will switch over without requiring a login.
However, there are certain limitations to be aware of. This update will only be available to “eligible adult accounts,” as specified by Meta. Some features, such as Facebook Dating, Facebook Marketplace, Professional Mode, and payments, will only be accessible through the main account and not on additional personal profiles. Additionally, support for Messenger will be disabled on these additional profiles, although you can still send messages.
Availability
While it may seem surprising that Facebook is only now introducing the ability to create multiple accounts, especially considering Instagram has offered this functionality for over seven years, Meta’s initiative is a welcome addition. Meta states that the update is currently rolling out globally to Facebook on mobile devices and will continue to do so over the next few months. There is no mention of whether this feature will be available on the desktop version.
