Facebook has begun automatically turning off notifications for groups and close friends that users were not interacting with, a company spokesperson tells us.

When this happens, users will see a notice in their notifications window with the option to turn the notifications back on.

“This is part of our efforts to make sure that users are receiving the most meaningful notifications,” the spokesperson said.

Third-party apps using the notifications channel are not affected by this change, which began last month, but there are a number of other quality controls for app notifications. For example, developers cannot send notifications to users who have not visited an app in the last 28 days. Developers also need to maintain a minimum 17 percent click-to-impression ratio, otherwise their access to notifications may be temporarily blocked.

By being stricter about when users receive notifications, Facebook can help keep the channel effective. If users regularly receive notifications they aren’t interested in, they may become less likely to check their notifications in the future, which could hurt developers that use the channel to promote re-engagement with their apps.

Users can edit their notification settings, including the type of notifications they receive and how the notifications are delivered, here.

Thanks to Matt Navarra and Tyler Willis for the tip.