
Biz Carson/Business Insider
Some users have reported seeing view counters next to their Facebook posts, as multiple reports have indicated.
A few Facebook users have tweeted screenshots that show a new metric displayed alongside a Facebook post that reveals how many people have seen that post.
This counter is displayed in the same spot where you would normally see how many people liked or commented on your Facebook post.
Here's what it looks like:
Anyone else see a "view" count on their Facebook posts now? pic.twitter.com/USrmCblRHq
- Stephen Robles (@stephenrobles) October 14, 2015
WHAT IS THIS?! WHY IS THERE A PAGE/PHOTO VIEW COUNT ON FACEBOOK??!! TELL ME THIS ISN'T REAL ?? pic.twitter.com/SwUg9kVxz9
- Kæj Flöcke (@KageFlocka) October 14, 2015
It's similar to a feature called "reach" that Facebook offers for brand pages, but no such functionality has ever existed for individual users. Both Mashable and The Verge are reporting that this only affects the company's mobile website, so if you typically use Facebook on your desktop or through its mobile app you likely won't be impacted by the bug. These view counters typically only appear under links that are shared or posted rather than photos, according to The Verge.
Users began noticing the view counter on Wednesday, and Facebook has been working to address the accidental feature.
We've reached out to Facebook for more details and to ask whether or not the glitch has been completely fixed yet. We'll update this post accordingly when we hear back.