It turns out uninstalling Facebook for Android is pretty great

While it's not my favorite social network, Facebook is where I go to see photos and commentary from local friends and family I don't see every day. And it does that really well, most of the time. Recently I noticed some performance issues on multiple phones, and had started paying closer attention to what exactly was causing these problems. When Facebook turned out to be one of the more egregious resource hogs, I uninstalled it to see how things improved.

Not only did my performance issues go away entirely, but I discovered I didn't actually lose any of the Facebook features I cared about by uninstalling the app.

I have family currently very far away on military assignment, and since Facebook is their social network of choice it's the best place for me to see pictures and video of that family on a daily basis. I have Facebook set to notify whenever those family members post something, and when I uninstalled the app that I wasn't thrilled with the idea of missing out of those notifications. On the first day after uninstalling, I just kept Facebook open in a Tab on my desktop computer and checked that occasionally. Over the weekend, however, I'm not usually in my office for long. Curiosity lead me to opening Facebook in Chrome on my phone, and figured I would just refresh it occasionally to see what was happening on that social network.

It turns out Facebook's mobile browser implementation is fairly well put together. The UI is quite similar to the app, and Chrome for Android is fast enough that things like scrolling performance and load times for photos wasn't all that different either. There are no autoplaying videos as I scroll, which is awesome, and I still had the ability to switch accounts when I wanted to check in on the Android Central Facebook page. Opening links pops open a new Chrome tab by default instead of trying to load Facebook's "lightweight" WebView client. I still had the Facebook Messenger app installed, so getting messages from friends and family who only used Facebook was still happening.

Oh, right. And I was actually getting notifications through Chrome.

When you log in to Facebook on Chrome for Android, you get a little pop-up asking if you want Chrome to allow Facebook to pass notifications to you even when you don't have Chrome open. If you enable this option, your Facebook notifications show up in your notification tab as Chrome notifications. Tap the notification, and Chrome loads Facebook in a new tab for you and you're taken straight to your notifications on Facebook just like you would if the app were installed on your phone.

If you're regularly unhappy with the Facebook app on your phone, this is well worth considering.

Active Facebook users, people who enjoy all of the features and services Facebook has to offer through their apps, will notice a few things missing. Instant Articles doesn't work on Facebook's web implementation, for obvious reasons. There's no location-based functionality here, so no notifications letting you know friends have checked in somewhere. Gifs don't autoplay in Chrome, and there's no auto-like button in your notification tray when you get notified for a post. For a more casual user like me, these aren't features I miss, and I think it's great Facebook has put so much effort into their mobile implementation so users who find the app to be a little much can still have a great experience.

If you're regularly unhappy with the Facebook app on your phone, this is well worth considering. Not only does this setup meet all of my needs, but it makes me question how hard it is for other apps, services and websites — yes, including ours — to offer a better mobile browser experience. Facebook has reset my expectations for the mobile web, and it wouldn't be the worst thing ever for more people to expect more from their mobile web as well.

Russell is a Contributing Editor at Android Central. He's a former server admin who has been using Android since the HTC G1, and quite literally wrote the book on Android tablets. You can usually find him chasing the next tech trend, much to the pain of his wallet. Find him on Facebook and Twitter

