Internet Marketing Driver

  • GSQi Home
  • About Glenn Gabe
  • SEO Services
    • Algorithm Update Recovery
    • Technical SEO Audits
    • Website Redesigns and Site Migrations
    • SEO Training
  • Blog
    • Web Stories
  • Contact GSQi

How to Remove Mobile Contacts and Phone Numbers from Facebook [Android Instructions]

August 18, 2011 By Glenn Gabe

Share
Tweet
Share
Email

**Update, January 2012**
I have updated this post based on recent changes to Facebook. Due to the introduction of Timeline, the process for removing your mobile contacts has changed. And yes, it’s harder to find now (which isn’t shocking since we’re talking about Facebook. :) Follow the updated instructions below to remove your mobile contacts from Facebook.
**

Last week, yet another Facebook privacy issue hit the scene. Actually, it has been around for a while, but was just brought to everyone’s attention last week. This time users learned that there was a good chance all of their mobile contacts had been synced (and uploaded) to their Facebook accounts, including the phone numbers of those contacts. The sync functionality was opt-out, and not opt-in, which is absolutely ridiculous. It was somewhat disturbing to see all my mobile contacts sitting in Facebook, including all of their phone numbers. Again, that functionality has been live for some time now (years), but was somewhat hidden in the interface. That caused many people, including myself, to not realize what was going on.

Wait, But I’m Not Friends With Them on Facebook!
I started noticing certain issues before the news was released by major blogs and publications. The reason is simple. Facebook started showing profile information in my right sidebar of people I wasn’t friends with on Facebook, but did know via business (people that were in my mobile contacts). It struck me as really odd… For example, how did Facebook know I was connected with them at all?? That’s either a pretty darn robust algorithm, or they have additional information. Well, Facebook did have additional information, which was a list of my mobile contacts that had been synced with my Facebook account! Although this was disturbing, it unfortunately wasn’t shocking given Facebook’s history with privacy issues.

Remove My Mobile Contacts Please
After the issue was uncovered and friends started telling friends that they should remove their mobile contacts from Facebook, reality hit. Nobody knew how to do it. This was brilliant for Facebook, which would love to keep your contacts in their system. Think about it, Facebook now had access to the contact information of millions of people, some of which weren’t on Facebook. They could also use that information to help members grow their following and connections on the massive social network, which could end up impacting advertising revenue. Think about it… there would be more inventory and opportunities to display advertising.

Some instructions popped up across the web, but most referenced how iPhone owners could turn off syncing via their Facebook mobile app. There simply weren’t great instructions for Android owners. Some instructions I read simply said, “turn off sync in your mobile app”. The problem was that the Facebook Android app doesn’t have a sync option. Given what I do for a living, I had several people ping me for accurate instructions, since they were still seeing their mobile contacts on Facebook (with phone numbers). That’s after going through the removal process that Facebook provided on the site. Again, to be fair, Facebook did state that you should turn off “sync” before clicking the remove button on its site. The problem was that many people didn’t know how to turn off sync.

A Step by Step Android Tutorial for Removing Imported Mobile Contacts from Facebook
The confusion I’ve seen and heard with Android owners is why I wrote this post. My hope is that you can follow the steps below and feel confident that your mobile contacts will stay on your mobile phone, and not find their way to Facebook (where they can be used a number of ways by the social network). Without further ado, here are the steps you can take to remove your mobile contacts and phone numbers.

1a. Turn Off Sync on Your Android Phone
Facebook states you need to turn off syncing on your mobile phone before using the page on its site to remove your contacts. But where is the “sync” option on your Android phone? Good question and I finally found the option after digging around. The option is not in your Facebook mobile app, which would be the logical place… Instead, it’s in your Android settings, under Accounts and Sync. But it gets more complicated than that. When I went into these settings, I saw several accounts that were syncing, but not Facebook. That’s strange and could be the issue that others were running into when trying to remove their mobile contacts.

