If you’ve ever had a problem with your Facebook or Instagram account, you probably have a good idea of how frustrating the support process can be. The company’s automated processes are so flawed that some people have discovered that suing Meta in small claims court can be a more reliable way to get help from the company.
Now Meta says it’s trying to resolve some of these long-standing issues. In an update, the company acknowledged that its “support has not always met expectations,” but that a series of AI-driven updates should make it easier for users to get help.
The company is rolling out a new “help center” across Facebook and Instagram, intended to consolidate all of its support features in one place. The hub will also have a new AI chat feature allowing users to ask questions about account issues or Meta policies. However, an in-app help center might not be very useful if you can’t access your account. A Meta spokesperson highlighted its external account recovery tool, intended to help people recover their accounts.
Recovering hacked accounts has long been a problem for Facebook and Instagram users. But Meta says it has now improved the process with better email and SMS alerts. AI also helped the company’s systems detect devices and locations that you have used frequently in the past. “Our new account recovery experience adapts to your particular situation with clearer guidance and simpler verification,” writes Meta. “We’ve also expanded recovery methods to include taking an optional selfie video to further verify your identity.”
Meta is also starting to test a new “AI support assistant” on Facebook that can provide “instant, personalized help” for issues like account recovery or managing your profile. It’s unclear how this will work or if it will allow people to talk to a real person who works for Meta. For now, the most reliable way to access live support is with a Meta Verified subscription, although many users report that the chat service is unable to resolve more complex issues.
A Meta spokesperson said the assistant was in the “early stages of testing” and was currently only available to select Facebook users globally. Those who are part of the test can find it through the app’s new help center.
According to Meta, these improvements have already shown some success in helping people get back into hacked accounts. The company says that this year it “increased the relative success rate of recovering hacked accounts by more than 30% in the United States and Canada.”
