Have you been trying desperately to add friends as neighbors in Sims FreePlay but for some reason they just won‘t show up? I‘ve been there myself!
As a long time Sims player, I know how frustrating it can be when technical issues get in the way of connecting with friends in the game. But don‘t worry – with some tinkering and troubleshooting, you‘ll be visiting neighbors and hosting parties in no time.
In this guide, I‘ll clearly explain:
Exactly how the neighbors feature works in Sims FreePlay
Each step to successfully add a friend as a neighbor
Common reasons neighbors may not be showing up
Fixes to troubleshoot any neighbor issues you‘re having
Tips for interacting with neighbors once connected
Let‘s get started so you can enjoy Sims FreePlay as it‘s meant to be played – together with friends!
How Do Neighbors Work in Sims FreePlay?
The Sims FreePlay neighbors feature allows you to visit, trade, and complete social tasks with friends who also play the mobile game. It helps make Sims FreePlay feel more social and connected.
In order to appear as neighbors, both you and your friend need to:
Have the Sims FreePlay app installed on a mobile device
Connect Sims FreePlay to your Facebook account
Adjust Facebook privacy settings to allow you to see each other
Accept in-game friend requests
Once those steps are completed, your friend will show up on your party boat as a neighbor you can visit.
According to the official SimGurus (Sims developers), the game was designed this way to prevent random strangers from being able to interact with children playing Sims FreePlay. Requiring a confirmed friend connection adds a level of safety.
So if you want to grow your Sims FreePlay neighborhood, you and your friends will need to take a few minutes to set things up properly on both ends.
Step-By-Step Guide to Adding Neighbors
Here is the full process for adding neighbors in Sims FreePlay:
Connect Sims FreePlay to Facebook
The first step is connecting the Sims FreePlay app to your Facebook account:
In the Sims FreePlay app, tap the blue person icon in the bottom left to open the account menu
Tap "Connect to Facebook" and follow the on-screen instructions to login and allow access
Once connected, Sims FreePlay can pull your Facebook friends list to display as potential neighbors.
Note: If you don‘t have a Facebook account, you won‘t be able to use the neighbors feature unfortunately.
Adjust Facebook Privacy Settings
After connecting to Facebook, you need to adjust your privacy settings:
On your phone or computer, go to the Facebook app or website
Go to Settings > Apps and Websites > Logged in with Facebook
Find Sims FreePlay in the list and tap "Edit Settings"
Change the visibility to "Friends" instead of "Only Me"
This allows your Facebook friends to see that you use Sims FreePlay. Without this, they won‘t show up as neighbors even if you‘re connected.
Have Friends Connect Too
In order for a friend to appear as a potential neighbor, they need to also connect Sims FreePlay to their Facebook account and adjust their privacy settings.
So once you‘ve completed the steps above, let any friends you want to play with know they‘ll need to do the same.
Send and Accept Neighbor Requests
Now you‘re ready to send neighbor requests in the game:
Tap the blue Friends icon in the bottom right of the screen
Tap the plus (+) icon to add a friend
Search for your friend‘s nickname or email associated with their Sims FreePlay game
Send the request and ask your friend to accept it
Once they accept, your friend will pop up on your party boat as a neighbor you can visit!
Why Isn‘t My Neighbor Showing Up? Troubleshooting Tips
After going through the steps above, you may still find your friend isn‘t appearing as a neighbor in Sims FreePlay.
Here are some common reasons a neighbor may not be showing up and how to fix them:
They Need to Accept Your Request
When you send a neighbor request in Sims FreePlay, your friend needs to actively accept it on their end before they‘ll show up on your side.
If it‘s been a while and they still aren‘t appearing, remind them to check their friend requests in the Friends menu.
Facebook Connection Issues
Make sure both you and your friend have properly gone through the Facebook account connection process in the game.
Also verify the Sims FreePlay app visibility is set to "Friends" on both ends.
Logging out and back in can sometimes help resync things.
They Aren‘t Actively Playing
Remember, a Facebook friend will only appear as a neighbor if they still actively play Sims FreePlay.
