Dead Loved Ones Show Up In Facebook’s New ‘Hello’ App

This article originally appeared on 60 Second Social.

Last week we reported on Facebook’s new dialler app which was released on Android called “Hello.” It is basically a much more functional and sophisticated take on the dialler for your phone provided you are a Facebook user.

It works by linking your friends phone numbers with the phone number on their Facebook profile and gives you some additional information and a few more conveniences than your standard dialler. However there is also a big problem surfacing with the new Facebook App. It is offering you the chance to phone your dead loved ones, something which is going to no doubt irritate and shock users.

The problem was first spotted by Damon Beres of the Huffington Post. He said that;

When I downloaded the “Hello” app to my smartphone, I swiped over to my call history and was startled to find that my friend’s younger brother Oliver was showing up instead of him — even though he passed away two years ago.

Apparently the problem is how the numbers are set up on Facebook accounts. The issue that Damon encountered was because his friends account was associated with his brothers number, why that happened is unclear however Facebook was showing the primary contact on the account with that phone number associated to it, so if you have more than one phone number on an account then be aware that Facebook us using the primary number as default.

Although accounts of deceased loved ones are of course inactive, the problem is that the family pretty much loses control of the account when someone passes away. You can have the account placed into a ‘memorialised’ state however due to security reasons it is much harder to access and change the details such as phone numbers and passwords, and I tell you that from first hand experience.

Facebook released a statement saying that the Hello app is in the testing stage and has warned users to be aware that the app pulls in the primary number associated with an account – this means you may see incorrect profile photos an accounts appearing on phone numbers from time to time.

It is unclear how many people have been affected by this issue, however it may be a good idea to check out the primary numbers of some of your close contacts on Facebook before deciding to download and use it. It can of course be distressing when a deceased loved one appears in the dialler of your phone so best to make sure before jumping in. As for Facebook? Well it seems like an app with much work needed.

About The Author

Mark is the founder of 60 Second Social media where he provides social media news and digital marketing analysis. You can follow him on Twitter here. You can also follow 60 Second Social on Twitter here. Or you can drop Mark an email at, daltomark@me.com