How to uninstall Facebook Home from your current phone

By Phil Nickinson
last updated

Want to remove Facebook Home from your phone? Maybe you tried it and it's just not for you? It's OK. It's pretty easy to get Facebook Home off your phone, and it only takes a few seconds.

(In fact, kudos to Facebook for making the process so simple.)

You can safely and easily remove Facebook Home from your current phone without losing anything. The normal Facebook app will still be there. You won't lose any chats, or any of your e-mail or contacts. Removing Facebook Home simply means you're going back to whatever "launcher" (that's the name for the home screens and app drawer on your phone) you were using before.

It's quick and easy, and we'll walk you through it.

How to remove Facebook Home from your phone

If you simply no longer want to use Facebook Home, all you need to do is this: Go to the "Facebook Home Settings" in Facebook Home. You can get their by pressing the Menu button on your phone, and then pressing the appropriate button.

Next, tap "Turn off Facebook Home." (Just like in the picture at the top of this post.) You'll be asked to confirm that you want to turn off Facebook Home and then ... Nothing will appear to have happened.

That's not actually the case, though. The next time you press the Home button on your phone, you'll be presented with the "Complete action using ..." box (seen here) that you first saw when you set up Facebook Home. Choose anything other than "Home" -- chances are you'll have one other option -- and then choose "Always," and you'll no longer be using Facebook Home.

How to uninstall Facebook Home completely

Up until now, we've only quit using Facebook Home. The application itself is still on your phone. To get rid of it completely, you'll need to uninstall it. 

On Samsung phones, go into your app drawer, and find the page with Facebook Home. Now press the menu button, and choose "Uninstall." Then press Facebook Home (it should have a little red minus symbol on it), and it'll be uninstalled. Easy.

Just be sure you uninstall "Home" and not the other Facebook app -- or anything else you want to keep around.

The other way is to go to the phone's settings section, then "Application Manager." Scroll down to "Home" -- not "Facebook Home" -- tap it, and then choose uninstall.

Now you have completely removed Facebook Home from your phone.

Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson
38 Comments
  • Umm, say way any other app is uninstalled?
  • lol, I was thinking the same thing.
  • Phil today really acts like he works for CNET
  • well considering that the type of people to download facebook home is the average "dumb" user, its not surprising to see phil doing an explanation for such simple procedures. heck, i cant even count the number of times a dumb android user would come to me asking me really stupid questions. :P
  • The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. - Stephen Hawking
    But go ahead and feel superior.
  • I'm glad Phil makes these videos for those who are not l33t hax0rz. Most phone users just want a functional phone and don't want to have to worry about how to uninstall stuff.
  • God forbid you buy one of the premium high-end smartphones required for this and have to actually learn how to uninstall something!
  • I really hope Android Central doesn't miss the opportunity to post a wonderful satire piece on "How to Not Install Facebook Home if You're Generally Not Interested" because everybody has an opinion in this place...
  • I did it the easy way by going to Google Play and click "uninstall". Am I missing something in that simplicity?
  • That's what I was thinking. Uninstalling via Google Play is far simpler. Or if you wish you could install one of those Launcher Switcher apps so you can try different launchers on the fly.
  • I didn't get it. It's a faster way to keep it off the phone.
  • Not enough Facebook Home articles...WE WANT MOAR WE WANT MOAR!
  • Why is facebook home getting so much attention? Lol. Isnt the uninstall process just like any other launcher??
  • Yes.  But this application's user-base isn't likely to be. Remember your first day with an Android phone -- that's how a lot of people (happily) are. To them, it's just a phone. These types of articles help them, and they don't have to wade through a series of links to forums or other places to get help.   We like to help. :) I know I can't inb4 my own post, but inb4 "I knew everything from day 1!!!!!"
  • But I DID know everything from day 1... ...thanks to Android Central. ^_^
  • But are the application's user-base likely to be reading Android Central?
  • Jerry...this app's user base you refer to wouldn't be reading this site. As few downloads as there have been, the apparently don't know about it. Either that, or your stereotype is just that Not to mention...if they were smart enough to install it, they know how to uninstall it. This site has become so lame.
  •  
  • Amazing reply Jerry, I wish so many more would realize this...
  • Yeah because this site couldn't possibly receive traffic from people googling "How to remove Facebook home" by this article. No that couldn't be possible. This apps user base apparently aren't familiar with Google either.
  • Somebody Googling how to uninstall an app...now that's some funny shit.
  • Now I just need an app to find local Hookers and Blow = P
  • a great many users will end up with this app, not because they installed it themselves, but rather someone they know will tell them about it/install it for them. Give Jerry a break. This site provides a service to all android users, not just the technically inclined.
    Getting the information up there now, rather than later, may just stem off some of the people having to ask how to do it, and also bring more traffic to the site in the long run, resulting in a better educated Android community in general.
  • +1 It's good to be thorough and clear.
  • Pssst.... If you don't think this alone will drive people to the answer (and informative and w/ video) that they are looking for than you are missing how people use computers/phones ( https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+uninstall+facebook+home )
  • Or...you could just stop treating your readers like babies.
  • I'd try the app out, except I'm still on a weeklong self-imposed Facebook sabbatical. Sometimes you just need to be reminded that you did, in fact, have a life before Facebook. And to those who criticize the articles here...perhaps you should start your own website and do it better than AC. Or maybe just shut up.
  • looks like I don't get to install this to evaluate it. Apparently Facebook Home isn't compatible with any of my devices. Was going to load it on the N7 for the GF to try out, but no go there either.
  • In all the articles on Facebook Home today, no one has seemed to comment on the actual launcher itself. I installed it just to see if it might be a more visually appealing way to see my feed than the app, but it really wasn't. The backgrounds are zoomed-in cropped portrait orientation views of the pictures so 1) pictures uploaded at low quality look terrible in full screen 2) pictures in landscape orientation are cut off, so for example you can't read captions of those silly photo memes (and the launcher does not re-orient to landscape when you turn the phone) 3) there is only a single photo represented for an uploaded album and 4) there are no thumbnail previews for videos and links. At the same time, you lose your home screen widgets and shortcuts. The only appeal I can see is the Chatheads feature and other things related to messaging, but Facebook is not my messaging platform of choice. I know Facebook has a large user base, but I would be surprised if there are a large number of Android users who would use this as their main launcher.
  • With regard to Chatheads I believe that feature is incorporated in the Messaging app and not Home. I've been reading most users praising FB Messaging over Home simply for that reason.
  • Got it up and running on a Nexus 4. Keeping it installed and making Nova launcher by default makes Facebook Home the default lock screen. Interesting. Not the best but interesting. Resulting battery life TBD.
  • Wow, just wow. A site like AC needs to not only cater to the advanced android users but also the beginners. Some people like my mother wanted to get a really nice phone so their son (me) went to the store with that person and helped them pick out a new Nexus phone. The problem is the people like my mother have never used android so I make sure I put a bookmark on her phone to Android Central so she can read and learn about her phone. I say Kudos to Android Central for keeping in mind that not every reader of the site is as advanced as some of the other readers. I also thank you for these kinds of articles because they save me having to teach people like my mother how to do this kind of stuff.
  • Most of you trolls COMPLETELY freakin' missed the point of this article! 4:17pm Phil Nickinson - "How to install Facebook Home..."
    6:58pm Phil Nickinson - "How to uninstall Facebook Home..." Unclench your elitist butt cheeks for a couple of seconds and enjoy the subtle humor.
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  • I want an easy way to get rid of all traces of Facebook from my phone. Why does that thing have to take up my valuable space? Twit-ter, also.
  • Only if you un install it on the HTC First.
    You can only disable it.
    It Does miss the point of the phone, But would make a great phone, with stock Android, with minimal bloatware....
  • I tried out facebook home just to see what it was like (ugly, stupid, etc). So I uninstalled it immediately. Just the way you uninstall any other app. It's no longer in my list of applications anywhere. Yet when I open my phone sometimes it is stuck on facebook home. It kind of goes back and forth between whether it is going to use FB home or go launcher. It's still in there somewhere and when I go to the play store it's still marked as "installed". I'm not a dumb smartphone user. I would say I'm not an advanced user, but I have rooted various phones (not this one) and installed mods, etc. I have customized my phone pretty much, so I understand how to "uninstall" facebook home. It's just not doing it.
  • Phil TALKS TO DAMN FAST ... THIS IS WORTHLESS ... ive listen to the DAMN THING 7 times and THE SMART ASS IS A "WORTHLESS *******" WHO TALKS TO FAST ... Adults ALSO Buy your PHONES ... OR DID ... :/