424 Comments

I did this a few weeks ago and am glad I did it. Not only is it a performance hog, but it's a huge battery killer, especially in combination with the Facebook Messenger app. Opening up Amplify there were dozens of Facebook-related wakelocks and services running, many of which were some of the top services causing wakelocks on my phone.
What if I was to tell you, that there was a guy (me) that was able to go through life, happily, without ever joining Facebook? Now, what if I was to tell you, that guy (me) disabled/deleted Facebook on every new phone he got without second thought? Posted via the Android Central App
"You don't have Facebook?! Haha! What a loser weirdo!" (Neither do I. Never have. G+ is smarter.)
You had me until Google +. Now there's a worthless platform.
No Posted via the Android Central App
G+ is so much better. Posted via the Android Central App
It would be if any of my friends actually used G+
It's not for friends. It's for people who have interests.
Yes that also gets disabled!!
If you think G+ is Facebook2 then it is worthless .. to you. But G+ is awesome, it is the nowadays USENET.
That is a great way of explaining G+. Though this is coming from someone who viewed usenet through the eyes of slrn back in the day. Yes, even binaries. Multipart was fun. :)
If you are looking for Android stuff, G+ is where it's at. Posted via the Android Central App
Yea, cause everything "you" think is worthless is actually worthless. LOL
I laugh whenever I hear someone call Google+ worthless. Ignorance is bliss. Posted via the Android Central App
Exactly Posted via the Android Central App
Spotted the Google employee!
Spotted the Facebook employee. Posted via the Android Central App
Mewe.com is even better, and it's got encrypted pm,as a added feature and very light weight and not a battery hog like fakebook
What if I were to tell you that NBC did a whole hour show about someone (you) not joining Facebook, and it was the most watched episode in the universe? Posted via the GS6 Active, aka GS6 M.E. (Manly Edition)
I would say 'meh' and that I wasnt impressed. People with no friends or family dont really have a need for it. So not using the service doesnt really mean anything.
I can tell you now, if you have social skills AND friends and family you DON'T need it either. No one needs Facebook, its a pile of s**t. You don't have that interesting a life and neither do your friends. Real friends call you up and ask if you want to go out for a beer, not post of pics of them having a beer and you ain't there.
Sometimes Facebook is a necessity. Many universities created student groups for housing or for specific programmes/courses. One must have Facebook to get by in these situations. This is done because the universities recognise that Facebook has the widest reach of any social platform. Congratulations on not having been in this situation. Groups alone is enough for me to continue needing to keep my Facebook account. I realize that other services like G+ also offer similar features, but getting people to use a different platform is very, very difficult. Posted via the Android Central App
So basically you're saying that Facebook is a necessity because it exists. That perfectly summarizes useless to me. Posted via the Android Central App
This is the absolute perfect summary of social media. Seriously people, you're not that important. And neither is your life. If it was, and the people looking at your feed cared so much about you, you'd be experiencing life WITH THEM the things you're posting about. Plus, it's really starting to turn into a narcissist's platform, pictures of themselves constantly. I don't have FB, but my co-worker does and she showed hers the other day. I'm like, "do you just take pictures of yourself? Don't all your 864 'friends' know what you look like?"
OR.... they use that function of the phone rarely used anymore and actually called someone.
Exactly. Posted via the Android Central App
I did this a little while back. Let me say, after a few weeks, I looked back and realized how much stress that thing was causing me. Never again.
I used to use it daily, now I check it monthly, if that. I do use it to post before and after photos for work, simply to increase my companies presence on Google. but it's not for everyone, and other than getting the old group of college friends together once a year, I really don't have much use for it. It was a lot better when my girlfriends, and their friends, carelessly posted drunken, provocative pics partying the night before. Unfortunately those are now replaced with those same girls kids. Cute, but I don't need to see pics of little Timmy and Amanda every day!
Wow, so edgy and cool, not being on facebook. What a new idea, AND to brag about it. You are on new ground my friend, a 21st century explorer the likes of which have not been seen since the explorers of old.
Purple Zebra liked this. Posted via the Android Central App
Lololol... +1 LG G3.. waiting for Marshmallow...
And the cool thing is, you're not even smug about it. Posted via the Android Central App
I don't think anybody gives a fuq. I don't have Facebook. Never have. It's not that difficult to go without it and still keep your relationships with other human beings intact. Everybody who's ever existed has been doing that since the dawn of time, save for the last 10 years. Posted via the Android Central App
"Everybody who's ever existed has been doing that since the dawn of time, save for the last 10 years." Same thing with smartphones. Sell yours and go back to smoke signals.
