Why Do You See "A Device was Removed from this Conversation" in Facebook Secret Conversation?

Updated on: March 22, 2021

For the majority of people, the primary concern while using any social media platform is the threat to their privacy. With all the hacks and cybercrime happening, it is only logical to want a secure way to communicate on social media apps. Social media websites such as Facebook often come up with various updates to make the conversations safe to counteract this problem.

Recently, Facebook came up with a way to make your messenger conversations even more secure. They rolled out a new secret conversation feature on the Messenger app to encrypt the conversation from end-to-end. The secret conversation has a more robust encryption level than the normal chat, and this encryption applies automatically when you start the conversation.

In this secret conversation, only you and the person you are talking to can read the messages both the parties send. Facebook claims that they cannot read this encrypted conversation, and they will store none of the data shared anywhere.

To achieve this purpose, Facebook designates an encryption key to all the devices that are involved in this conversation. Only by using this key, you can access the secret conversation. However, if you lose the key, you will not be able to read those messages anymore.

How to Join a Secret Conversation?

You can quickly start a new Secret Conversation on your Facebook Messenger by following these steps.

  1. Open the Messenger app on your phone.
  2. Then go to the conversation you want to turn into a secret conversation.
  3. Click on the Info icon on the top right corner of the screen.
  4. Click on the Secret Conversation option.
  5. Now your conversation will become encrypted, and only you and the recipient can see the messages.

Now you can enjoy encrypted secret conversation with your friend without worrying about some prying in your private conversation.

A secret conversation has several features that can make the chat more secure and productive. For example, you can set a timer to delete the messages in the conversation automatically. You can choose the time frame after which the messages you sent will automatically delete themselves from the chat. No one will be able to read those messages after they are deleted, and you can set a timer as quick as five-second after sending it.

However, there are few limitations of using the secret conversation. There are some features that Facebook does not allow as it does in regular chat. In this conversation, apart from text messages, you can only send stickers, videos, voice recordings, and pictures. You cannot send group conversations, Gifs, or make audio or video calls and payments.

What does "A Device was removed from this conversation" mean?

While using the secret conversation feature, you might receive a notification mentioning that someone removed a device from the conversation. This notification means the other person in the conversation has left the chat and can no longer see the private chat messages. If there are more than two members in the secret conversation, this notification will mean that one of the devices has left the chat.

How to remove a Device from the Secret Conversation?

It is worth mentioning that you can not remove another person from the conversation. However, If you want to remove your device from the screen conversation, you can follow these steps:

  • Open the Messenger app and go to your profile.
  • Click on the privacy option and choose Secret Conversation.
  • You will see a toggle that you can disable to remove your device from all secret conversations.
  • After selecting this option, you will receive a confirmation notice that your device has been removed from the private conversations.
  • After your device has been removed from the conversation, you will not be able to see or send any message to that conversation.

Facebook Messenger A device was removed from this conversation

What does "A Device was added to this conversation" mean?

Similarly, like the previous notification, you might receive a message stating that a device is added to the secret conversation. This means somebody in the conversation has added another device to the conversation. Only the people in the secret conversation can add another member to the chat. You should continue reading to know how to add a member to the secret conversation.

How to add a device to the Secret Conversation?

As the secret conversation can only be accessed by the devices which have the encryption key, only the encryption key holders can add a new device to the secret conversation. To add a new device to the secret conversation, follow these steps:

  • Install the Messenger app on the new device you want to view the secret conversation on.
  • Sign in with the same account that you are using for the secret conversation.
  • Facebook will automatically add your new device to the secret conversation after logging in.

When you log in using a new device, you will not be able to see the previous messages in the secret conversation. However, you can now start sending messages and view all the messages in the chat from that point on.

Final Verdict

The new feature of Secret Conversation from Facebook is a great way to keep your conversations secure. Every day there are several cases where an account gets hacked, and all the private data is leaked. Using the secret conversation, you can ensure that all the messages stay between you and the recipient.

