Facebook birthdays
Facebook birthdays not showing? Here’s what to do
For years Facebook told you who had a birthday. Now the reminders don’t show, come a day late, or the birthdays have disappeared from the app altogether. First the fixes that usually work. Then the reason it keeps happening, and a way to never depend on it again.
Free · no app needed
The fixes, in order
- 1
Turn the notification back on
Go to Settings & privacy, Settings, Notifications, Birthdays, and switch it on. It is easy to turn off by accident. - 2
Open the birthdays page directly
In the app, search for ‘birthdays’ and tap the result with the cake icon. On a computer: Events, then Birthdays. Upcoming birthdays are listed by month. - 3
Update the app, or clear its cache
Old versions of the app lose the birthdays section. Update it, or clear the cache (Android) or reinstall (iPhone). - 4
Check whether the friend shares their birthday
Friends who set their birthday to ‘Only me’ never show up, whatever you do.
Why it keeps breaking
Facebook birthdays only ever worked for one kind of person: friends who are still on Facebook, who filled in their birthday, and who let you see it. Every year that group gets smaller. Add notifications that get turned off, a feed that hides the birthday box, and a notification that lands a day off because of time zones, and you have a reminder you can’t rely on.
The children, grandparents and coworkers who matter most were never on it in the first place.
A way that doesn’t depend on Facebook
The thing Facebook did well is worth keeping: people filled in their own birthday. Hoera keeps that idea and drops the platform. You share one link in your group chat, everyone adds their own birthday, and you get a reminder by email in time, a few days ahead if you like.
How it works
- Add yourself: name, birthday, email. One minute.
- Share the link in the family chat, the friends’ group, the team.
- Everyone adds their own birthday. No app, no Facebook.
- You get a weekly overview, and an earlier reminder for your favorites.
More on the reminders themselves on birthday reminders, and on all the alternatives in how to keep track of birthdays.
Can you export Facebook birthdays to Google Calendar?
Not anymore. Facebook removed the birthday export years ago, so there is no official way to sync or download your friends’ birthdays to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. Browser extensions that promise to do it exist, but they are unofficial and tend to break whenever Facebook changes something.
What you can do is ask your friends once. Share the link, they tap it, and from then on the calendar keeps itself up to date. The friends who left Facebook can join too. That is the part Facebook could never do.
Frequently asked questions
Where did the birthdays go in the Facebook app?+
They are still there, but buried. In the app, tap the search icon, type ‘birthdays’ and pick the result with the cake icon. On a computer, open Events and choose Birthdays. The daily notification only shows for friends who share their birthday and only if your birthday notifications are on.
Why are my Facebook birthday notifications a day early or late?+
Time zones. Facebook sends the notification once for everyone, based on its own clock. Friends on the other side of the world get it a day off.
Can I export my friends’ birthdays from Facebook?+
Not anymore. The old calendar export was removed. You can only see them on the birthdays page, one day at a time. That is why a calendar where friends add their own birthday is the way out.
Why don’t I see everyone’s birthday?+
Many friends hide their birthday, or hide the year and the notification with it. And a growing number simply aren’t on Facebook anymore. No setting fixes that.
Is Hoera free?+
Yes. The calendar and the email reminders are free. Only reminders on WhatsApp cost €19 a year.
Never depend on Facebook again
Add yourself, share the link, and the birthdays come to you.
Free · no app needed