Who deleted me on Facebook? Here's how to find out

Are the people you think of as your friends deleting you from their Facebook accounts? Facebook doesn't notify users if they are removed from a friend list, so it's not immediately obvious when you've been given the chop. But a new app called Who Deleted Me? changes that by letting you find out the moment you lose a friend. So how does it work – and do people really want to know when they're getting the brush-off?

What is Who Deleted Me?

Who Deleted Me? is a free app that answers the nagging question at the back of many Facebook users' minds. Without trawling through everyone you have added on Facebook to check they are still following you, it can be difficult to spot when someone has removed you from their list of friends. Who Deleted Me? lets you know as soon as you have been deleted from someone's Facebook friend list, and reveals who deleted you. The app also keeps track of any friends you delete from your own Facebook account, as well as any friends who have deactivated their profiles. Available on Android and iOS for mobile users, Who Deleted Me? can also be installed as an extension on the Google Chrome browser.

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How does it work?

It works by saving your friend list on Facebook the first time you use the app. Every time you access Facebook subsequently, the app compares your current friend list to the original list and shows you anyone who has gone missing since you last logged on. However, you can only discover who has 'unfriended' you after the app has been installed – you won't be able to see who ditched you in the past. A similar app, Who Unfollowed Me, provides the same service to paranoid Twitter users.

What reception has it received so far?

Although an app that reveals hidden rejections might not seem like a must-have, the response to Who Deleted Me? has been overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that the strain on the servers as internet users flocked to install it caused site outages on Monday. Now equipped with a bigger server, the app's creators are confident they can handle the increased traffic. Not everyone is a fan, though, and among the app's detractors is Facebook itself. Business Insider reports that, in February, app creator Anthony Kuske received a message from the Facebook support team telling him that Who Deleted Me? was creating a negative user experience on the site. The 47,000 people who have liked the app's page on Facebook so far clearly don't agree.