A Device was Removed from this Conversation
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  1. Total Bull tap. Want to know how to delete entire secret conversation. There is a way to do this. Please tell me how. Don’t tell me there is no way to delete entire message between 2 parties cuz there is a way.
    Tammy Currey

  2. Since deleting messages in a Secret Conversation only removes them on your end and not the receiver's end, is it possible to retrieve the conversation by, say, sending a new secret message to the recipient (similar to how it works for Archived messages in regular Messenger)?

    1. It's only possible to retrieve those messages when you have backup of your entire phone before it was deleted. I guess its possibility is almost 0. End to end secret conversation of Facebook messenger works similarly like whaatsapp store our data at local level. No data is preserved at server level.

  3. Is there a way to unsend messages sent in secret conversation? To remove messages from the recepient?

    1. it's almost impossible as its End to End encrypted Facebook Secret conversation in messenger. But those messages are not stored or read by Facebook, they only get stored on both devices of sender and receiver, not on the server. Same like whatsapp

  4. i have seen this "a new device was added to this conversation" in my husband fone with a girl under secret conversation..what does it mean?

  5. How do you disable secret conversations from an account completely? I do not want my child having access to this as I monitor everything.

  6. It doesn't make sense! Why have a secret conversation with someone when they have given 10 other people a device key. Where now 10 people can be in on the "private one on one" conversation.

    When you look at the other persons device keys. Why do they have so many? Are those separate conversations? If so why would they show the device keys to a secret conversation? It makes NO SENSE!!!

  7. I have accessed to my wife messenger from my phone, there is this one chat that always has incomplete conversation. I got curious and checked the secret conversation section of that chat and i saw that message stating " the (name of the other person) removed a device from this chat. What does this mean?

    1. HI Brandson, It's indicating that her account is also logged in to another computer/mobile device from where secret conversation initiated, and then the device is removed from that chat conversation. Remember facebook don't save secret conversation on servers it always exists on device from it initiated. Please share more insights if you need any help to solve your query

  8. me and my bf have been using the secret chat but it keeps telling us that a new device was added, we haven’t changed devices or added any new ones, why is this happening? how do we stop it?

    1. Hi, are you using the Facebook web version? if that's the case then try not to use it one day and see if it's still showing "Device not removed a message".if it still persists then cross-check if you are using it on some other device.

  9. Good day
    I have seen like "Disconnection Time" in a secret conversation yet no more messages out there.
    Does the "disconnection time" means the last time the secret conversation was used or open? Please help.

    1. Hi Rona,

      that indicates the disappearing msg timestamp of your secret conversation. E.g if someone sent you msg in secret conversation then it will either 'undo send/unsend ' or removed for all

  10. My messenger chat with my Mother now says (alternately) "you added a new device to this conversation", "you removed a device from this conversation".
    I did not deliberately do this and I don't know how to fix it. Years worth of conversations between my Mother and myself are no longer visible. Does anyone have any advice for me please?

    1. Hey Anna,

      Its happening because either of you logged in into Facebook account from multiple devices or sources like different web browsers in same phone and tried to use web messenger of Facebook.

      That's why you are able to see this message "you removed device from this conversation" or "you added new device to this conversation" That's natural.

      Also your message disappeared because you both started doing conversation in SECRET CONVERSATION mode of Facebook messenger. Once any one party involves into Secret conversation removed themself from secret conversation. All your historical conversations will get erased because of natural behavior of secret conversation and its purpose.

      Its almost hard to get it back as it will not get stored in Facebook account backups as well.

      Only think you can do is, from now onwards make sure you will start conversation with your mom in NORMAL mode where it will preserve logs of your conversation. Only use secret conversation for sensitive and private communication for temporary purpose.

      I hope you understood what went wrong here.

  11. Okay if I cannot remove somebody else's device no one can remove my device all I can do is add a device or go away from the conversation but I still see that I have removed a device is there any way that shared phone accounts can creep in or what's up what is the hack here there's some kind of hack here because I have not added or removed a device from an encrypted conversation but yet I'm seeing that notification

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