I ended up adding my Facebook account in “Accounts and Sync”, and then making sure that sync was off. Then I went and removed my mobile contacts from Facebook. This worked for me.

1b. Access Your “Sync” Settings
On your Android phone, tap your menu, then tap “Settings”, and then “Accounts and Sync”

How To Access Sync Options on Android Apps

2. Disable “Sync” for Facebook
If Facebook is listed, tap the icon to bring up its settings. Make sure “Sync Contacts” is turned off. You can also turn off “Sync Calendar” as well.

Facebook Sync Account on Android

Facebook Sync Options on Android

3. Add a Facebook Account (if needed) and Then Disable Sync
If Facebook is not listed, then click “Add Account” to add it to the list. Then make sure that “Sync Contacts” is turned off. You should now be set from a mobile phone standpoint.

Facebook Sync Add Account on Android

Updated Instructions, Based on the Release of Timeline
4. Access Your Contacts on Facebook
Log into Facebook, click the “Friend Requests” icon at the top of the screen, then “Find Friends”.

Access Mobile Contacts on Facebook

5. Manage Imported Contacts
Then click “Manage Imported Contacts” in the upper right-hand corner. Your contacts will be displayed (including both Facebook friends and mobile contacts that were uploaded). You might see all of their phone numbers at this point. Don’t worry, we’re about to remove your imported contacts.

Access Facebook Contact Information

6. Remove Imported Contacts From Your Mobile Phone
Now you should see a mention about removing your imported contacts. Click the link, which will take you to a page with the option to remove your mobile contacts.

How to Remove Imported Contacts From Facebook

7. The Remove Button
Go through the process of removing your contacts by clicking the “Remove” button. Once you click the button, Facebook will tell you that your contacts are in the process of being removed, and that it can take a while. This is normal.

Confirm You Want to Remove Imported Contacts From Facebook

8. Receive Confirmation and Check Your Contacts
You should receive a message from Facebook that your mobile contacts have been removed. That said, you should check your contacts again to make sure those contacts have been removed. Note, you will still see your Facebook friends listed, including their phone numbers. You cannot control what they are sharing, so don’t automatically think the process didn’t work. If you don’t want your mobile phone number to show up, then you should remove it from your profile (by clicking the “Home” link in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, then clicking the “Account Settings” link, and then clicking the “Mobile” link in the left side options). You will be able to remove your mobile number at this point.

Congratulations, you have successfully removed your mobile contacts from Facebook!

Summary – Keep an Eye on Your Information
If you followed this tutorial, then you have a good chance at keeping your mobile contacts safe from Facebook (including their phone numbers). Unfortunately, there are stories every day about privacy issues with social networks, so it’s important you keep up to date on the changes. This specific issue has been around for a long time, but finally was revealed. I don’t know about you, but I think we are quickly heading to a time when the idea of “social networking privacy” is a misnomer. Until then, hang on as tight as you can to your information, your contacts, etc. If you don’t, then there are a thousand ways it can be used by various businesses. Some for good reasons, and others for bad reasons. Let’s try and minimize the bad.

GG

Share
Tweet
Share
Email

Filed Under: Android, facebook, privacy, security

Comments

  1. Ellie Naill says

    May 30, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    Worked! Thanks!

    • Glenn Gabe says

      October 15, 2012 at 10:37 am

      Awesome, glad it worked for you. :)

  2. Dennis says

    September 18, 2012 at 5:44 pm

    God bless you for this information!!!!!!!!!
    Hallelujah!!!!

    • Glenn Gabe says

      December 3, 2012 at 10:12 am

      LOL, no problem. I know it can be frustrating. :)

  3. Nolwenn says

    October 5, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    Saved my life (kind of), it was driving me crazy !
    However, I don’t see the «sync» option in my Facebook App so I can turn it off (I am using an iPhone), do you know where it is (please, answer on my email so you are sure to reach me, thanks) ?

