The Facebook news feed shows you updates about your friends, family, groups, and pages that you follow. It automatically populates with new stories as your connections add content. While the news feed can be informative and entertaining, you may find it distracting or overwhelming at times. Fortunately, there are a few different ways to stop the Facebook news feed from automatically updating on your iPhone.
Turn Off Notifications for the Facebook App
One easy way to stop the constant stream of Facebook notifications is to turn off notifications for the Facebook app on your iPhone. Here is how to do it:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on “Notifications”.
- Scroll down and select Facebook.
- Toggle off notifications for the following categories:
- Allow Notifications
- Show in Notification Center
- Sounds
- Badge App Icon
With notifications turned off, your iPhone will no longer alert you to new Facebook notifications. This means you can check Facebook on your own terms rather than constantly being interrupted.
Use Airplane Mode
Another simple trick is to enable Airplane Mode on your iPhone to block all incoming data. Here is how it works:
- Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone screen to open Control Center.
- Tap on the Airplane icon to enable Airplane Mode.
When Airplane Mode is on, all network connectivity will be disabled. This includes Wi-Fi, cellular data, and Bluetooth. As a result, the Facebook app will not be able to load new stories or send you push notifications.
The downside to this method is that you will lose internet connectivity completely while Airplane Mode is enabled. You will not be able to access any apps that require an internet connection. It is best used for short periods when you want to completely disconnect.
Temporarily Disable the Facebook App
If you don’t want to completely lose internet access, you can just temporarily disable the Facebook app. Here are the steps:
- Go to your iPhone Settings.
- Tap on “General”.
- Select “Background App Refresh”.
- Locate Facebook and toggle it off.
This will prevent the Facebook app from updating in the background while you are not actively using it. The news feed will stop auto-refreshing, allowing you to check it manually whenever you choose to open Facebook.
Restrict App Usage
A more advanced option is to restrict your Facebook app usage by setting limits and downtime in Screen Time. To set it up:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time.
- Tap “App Limits”.
- Select “Add Limit” and choose Facebook.
- Set the time limit for how long you can access Facebook per day.
You can also configure downtime to completely block app access during scheduled hours like sleeping or working.
With these restrictions in place, your iPhone will lock you out of the Facebook app when you exceed your daily allotted time or try to access it during downtime hours.
Delete the Facebook App
The most permanent solution is to delete the Facebook app from your iPhone altogether. Here is how to uninstall it:
- Locate the Facebook app icon on your iPhone home screen.
- Press and hold the Facebook icon until the icons start to jiggle.
- Tap the “X” that appears in the corner of the Facebook app icon.
- Confirm that you want to delete the app.
Once deleted, the Facebook app will no longer be accessible from your home screen. This means you won’t be able to open it or receive any notifications from Facebook.
Of course, you can always reinstall the Facebook app from the App Store if you change your mind later on. But if you need an extended break from the constant stream of Facebook updates, uninstalling the app is the best solution.
Use Facebook Website Instead of App
If you don’t want to fully delete the Facebook app, consider using Facebook through the mobile website instead at facebook.com.
The advantage of using the website is that you’ll avoid push notifications and you won’t have the app icon visible on your home screen tempting you to check it constantly. But you’ll still be able to access Facebook from the Safari web browser on your own schedule.
To make this easier, you can bookmark the Facebook mobile site or add it to your home screen for quick access:
- Go to facebook.com in Safari.
- Tap the “Share” icon.
- Select “Add to Home Screen”.
- Name it “Facebook” and tap “Add”.
Now you’ll have a dedicated Facebook web app on your home screen that you can use to access Facebook without all the distractions of the native app.
Adjust News Feed Settings
If you don’t want to completely eliminate the news feed, you can keep the Facebook app and adjust your News Feed Preferences instead. This allows you to customize what types of updates you see.
To access your News Feed Preferences on iPhone:
- Open the Facebook app and tap the three-line “hamburger” menu.
- Scroll down and choose “Settings & Privacy”.
- Go to Settings > News Feed Preferences.
- Adjust the stories you see by prioritizing friends, groups, pages and more.
Some specific settings that can help reduce noise include:
- Turning off notifications from people or groups.
- Seeing fewer posts from friends, groups, or pages.
- Seeing fewer videos and ads.
- Completely hiding posts with specific words or phrases.
Take some time to customize your News Feed so you only see the types of posts you want. This allows you to reduce distractions while still keeping the news feed available on your own terms.
Try a Different Facebook View
Facebook offers several alternative views that focus more on connecting with friends rather than endless scrolling. Give these views a try for a less distracting experience:
Most Recent Feed
Switch to viewing your posts in chronological order rather than algorithmically ranked. You can access this under News Feed Preferences > Most Recent.
Favorites Feed
Only see posts from your favorite people and groups. Customize your Favorites list under News Feed Preferences.
Friend List Feeds
Sort your News Feed by friend lists you create like “Close Friends” or “Family”. Configure these lists under News Feed Preferences.
Pages Feed
View posts just from pages you follow in a dedicated feed. Access this under the Menu > Pages.
Groups Feed
Similar to Pages, this feed shows posts just from groups you joined. Find it under Menu > Groups.
Events Feed
Get updates about events and invites in one place under Menu > Events.
Birthdays Feed
See upcoming birthdays and send well wishes to friends. Located under Menu > Events > Birthdays.
Conclusion
If the Facebook News Feed has become overwhelming, there are many ways to stop auto-updating stories on your iPhone app. The easiest options include turning off notifications, restricting app time, or deleting the app. But you can also disable background refreshing, access Facebook via the web, customize your News Feed, or try alternate feeds. With a few simple tweaks, you can control your Facebook experience and avoid feeling distracted or stressed by the endless news feed.