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Facebook Notifications Are Opening in Chrome, not the FB App - want to change this behavior.

DLCPhoto

Member
New Surface 3, also new to Windows 8.1. Was using the Facebook App, and clicked on a notification that showed up at the top right in the app. It gave me a choice of how to open it, and I chose the wrong option. So now when I tap on a notification, it takes me to Chrome, rather than opening it up within the FB app itself.

I went to Control Panel...Default Programs... but can't identify the specific file type or protocol that controls this function. I assume it's somewhere there, as I can't find any FB setting that seems to address this.

Anybody know how I can change this default, and have FB notifications open up in the FB app, rather than Chrome?

Thanks.
 

sharpuser

Administrator
Staff member
From inside the Facebook app or from your account, tap the menu button and choose App Settings, then un-select Always open links with external browser.
 
OP
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DLCPhoto

Member
I appreciate the reply. I have looked through every single FB setting I can find, and nowhere do I see anything about opening links with external browser.

Where is this located? Which section of FB settings?

I must be both blind and dumb, because I can't see it anywhere...
 
OP
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DLCPhoto

Member
I found a setting for "Links open externally" in the Android FB App on my phone, but don't see this option anywhere on either my Windows Desktop, or the Windows Surface 3.

ETA: I also uninstalled and reinstalled the FB App on the Surface 3, but no joy.

??
 
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DLCPhoto

Member
Anybody? It seems like this should be a straightforward fix, but for the life of me, I can't find it.

I checked each file extension and protocol default, but can't see which is the one that might control this behavior.

From inside the Facebook app or from your account, tap the menu button and choose App Settings, then un-select Always open links with external browser.

I'm still hoping this will address the problem, but can't find this option in the Windows App or in my FB settings in Chrome.

Thanks.
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Just out of curiosity, does this work as you would like on a different computer? And is it windows, chrome or the FB app that is generating the notifications?
 
OP
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DLCPhoto

Member
Just out of curiosity, does this work as you would like on a different computer? And is it windows, chrome or the FB app that is generating the notifications?

Thanks for the reply.

If I open the Facebook App on my S3, and there's a notification at the top right, I click there, and that's where it takes me to Facebook in Chrome, rather than just going to it in the Facebook App.

This is the only Windows 8.1 device that I have, so I can't compare.

So the notification appears within the Facebook App, and it should then open up within the app.

I guess there's some crazy possibility that this is the way it's supposed to function - can you check on yours? But that would make no sense. The FB App should handle any and all Facebook related links and notifications, and not require the External Browser at all.
 
OP
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DLCPhoto

Member
@DLCPhoto,

If you uninstall Chrome, the problem may clear up. You could always bring Chrome back, and see if it happens again.

Good suggestion. I went to the windows settings area where you can make a given program the Default for all files/protocols which it is capable of doing, and reset that again.

Curiously, now some of them open up within the App, while others go to Chrome. Can't see what differentiates one from the other. Will monitor, and consider the Chrome uninstall/reinstall if this is too bothersome.

Thanks.

Don
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Don't have FB so can't check for you i'm afraid.

It sou/nds to me like there is either a wrong association somewhere, such as "open links in browser" or it might be that it' just a borked app. I've had a fair bit of issue with numerous apps on windows,
Thanks for the reply.

If I open the Facebook App on my S3, and there's a notification at the top right, I click there, and that's where it takes me to Facebook in Chrome, rather than just going to it in the Facebook App.

This is the only Windows 8.1 device that I have, so I can't compare.

So the notification appears within the Facebook App, and it should then open up within the app.

I guess there's some crazy possibility that this is the way it's supposed to function - can you check on yours? But that would make no sense. The FB App should handle any and all Facebook related links and notifications, and not require the External Browser at all.

No FB, so can't check i'm afraid. I had originally thought that it might be an issue resulting from 3rd party programming, but i've just seen that FB have their own official windows app so probably not.
 
OP
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DLCPhoto

Member
Don't have FB so can't check for you i'm afraid.

It sou/nds to me like there is either a wrong association somewhere, such as "open links in browser" or it might be that it' just a borked app. I've had a fair bit of issue with numerous apps on windows,


No FB, so can't check i'm afraid. I had originally thought that it might be an issue resulting from 3rd party programming, but i've just seen that FB have their own official windows app so probably not.

Thanks. I know there are misbehaving Apps in Android with all sorts of quirks. No surprise this would be the same with Windows.

At this point, I have fairly mixed feelings about 'Apps' vs conventional Windows Programs. It seems to divide the OS into two divisions - metro start menu, vs the conventional desktop, in a sense. Wonder how Windows 10 will address this schizophrenia!
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thanks. I know there are misbehaving Apps in Android with all sorts of quirks. No surprise this would be the same with Windows.

At this point, I have fairly mixed feelings about 'Apps' vs conventional Windows Programs. It seems to divide the OS into two divisions - metro start menu, vs the conventional desktop, in a sense. Wonder how Windows 10 will address this schizophrenia!

That was one of the biggest issues with 8 in my opinion. Such a big disconnect it felt like two seperate operating systems. Made me think of the dual boot linux days where you would boot into linux to do one thing, then restart and boot into windows to do another. windows 10 is slowly slowly getting there but it seems to me that MS still havn't quite worked out a true unification of touch and traditional input. It's definitely much more unified, but it's still not right. I almost never use tablet mode in windows 10 as it just tends to be more of a nuisance than a help. But suffice to say, other than drawboard and onenote, i don't have a single app installed. I cannot see the point of them on a windows machine.
 
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