  4. miro says

    October 14, 2012 at 7:34 am

    This info is so useful
    BUT
    1-Is there any chance to see these contacts on facebook ?. i mean using the new mobile find friends app with their contacts from your address book, u get to see a lot of people. i don’t recognize them! is there a chance that i can see the name saved on my phone with the facebook profile !
    2- if i delete all uploaded contacts as you directed here, would they be able to see me when searching ?
    Thanksss

    • Glenn Gabe says

      October 15, 2012 at 10:37 am

      Miro, I don’t believe removing the contacts will impact others having you as a contact. They should be able to still see you.

      Regarding your first question, I’m not sure I follow. Removing the contacts will remove them from your imported contacts in Facebook. When you say “I don’t recognize them”, what are you referring to?

      GG

  5. BusyB says

    November 12, 2012 at 7:15 am

    Thanks for this updated version. This is the only tutorial I could find that showed how to remove contacts in the latest version of Facebook. Brilliant!

    I had recently downloaded my data from FB and saw to my horror that they had my entire mobile phone address book despite my best efforts no to let the app sync it. Thankfully the numbers are all deleted now!

    • Glenn Gabe says

      November 12, 2012 at 3:01 pm

      Hey, great to hear my tutorial helped you. I’m going to try and keep this resource up to date, if possible. And I totally understand how you felt when you realized Facebook had your entire mobile address book. Not cool. :)

  6. Miguel says

    December 3, 2012 at 1:07 am

    My problem is opposite… my phone downloaded all my facebook contacts into my address book on my phone…Now I have over 1000 listings in my address book with no numbers because of course I don’t know all my FB friends in real life… is there a way to take out those imported contacts from facebook from my phone?

  7. Glenn Gabe says

    December 3, 2012 at 10:15 am

    Interesting problem. Have you successfully removed mobile contacts from Facebook, and unsynced your account (on your phone)?

Connect with Glenn Gabe today!

RSS Latest Blog Posts

  • How to compare hourly sessions in Google Analytics 4 to track the impact from major Google algorithm updates (like broad core updates)
  • It’s all in the (site) name: 9 tips for troubleshooting why your site name isn’t showing up properly in the Google search results
  • Google Explore – The sneaky mobile content feed that’s displacing rankings in mobile search and could be eating clicks and impressions
  • Bing Chat in the Edge Sidebar – An AI companion that can summarize articles, provide additional information, and even generate new content as you browse the web
  • The Google “Code Red” That Triggered Thousands of “Code Reds” at Publishers: Bard, Bing Chat, And The Potential Impact of AI in the Search Results
  • Continuous Scroll And The GSC Void: Did The Launch Of Continuous Scroll In Google’s Desktop Search Results Impact Impressions And Clicks? [Study]
  • How to analyze the impact of continuous scroll in Google’s desktop search results using Analytics Edge and the GSC API
  • Percent Human: A list of tools for detecting lower-quality AI content
  • True Destination – Demystifying the confusing, but often accurate, true destination url for redirects in Google Search Console’s coverage reporting
  • Google’s September 2022 Broad Core Product Reviews Update (BCPRU) – The complexity and confusion when major algorithm updates overlap

Web Stories

  • Google's December 2021 Product Reviews Update - Key Findings
  • Google's April 2021 Product Reviews Update - Key Points For Site Owners and Affiliate Marketers
  • Google's New Page Experience Signal
  • Google's Disqus Indexing Bug
  • Learn more about Web Stories developed by Glenn Gabe

Archives

  • July 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • GSQi Home
  • About Glenn Gabe
  • SEO Services
  • Blog
  • Contact GSQi
Copyright © 2023 G-Squared Interactive LLC. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Are you ok with this? You can always opt-out at a later time if you wish. Cookie settings ACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. You can read our privacy policy for more information.
Cookie Consent
Save & Accept