Even though Facebook is a brilliant platform for staying connected with your friends, at times it can be quite overwhelming as well. Whether it’s due to the constant notifications that are spamming your phone, or even the fact that you spend so much of your free time scrolling through the app, sometimes the smartest choice is to simply deactivate your FB profile for a while, and take a pause from this social media platform.
To that end, here is a guide showing you how to deactivate your Facebook profile temporarily, using an Android phone or tablet, as well as some additional information that might be of use:
Deactivating your profile through the Facebook app
In case you want to deactivate a Facebook account temporarily, just follow these simple steps:
- Load the Facebook application on your device, and sign in if necessary.
- On the homepage, press the hamburger menu (three-line icon).
- Near the end of the page, press Settings & Privacy and then press Settings.
- Scroll until you locate the ‘Your Facebook Information’ segment. Here, choose Account Ownership and Control, and then press Deactivation and Deletion.
- Now, make sure that the circle beside the Deactivate Account option is checked. Then, press the blue Continue to Account Deactivation button.
- Here, you will be asked to type in your password for confirmation. Enter it, and then click Continue.
- Then, choose a reason for deactivating your profile, and press Continue once again.
- A page with potential alternative options will then appear. Read through them, and then press Continue once more.
- Finally, click on Deactivate My Account.
What will happen when you deactivate your profile?
When you make a decision to deactivate your Facebook account, your profile will no longer be visible to other people, although your friends and any group members might still see old messages you’ve sent or posts you’ve made.
You will also be able to continue using the Messenger app, even after account deactivation, but you might not be able to sign in to other apps and services using your Facebook log-in information.
Reactivating your Facebook account
Whenever you wish to reactivate your Facebook account at some point in the future, you can do so by simply signing in with your old log-in information (phone number or e-mail address and password). The Facebook profile will immediately be restored, completely intact.
And that’s it! Even though you might need to go through a couple of tedious extra steps while Facebook is trying to convince you not to make this decision, you can still deactivate your profile on Facebook in a matter of minutes while using an Android device.
