How To Deactivate Facebook Messenger In 2024?
Most probably it happened to all of us before. In one instant, you are talking to your friend through Facebook Messenger about the new sofa you really like, and the next minute you are scrolling through your Facebook timeline and what do you know, you see an ad for sofas delivered directly from Amazon.
Eerie coincidence right? Highly specific digital advertising tracking your messages for each and everything that might be related to shopping or purchasing new products. Continue reading this guide on How to Deactivate Facebook Messenger to know why the results may surprise you.
What Data Does Facebook Messenger Collect?
Although Facebook Messenger provides end-to-end encryption, which means that your messages can only be read by the desired recipient, hackers and even Messenger can access them. It’s essential to note that end-to-end encryption is not activated by default for all users. You might have to sign in. However, Facebook can still collect vast amounts of data without informing its users.
- A record of all accounts registered on the device.
- Every bookmark on your mobile web browser and the complete web history of that browser.
- A log of the gadget system is made.
- Facebook Messenger keeps a record of your identity.
- Device-locked accounts can be added or removed freely.
- A list of all in-app takes.
- Messenger can see the apps running on your device at present.
- Your contact card can be assessed and altered.
- Facebook can see your contacts and calendars.
- Facebook Messenger can record calendar events, alter contacts, and access sensitive information.
- Facebook Messenger can even email people in your contact list without your permission.
As you can perceive, the coverage of the information that Facebook Messenger can access from your device is as surprising as terrifying. That’s why we suggest you deactivate Facebook Messenger from your device as soon as possible if you want to protect your privacy.
Meta declares in its privacy policy that it utilizes this information to provide you with the services you expect from Messenger like sending and receiving messages, making phone calls, sending stickers, and using other features. It also utilizes this data to upgrade the app and direct you to customized advertisements.
When you select what sort of data needs to be shared with Facebook and how your data is utilized in your account settings, deactivating or deleting your Facebook Messenger might be your priority to protect your personal information. As we all know, Meta is one of the most data-hungry companies in the world and always tries to target you with personalized ads. It’s necessary to calm it down.
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What About Facebook Messenger For Kids?
Suppose you think the regular Facebook Messenger is already horrible enough with the massive amount of information it collects from your device. In that case, the fact that it’s worse on Facebook Messenger for kids should be enough to scare you even more.
Here is the terrible list of what data it collects and sells to advertisers through the Facebook Messenger for Kids app:
Information and Content Parents and Children Provide
Meta says that it collects the information and content children and their parents or guardians provide and create while registering for and running Messenger Kids.
Registration Information
This might include the information guardians or parents provide when they sign in for their child, such as the child’s full name and any account login information (such as the username or password), and extra information their parent and guardian mention about them like their birthday or gender. It also gathers information about your child’s relationship with you and the approval and details you provide to verify your child’s Messenger Kids account and activity. You can also check the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to learn more about kids’ privacy protection.
Activity on Messenger Kid
It also logs information about how the child uses Messenger Kids, such as who they interact with, what features they are up to, and for how long and in which ways they use various features provided by the app.
Content and Communities Shared
They record the information and content your child sends or receives on Messenger Kids, such as the text of messages, audio, videos, gifs, stickers, photos they click, camera effects they use, and their position in the game he plays with a friend.
Contacts on Messenger Kids
Facebook Messenger Kids collect the details about the people your child interacts with and the way they interact with them, such as the specific people that they communicate with the most.
Device Information
Facebook Messenger logs information from or about mobile phones or other gadgets where you install the Messenger Kids app. This involves, for instance, details about the operating system, device settings, device detectors, hardware version, and connection details such as the name of the mobile user or ISP, IP address, language, and time zone.
If you want to protect your kids from this threat of data collecting, you have compiled some tips at the bottom of the article that will help you eliminate Facebook’s never-ending quest for all the information they can fetch. Deactivate Facebook Messenger to save your privacy and get online malware protection. Do you want to deactivate Facebook Messenger? This article will tell you how to do that.
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Benefits Of Deactivating Facebook Messenger
With the advancement of other communication and social platforms for interacting with and supporting your customers, regulating your Facebook account might not be your priority. If you want to deactivate Facebook Messenger even if you are capable of maintaining it well or delete it to promote customer communication on other platforms like Instagram, text, and webchat, here are some advantages that you can enjoy:
Benefits Of Deactivating Personal Facebook Messenger
If you are using a Facebook Messenger account for your personal use, here are some benefits you can get by deactivating your Facebook Messenger account.