How long have we had the light bulb? 125 years or so? Posted via the Android Central App
I see alot of younger people getting off crackbook because their parents are on it :) Posted via the Android Central App
Yep. I think Facebook is for middle aged people mostly now and will probably follow those people for the future. The younger generation has other apps they are using now.
Not sure why you got downvoted there, because it's true. Facebook is now actively being used by my parents and their parents generations, and I'm in my 40s (and my son does not have an account). I'm on it as well and have found some great groups of old friends, mostly for reunion purposes (online or otherwise), from college, high school, all the way to elementary school. I've even found some kindergarten friends on Facebook that I haven't seen for 30+ years. There's nothing bad about this. It's just what it is. To get back on topic though, I too don't have Facebook app installed (or have it disabled) on any of my mobile devices. I access it strictly through computer browsers. I don't need to have it accessible all the time.
Unfortunately your opinions don't trump data. E.g. http://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/#facebook "In fact, Facebook data shows that the 18–24 age range is still the biggest demographic using the site.
87% of adults 18–29 use Facebook.
73% of adults 30–49 use Facebook.
63% of adults 50–64 use Facebook.
56% of adults 65+ use Facebook.
Facebook also seems to skew more heavily toward women, with 77% of adult females on the site and 66% adult males."
Nice post. Posted via the Android Central App from my Nexus 6 or Pixel C.
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/100215/twitter-vs-facebook-... "As of 2015, 72% of online American adults use Facebook. The site is especially popular among online women, 77% of whom are users of the site. In addition, 82% of online adults between 18 to 29 use Facebook, along with 79% of those 30 to 49, 64% of those 50 to 64 and 48% of those 65 and older. While its user base is dominated by those over 25, Facebook still has over 50 million users under the age of 25. Facebook is more popular with middle-aged adults than other social networks. In the U.S., the average monthly active user of Facebook was 40 years old in 2014. "
Yeah, but I bet if they collected stats for Under 18's, they'd discover a sharp decline in penetration. Most of the kids in that generation might have a Facebook account, but they barely touch it. All the kids I meet use apps like Snap Chat. Posted via the Android Central App
Most young teens these days don't have a facebook, or maybe have one but never use it. Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are the most popular social media apps for them.
That's correct the kids use ramble, moonlight, fresco etc. You have not heard?
I keep Facebook for friends, family, and for event invites from some non-tech groups I'm a part of. Almost everyone has a Facebook so it's the most convenient way to connect with people and send out invites. I don't know a single person who uses G+. I've tried to use it many times but Facebook/Twitter are just better for me.
"Most young teens these days don't have a facebook" "Almost everyone has a Facebook" Contradict yourself often?
Hmm, wasn't aware most people are teens. Posted via the Android Central App
Surely if most teens weren't using Facebook then the statement "Almost everyone has a Facebook" would be false. Teens make up a very large portion of the population in the US, even more so in developing countries.
Teens make up about 9% of the population, and because of the dropping birth rate, that % will continue to decrease for the forseeable future.
9% is a good chunk and its bigger in developing countries.
What if I told you that there were people (most) who don't care what you use or don't use? Posted via the Android Central App
What if I was to tell you, that both my old relatives living miles away and my school clubs interact primarily through facebook? Or that it's a good way to stay in touch with friends who live across the country! Shock! I don't understand the anti-facebook crowd. I totally understand the many valid reasons for disliking and not using Facebook, but no need to act condescending or superior due to it. You don't need facebook; great! Plenty of other people use it to talk with families or coordinate events, because it simply offers an excellent platform for doing so. Posted via the Android Central App
"What if I was ..." What if I were to telk you that the subjunctive mood lives?
@greenmachine... I'd say you're not alone.
Good for you. Do you want a cookie?
i'd be "like" who cares?
Facebook is so 2010.
Just go to ELLO and be done with it :-)
What if I were to tell you I am that same guy!!
... I used to be like you. It was amazing. Then one day I decided to sign up - needless to say, I wished I hadn't. Posted via the Android Central App
Isn't it weird how people have different life situations and experiences and, therefore, different technology needs? Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your self-congratulatory anti-Facebook public masturbation.
**** yourself sheeple
but the article is not about you ...
Same, but it seems like you woke up all the narcissists and slacktivists.
Me too! I stopped using facebook about 3 years ago. Don't miss it at all. I'm wondering if iPhone users experience the same thing with their facebook app as the author here did?
Hey! I found him. It's the guy that tells me that in every comment section on every article posted about Facebook.
