More and more people are turning their backs on social media, or at least Facebook. Whether you want to distance yourself from social media “keeping up with Jones,†or worry about data privacy, it is sometimes helpful to step back and log out.
If you’ve already deactivated your Facebook account, you might be surprised to know that your Facebook Messenger account is still active. Although they both run on Facebook, they are considered separate services. You will have to deactivate Facebook Messenger separately.
Keep in mind that you must deactivate your Facebook account before disabling Facebook Messenger. If you haven’t already, disable Facebook. (Don’t worry. If you deactivate your account, you can come back at any time. Your data will not disappear unless you delete your account.)
How to deactivate Facebook Messenger on iPhone and iPad
Fortunately, deactivating your Facebook Messenger account via iOS is a relatively painless and simple process. Facebook makes this easy, unlike some services that put walls between customers and outages.
Open Messenger and click on your profile icon in the upper left corner. This will open your options menu and allow you to change things like notifications, access to contacts, and more Scroll down and click on Account Settings.
- In Account Settings, scroll down until you get to the “Your Facebook Information†heading.
- Click on Account Ownership and Management here.
- Click Deactivate and Uninstall.
- You can now choose whether to deactivate your account or delete it. Select the option you want and click Continue Deactivating Account.
- You will be prompted for a password. When you have done this, click “Submit”.
If you’ve deleted your account, it’s permanent. However, if you’ve only deactivated your account, you can reactivate it simply by logging into Messenger with your username and password.
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How to deactivate Facebook Messenger on Android
The steps to deactivate Facebook Messenger are slightly different on Android and iOS. Open your chats and then click on your profile picture in the upper left corner.
From here, tap on “Legal Notice” and “Policy” and then tap on “Deactivate Messenger”. Click “Deactivate” to complete the process. It’s simple, but remember – you must deactivate your Facebook account before you can deactivate Facebook Messenger.
It’s worth noting that it is almost impossible to deactivate or uninstall Facebook Messenger through your Macbook or PC. The Service is intended to be used through mobile applications, and only through these mobile applications can you disable it. If you lose your phone or are unable to deactivate Facebook Messenger using the steps above, please contact Facebook support and request to deactivate your Messenger account.
The official Facebook documentation is out of date. If you are using a device that does not fit into any of the categories listed above, you may have to wait while Facebook updates its official documentation on how to properly disable your Facebook Messenger account.
However, there is one last option. If you delete your Facebook account, it will delete your Messenger account as well. The messages you sent will remain, but you won’t be able to use Messenger.
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