If someone has taken a long break from the game or stopped playing, they won‘t show up even if you‘re connected.
Update or Reinstall the App
An outdated version of the app or corrupted install can also prevent the neighbors feature from working properly.
Try fully closing and reopening the app or updating to the latest version in the app store. As a last resort, backup your save and fully uninstall/reinstall Sims FreePlay.
Check for Widespread Technical Issues
Sometimes server outages or bugs introduced in new updates can temporarily break the neighbors system across all players.
Check TheSimsFreePlay Facebook page or the official EA Sims forums to see if others are reporting problems too. Usually the developers will issue a patch to fix widespread technical problems quickly.
With some patience and by methodically trying each troubleshooting step, you should be able to get your friend to show up so you can visit each other‘s Sim towns!
Managing Relationships Between Neighbors
Once you have successfully added some neighbors, you can develop your relationships between their Sims and yours:
Set Relationship Levels – Use friendly socials to build the relationship up to Good Friend or even Best Friend status. This unlocks special interactions between those Sims.
Pursue Romance – Take things further by pursuing romance between your Sim and your neighbor‘s. Once they become Partners, you can have them Woohoo or even get married!
Start Feuds – For something more dramatic, pick fights and pull pranks on your neighbor‘s Sims to kick off a long feud between neighbors.
Break Up or Divorce – Change your mind about a relationship? You can lower relationship levels or select Break Up/Divorce options through social interactions.
Just like relationships between player Sims in your own town, you get to decide the bonds between neighbors too. Play matchmaker or stir up trouble!
Interacting with Neighbors in Their Towns
Here are the fun things you can do while visiting a friend‘s Sim town:
Tour Their Town – Get design inspiration from how your friends built up their towns. Marvel at their grand mansions!
Meet Their Sims – Your friends‘ unique Sims will be wandering around their towns. Wave and introduce yourself!
Hang Out Together – Select the option to "Spend Time With" in order to complete friendly hang out social tasks with benefits.
Pull Pranks – Feel a bit mischievous? Set off fireworks or release chickens in their towns!
Trade Resources – You can trade crafting resources and supplies back and forth to help each other progress.
Attend Parties – When a neighbor hosts a party, you‘ll get a notification to join the fun! Dance, socialize, and earn party rewards.
Check Leaderboards – See how you rank compared to your friends on event leaderboards and competitive challenges.
Visiting neighbors gives you fun social goals and lets you show off all the creativity and hard work you‘ve put into your own Sim town!
Tips for Making the Most of Neighbors
Here are my top tips for getting the most out of the neighbors feature:
Add friends who play daily – Active neighbors make visiting and helping each other more rewarding.
Build up your town before adding friends – Give your friends something impressive to explore when they visit your Sim town.
Set Visual Effects to Max in Settings – This makes your game more vivid when visiting nicely decorated neighbors‘ towns.
Ask neighbors for needed crafting items – It‘s easier to finish DIY projects when you can get help from friends.
Host parties together and try to set new high scores – Compete against each other in parties and events.
Show off your rarest collection items – Give your friends‘ Sims a chance to browse your hardest-to-find collection pieces.
The neighbors feature completely changes the feel of Sims FreePlay. Instead of just building in isolation, you get to show off and share creativity with friends!
Let‘s Connect as Neighbors!
I hope this guide has given you a better understanding of how the Sims FreePlay neighbors system works as well as tips to troubleshoot any issues you‘ve had adding friends.
Connecting with others makes the mobile game so much more immersive. You can visit new towns, help each other achieve goals, and show off all the time and love you‘ve put into your Sims creations.
If you still need any help, feel free to reach out to me in the comments! I‘ve been playing Sims FreePlay for over 5 years now and have experienced pretty much every technical issue and question there is about neighbors.
I‘d also love for us to connect as Sims FreePlay neighbors. Let me know if you want to send a friend request. I check in and play daily and promise to visit your town and lend a hand regularly 🙂
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start populating your party boat with active friends as neighbors! I‘ll see you around the Sims neighborhood.
