Meta brings back Facebook’s ‘poke’ after 21 years, but with THIS twist

Remember Facebook’s "poke" feature? That funny little button you could press to digitally nudge a friend without typing a single word?

It could mean hello, it could mean "I’m thinking of you", or it could even mean absolutely nothing at all: it was simply silly, confusing and somewhat brilliant at the same time.

After sitting quietly in the background for years, the poke is back—and this time, it comes with a new twist.

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Now, poking has been given a playful upgrade. Every time you send one, your “poke count” goes up. Stick with it, and you’ll start unlocking little rewards, like fire emojis for streaks or a shiny “100” badge when you reach a milestone.

There’s even a new poke hub where you can see who has poked you, keep track of your numbers, and ignore the nudges you don’t feel like answering.

 

From old joke to new habit

For anyone who used Facebook in its early days, pokes will bring a wave of nostalgia.

It was the original inside joke: a feature that didn’t really need explaining, and which everyone used anyway. For younger users who never had it, poking might feel like something fresh, a low-pressure way to say hi without the fuss of likes, comments or messages.

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Meta has added just enough gamification to make it feel current. Think Snapchat streaks, or TikTok’s playful nudges, but with Facebook’s trademark simplicity. One quick tap still says everything and nothing all at once, which is exactly what made pokes so fun the first time around.

 

What Facebook says

Even Facebook seems to be enjoying the throwback.

“Pokes never really left, but they’re making a comeback in a major way ... Sending pokes just got easier," Facebook said in a post about the new update.

For Meta, the revival is about more than dusting off an old feature. It is an attempt to make Facebook feel lighter and more personal again.

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Social media can often feel crowded and noisy: full of polished posts and algorithm-driven feeds. A poke cuts through all of that. It’s quick, human and a little bit silly—and perhaps that’s exactly what people want right now.

Sometimes, a simple nudge is truly all it takes to remind us that connection doesn’t have to be complicated, and may just be a poke away.

Sci/Tech