Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular instant messengers today. Partly because it’s mandatory for Facebook users who want to chat with their friends, and partly because it encompasses some nice features (e.g. dark mode, chat heads, etc.).
However, people who decided to deactivate or even delete Facebook were bamboozled by the fact that Facebook Messenger is still active, alive, and kicking. Well, shortly, as it’s a separate service, it needs to be deactivated separately.
Today, we made sure to thoroughly explain how to deactivate Messenger on Android. Also, read below to learn how to deactivate it permanently or reactivate it again.
Table of contents:
- How do I deactivate Facebook Messenger?
- How to permanently delete Facebook Messenger
- Here’s how to reactivate Facebook Messenger on Android
How do I deactivate Facebook Messenger?
To deactivate Facebook Messenger, you’ll need to deactivate your Facebook account first. Facebook separated them for a reason, trying to make Facebook Messenger more of an instant messenger instead of just a Facebook chat option.
This, of course, brought a lot of confusion to users, who now have to use two apps on their Android devices to browse Facebook and message their friends. And, as with all unpopular changes, people eventually came to terms with the presence of two separate apps.
The main annoyance lies in the fact that Messenger isn’t automatically deactivated once you deactivate or delete your Facebook account. You need to do it in the app or via the web client. Once you deactivate it, other users won’t be able to send you messages.
Also, once you deactivate Messenger, you won’t be able to use it as a default SMS app. Regardless if you have your number assigned to your account. So keep that in mind.
Now, let’s get to instructions on how to disable Facebook Messenger. Follow these steps to deactivate Facebook Messenger on your Android device:
- Open the Facebook app. If you don’t use it, download it from the Play Store.
- Log in with your credentials.
- From the home page, tap the hamburger menu and select Settings & Privacy.
- Tap Settings.
- Open Account Ownership and Control.
- Select Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose “Deactivate account” and then tap Continue to Account Deactivation.
- Follow the steps, provide feedback if that’s your cup of tea, and confirm deactivation with your Facebook password.
- Now, open Facebook Messenger and tap on your profile picture.
- Select Legal & Policies.
- Choose Deactivate Messenger.
- Enter your password and tap Deactivate.
How to permanently delete Facebook Messenger
This is as simple as one would expect. If you want your Facebook Messenger no more (probably have a good reason for that), just delete your Facebook account permanently. Once the Facebook account is out of the picture, Messenger will be deleted, too.
Just keep in mind that this will lead to deleting complete chat history and you won’t be able to use the app as the main SMS app. Not to mention that you won’t be able to access your Facebook account anymore.
If you are decisive about ditching Facebook and Messenger once and for all, here’s what you need to do:
- Open the Facebook app. If you don’t use it, download it from the Play Store.
- Log in with your credentials.
- From the home page, tap the hamburger menu and select Settings & Privacy.
- Open Settings.
- Choose Account Ownership and Control.
- Select Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose Delete Account.
- Tap Continue to Account Deletion.
- Choose whether you want to download your data and review linked apps.
- Tap Delete Account once you are done and that should permanently relieve you of Facebook and Facebook Messenger.
Here’s how to reactivate Facebook Messenger on Android
On the other hand, if you are done with your social media detox and want to get back on the grid, reactivating Facebook Messenger is as simple as it comes. You don’t have to reactivate your Facebook account to get back to Facebook Messenger.
This way, you’ll get straight into your chat history without losing anything as chats are stored on a dedicated server.
The reactivation is as simple as it gets. Just log in with your credentials again and you are good to go.
That’s it. Hopefully, this was a helpful read that showed you how to deactivate Facebook Messenger with ease. Thanks for reading and share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you.