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Improve Customers’ Response Time By Using Fewer Platforms
Most of your customers will expect a quick response from your side if they text you through Facebook Messenger. An average of almost 18% of American internet surfers state that they want a response within one hour when they contact a company on social media. If you don’t have sources to meet their expectations, deactivating Messenger can protect you from bearing customers’ frustration when they don’t have anything to hear. You can also avoid nasty comments on your Facebook page, unwanted reviews or suggestions, and more criticism or repercussions for your company.
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Limit the Number of Channels You Receive Messages Through
Regulating different messaging channels can be overwhelming and requires more time. Deactivating Facebook Messenger can restrict the channels you receive messages through, which can make it convenient for you to reply to your messages and collect more precise details from your customer support service and marketing resources.
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Deactivate Messenger Only Temporarily
Temporarily deactivating Facebook Messenger can be a more straightforward method to manage vacations and other routine changes. Customers cannot send you texts through the platform when you deactivate it, but you can reactivate it when you have enough staff to handle your messages.
Benefits Of Deactivating Business Facebook Account
If you run a Facebook Messenger for communicating with your clients, Facebook Messenger might log the information of you and your clients alike. So, if you choose to deactivate Facebook Messenger, the following are more benefits you might get
-
Improve Customers’ Response Time By Using Fewer Platforms
Most of your customers will expect a quick response from your side if they text you through Facebook Messenger. An average of almost 18% of American internet surfers state that they want a response within one hour when they contact a company on social media. If you don’t have sources to meet their expectations, deactivating Messenger can protect you from bearing customers’ frustration when they don’t have anything to hear. You can also avoid nasty comments on your Facebook page, unwanted reviews or suggestions, and more criticism or repercussions for your company.
-
Limit the Number of Channels You Receive Messages Through
Regulating different messaging channels can be overwhelming and requires more time. Deactivating Facebook Messenger can restrict the channels you receive messages through, making it convenient for you to reply to your messages and collect more precise details from your customer support service and marketing resources.
-
Deactivate Messenger Only Temporarily
Temporarily deactivating Facebook Messenger can be a more straightforward method to manage vacations and other routine changes. Customers would not be allowed to send you texts through the platform when you deactivate it, but you can reactivate it when you have enough staff to handle your messages.
Disadvantages Of Deactivating Facebook Messenger
As Facebook Messenger is an app being used worldwide, deactivating it has some disadvantages. Whether creating a Facebook Messenger account for your personal use or creating customer support for your business clients, there are some cons to halting it, as mentioned below.
Disadvantages Of Deactivating Personal Facebook Messenger
Out of 932 million active users worldwide, many people, specifically your friends and family, live using Facebook to maintain a social presence. Facebook Messenger has withstood the test of time while other social media platforms could not make it. With that reason in mind, ensure you download media and messages you have sent on Facebook Messenger over time before deactivating Messenger.
Disadvantages Of Deactivating Business Facebook Messenger
Deactivating Facebook Messenger has some liabilities too. Facebook Messenger is the top-rated messaging app in the United States, with more than 126 million Americans sending and receiving messages on Facebook Messenger on their mobile phones. Interacting with your clients through a social media platform they are contented with can assist you in connecting better with them. Without Facebook Messenger on your, you lack one tool to encourage customer engagement.
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How To Deactivate Personal Facebook Messenger?
You better know that your Facebook account and your personal messenger account are closely linked to each other. It means you have to deactivate your Facebook account if you want to deactivate your Messenger account. You can do so in your Facebook account’s “account settings” and then follow the process in the messenger app.
- Open the Messenger app. These steps can be applied to both the Android apps for phones and iPhone IOS apps.
- Now click on your profile mentioned at the top left corner. It is at the top next to the “Chats” icon.
- Now click on “Account Settings”. Here, you need to scroll down a little.
- Click on “Account Ownership and Control”. You can download your information from here if you don’t want to lose what you have sent over Messenger.
- Click “Deactivation and deletion”. You don’t need to worry much about it. Your account can be reactivated when you log in again. However, deleting your account is a permanent removal of your profile.
How To Deactivate Business Facebook Messenger?
It’s pretty simple to deactivate your Facebook Messenger. It only requires a few minutes when you stick to these steps.
You should know that you must be logged in as an Admin to deactivate Facebook Messenger.
- You can log into your previous account with an admin license. Otherwise, ask the Page’s last admin to upgrade your permissions to Administrator so you can deactivate Facebook Messenger.
- Now click on “Settings”. You will find the “Settings” title at the top of the page next to the “Help” tab. Click on it to see further options.
- Tap on “General” and head over to the next step. It should appear in the Settings menu.
- Mow select “Messages”. It will navigate you to the Page’s Facebook Messenger.
- If your Messenger is enabled at that time, there should be a checkmark next to “Allow people to contact my Page privately by showing the Message button”. It would be best if you unchecked this mark to deactivate your Messenger.
