Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 1 billion monthly active users. It comes pre-installed on many Android devices and is deeply integrated into the Facebook platform. But what happens if you decide to uninstall Messenger from your phone?
Why Would You Want to Uninstall Messenger?
There are a few reasons why someone may want to uninstall Messenger:
- To free up space on your phone – Messenger can take up a significant amount of storage space.
- Privacy concerns – Some people prefer not to have Facebook services on their device due to privacy reasons.
- Messaging consolidation – If you use multiple messaging apps, you may want to remove some to simplify.
- Performance issues – In some cases, Messenger has been known to cause battery or performance problems.
- Don’t use it often – If you rarely use the app, you may decide it’s not worth keeping.
What Data is Removed During Uninstall?
When you uninstall Messenger, all data stored locally by the app will be removed, including:
- Your Messenger contacts list and conversations – All chat history will be erased.
- Media files sent/received on Messenger – Photos, videos, voice messages, etc.
- Messenger settings and preferences.
- Cached data used by Messenger.
- Any Messenger widgets on your home screen will be removed.
However, your Facebook account and data will remain intact. Contacts made through your Facebook profile will still be there if you reinstall Messenger.
How to Backup Messenger Before Uninstalling
If you want to save your Messenger data before uninstalling, there are a couple of options:
- Back up chats – On Android, you can back up your Messenger chats by going to Settings > Chats > Chat backup. You can save chats to Google Drive or local storage. On iOS, chats are automatically saved via iCloud.
- Export chat history – Using the Messenger desktop app, you can export your chat history to a downloadable HTML or JSON file.
- Media files – Manually save photos, videos or audio files you want to keep by downloading them from Messenger chats.
Backing up your data can make it easier to restore if you later reinstall Messenger.
How to Uninstall Messenger
The process to uninstall Messenger is straightforward:
- Open your phone’s Settings app.
- Go to Apps (or Application Manager on some devices).
- Find and select Facebook Messenger in the app list.
- Tap Uninstall.
- Confirm that you want to uninstall Messenger when prompted.
Here are some screenshots showing the uninstall process on an Android device:
What Happens When Messenger is Uninstalled?
Once you uninstall Messenger, here’s what will take place:
- The Messenger app will be removed from your phone.
- Any Messenger home screen shortcuts will disappear.
- Your Messenger notifications will stop.
- Chats and history stored locally on your phone will be erased.
- You won’t be able to open Messenger links in emails or texts.
- You will be logged out of Messenger on that device.
However, your Facebook account and profile will remain active. You can still access Facebook and messages through the main Facebook app or website.
If you used Messenger as your primary messaging app, you’ll need to replace it with a different chatting app to stay in touch with those contacts.
What You Can Still Do After Uninstalling Messenger
Although the Messenger app will be removed from your phone, you can still do a few messaging functions without it:
- Send and receive Facebook messages – You can access your conversations by using Facebook’s native messaging through the Facebook app or website.
- Receive Messenger notifications – You’ll get notifications for new Facebook messages on your phone and can reply from the notification.
- Message Facebook friends – You can message friends who also use Facebook messaging (not Messenger-only users).
However, without the Messenger app installed, your messaging abilities will be limited.
Reinstalling Messenger After Uninstall
If after uninstalling Messenger you change your mind, reinstalling it is easy. Just follow these steps:
- On your phone, open the Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS).
- Search for “Facebook Messenger”.
- Tap Install to download Messenger again.
- Once installed, log into Messenger with your Facebook account.
When you reinstall Messenger and log in, here’s what will happen:
- All your Facebook friends will be re-added as Messenger contacts.
- You’ll have access to new messages sent after uninstall.
- Past Messenger chat history won’t be restored (unless you backed up chats before uninstalling).
- You’ll have to re-customize Messenger settings and preferences.
So you can pick back up with Messenger where you left off, but will lose any local data that wasn’t saved from before.
Conclusion
Uninstalling the Messenger app removes the app from your mobile device and deletes any local data stored by Messenger. However, your Facebook account remains intact. You can still message Facebook friends through the Facebook app or website, but lose access to Messenger-only contacts. Reinstalling Messenger will allow you to access new messages, but past Messenger chat history won’t be restored unless properly backed up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does uninstalling Messenger delete my Facebook account?
No, uninstalling Messenger does not affect your Facebook account. Your profile and friends will remain available on Facebook.
Can I regain my previous Messenger chats if I reinstall?
No, any previous Messenger conversations and local data will be permanently deleted after uninstalling. The only way to regain chat history is if you manually backed it up before uninstalling.
What about my Messenger contacts? Are they deleted?
Your contacts made through your Facebook friends list will remain as Facebook contacts. However, any Messenger-only contacts not added through Facebook will be removed when you uninstall Messenger.
Can I access my Messenger messages online after uninstalling?
No, after uninstalling the Messenger app you will not be able to access any Messenger chats through the website. However, you can still access regular Facebook messages online.
If I reinstall Messenger, will my chat history reappear?
Unfortunately no. When you reinstall Messenger, you will start fresh without any of your previous local Messenger data. Make sure to back up chats before uninstalling if you want to restore them later.
Key Takeaways
- Uninstalling Messenger removes the app from your device and erases local data, but doesn’t affect your Facebook account.
- Back up chats, media, and settings before uninstalling if you want to restore them later.
- After uninstalling, you lose access to Messenger-only contacts and chats.
- You can still use Facebook messaging without Messenger, but with limited functionality.
- Reinstalling Messenger starts you fresh, with no past chat history unless you backed it up.