- Now click on “Save Changes”. And here you go. It’s the easiest way to deactivate Facebook Messenger from your Page officially.
Can I Deactivate Facebook Messenger without Deleting Facebook?
As we know Facebook Messenger is a branch of the main Facebook platform, and many of us have our Messenger accounts linked with our main Facebook accounts. If you have the same case, unfortunately, you can’t deactivate Messenger without deleting Facebook. However, if your Messenger account is separate and is not directly linked to the main Facebook account, we can deactivate it without deleting Facebook by following the steps mentioned above.
How To Permanently Delete Your Facebook Messenger Account?
If you have made up your mind to delete your Facebook Messenger account permanently, it can be done by deleting your Facebook account. It’s not easy to have a Facebook account without a Messenger account. When you delete your Facebook account Messenger will be automatically deleted with it.
You need to log in to your Facebook account and adhere to the steps mentioned above (to delete Facebook Messenger on the mobile app). Still, instead of deactivating your account, you will have to select delete your account.
How To Turn Off Facebook Messenger?
If you are unwilling to deactivate your Messenger and Facebook, it’s possible to turn off your Messenger. By turning off your Facebook Messenger account, you will not get messages while keeping your Facebook account active. Here is the method to do so.
- Tap on your profile picture, go to your Messenger app, and back into your profile.
- Have you seen the “Active status” before? Your active status tells other users whether you are online or have been online recently. Click this “Active Status”.
- Now you have to turn your Active Status off. Your profile will be shown as inactive to the users this way.
- Now click on “Notifications and Sounds”. If someone sends you a message, you should turn off your notifications.
- Activate the “Do Not Disturb” feature. You will be free of any notifications this way.
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Can I Still Chat Without Facebook Messenger?
Now, after leaving your app, you might be worried about not being able to read or reply to any of the messages on your Facebook via your mobile phone. Facebook has purposely restricted the messaging capabilities of the main Facebook app, making it impossible for you to read or reply to messages from the standard Facebook website, so what’s the solution?
There is still a source of mobile Facebook messaging left, called Facebook Basic. It’s the extra-lite version of Facebook that can be downloaded through the mobile browser and it’s made to run on low-priced phones and bad cell connections. It’s the only option left that will not force you to download Facebook Messenger to see the messages in your inbox or respond to them.
To enjoy the perks of Facebook Basic, follow the FacebookBasic link in your mobile browser or search for https://mbasic,facebook.com”. You will be able to get into your inbox through this link and will be able to text anyone just like you used to do from the Facebook Messenger app but you will not be able to send stickers and GIFs in the conversation. Deactivating Facebook Messenger will be helpful for both you and your kids as this step saves your chats and voice messages and makes your communication secure and private.
Messenger Alternatives For Users
After deactivating or deleting Facebook Messenger, you can uninstall it without fear. It’s time to choose which alternative messaging app you would like to use in its replacement. Here are some of the famous alternatives. So, what do you think about shifting your conversations to these three apps?
Telegram
Telegram is a competent messaging app for users who always care about their privacy and currently almost 500 million users are using this app. As privacy is its main feature, you can initiate “secret chats” that are even more private and secure.
Signal
There is another specific app for privacy lovers with the basic features of sending messages, sharing photos, and having video calls. In addition to being a mobile app, it’s available on PCs such as Apple Macs and Microsoft Windows.
You must know that WhatsApp is marketed for its service of end-to-end encryption but many people doubt its privacy as Facebook owns it and therefore can share private data with its holding company.
Messenger Alternatives For Business
While searching for messaging services for your business, you have other aspects to consider in addition to privacy. Although it’s a crucial one! Your messaging app needs to be user-friendly, can be shared with a team, and offers a good customer support service. Here are some of them you can prefer.
Web Chat
It’s a very suitable communication platform. It works on your website, focusing on site visitors and making them buy from your website. Moreover, the customers can complete their other tasks while waiting on the phone for the customer service supporter’s response. You can add it to your website for free.
WhatsApp Business
It’s the general WhatsApp with additional features to assist your business such as automated messages and a comprehensive business profile. If your customers use WhatsApp, contacting them where they already are will be a plus point.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
A Customer Relationship Management System is made to keep communications systematic, ensuring every customer gets the proper help he needs. Using CRM to arrange customer profiles will boost your customer experience to the next level.
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Wrapping Up!
Now you know that deactivating Facebook Messenger is not a hard nut to crack. So, if you are a privacy lover and want to protect your data from the oversight of Facebook, take a moment and deactivate your Messenger account now. You can do so by following the procedure mentioned in this blog but if you still have some queries about deactivating Facebook Messenger, feel free to ask in the comments section!
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