The sad part is people like us who do this are instantly viewed as serial killers when in reality all facebook users are just narcissists.
Wow, you're edgy. You're raging against the machine, here.
^^^^ THIS...This...So much this. Once I uninstalled Wastebook, I got my battery to stay charged for at least 8 hours. With Facebook (yes, even with notifications turned off), my phone was dead by lunchtime.
Sounds like you have a pos phone...I have Facebook, use it, and have notifications turned on and I have ZERO issues getting through the day. But then again...who really gives a f*@k either way...Facebook still sucks, whichever way you go...
I was picking up over 200+ wakelocks an hour from the Facebook app over a year ago. I will NEVER install it again. Facebook's Messenger is almost as bad, and I would promptly be rid of its garbage if it wasn't the easiest and fasted way to contact a few people.
I uninstalled facebook a long time ago. My battery has thanked me ever since. I also advice all my friends to uninstall facebook too when they complain about battery life. The chrome browser approach works fine for me.
I tell friends and family the same thing too. As soon as they say they have phone issues my first question is to ask them if FB is installed.
About a year ago when they updated their app to allow access to battery stats is when I deleted the app and started using the browser. Posted via the Android Central App
I've watched the battery like a hawk for years now and maybe back in 2012 this was true, but since you uninstalled Facebook for years now, how can you know its actual effect on battery? I watch my wakelocks daily as well as app drain. Facebook NEVER shows up in the top 10 (it's usually Google Apps most of the time).
Google Play Services is a huge battery killer.
They have access to your stats in there permissions.
They can change your stats in there favor or remove there use altogether. Posted via the Android Central App
Hey, is that tinfoil hat comfortable? Was eyeing one up, then I thought...nawwww, I have a life...
This was also something I did awhile ago! My phone is so much smoother as a result. If you haven't done this do it today! Posted via the Android Central App
I uninstalled it a couple weeks ago when the article came out about it purposely crashing on Android and really haven't looked back. It isn't as fluid on Chrome but it will do. Also my Nexus 5X runs much better without any Facebook apps hogging resources.
This sounds awesome. I can finally get rid of that stupid app.
I keep Messenger installed and I turned on Chrome notifications, but I may even turn those off soon. I just don't use Facebook much.
Not many people who are productive do anymore.
Giving this a go since 3 comments above left positive feedbacks. Posted via the Android Central App
Trying this now. Let's see how it goes. AT&T Galaxy Note 3
Let me know ow how it goes. I'm thinking about it too.
I must be the only person that doesn't have a problem with the Facebook app. I open it regularly, and it's never shown up on the battery stats of any of my phones. Same with Messenger.
HIPSTER POST. Wahhh, I can't use what everyone ELSE is using! I need something more obscure! Obnoxious and annoying.
How does Russell sharing a way to extend his battery life while also still using the services he uses count as obnoxious and annoying?
"While it's not my favorite social network" Unnecessary and hipster intro.
No, hipster would be putting in a Google+ reference. This was just plain honesty. Also, what's wrong with not wanting to be on a network that manipulates its users and artificially limits the reach of non-paying posts and users?
Wahh wahh wahh. Get over it. All apps do this. It's how they are served up to you free. You're not important enough to be stalked so don't worry about it. Neither am I. People who proudly announce they aren't on Facebook are the biggest douches on the planet. No one cares about you so quit with the THEY ARE SPYING ON ME BS. Facebook is the only social network that can do all of the above. Twitter is pointless (PS - fawning over celebrities is idiotic), Snapchat is just temporary pictures (WHY?!?!), Whatsapp doesn't work on anything but phones, etc etc. It doesn't take a genius to figure this all out...
Seems like you're the only one acting like a ****** here... Posted via the Android Central App
Yep. Posted via the Android Central App
You didn't read the article. This isn't about privacy. It's how the app is a resource hog. We all know about this. That's why many of us are starting to ditch it. And by it, I mean the app. Really, you're more immature than the tomato. Sorry to say this, but I hope Jerry gives you some medicine.
I wish I could use numbers as letters and be that cool.
You just wish you could be cool. But unfortunately, you're not.
I don't use FB much, granted I don't proudly advertise it, but it has nothing to do with spying. I just honestly don't care what people post on it, and I'm close enough to my circle if friends where we group text each other. If that makes me a ********* than so be it, lol ... I agree with you about Twitter, I just don't get it. Maybe if I was a writer, radio host, etc I'd get into it, but following Lebron James and Justin Beiber just doesn't interest me!
My sentiments exactly! Posted via the Android Central App
I find Twitter to be good for following my favorite authors. I like the updates about new projects.
Good god man, you're the worst. Chanting "wah wah wah" does absolutely nothing besides make you look like a brat and a troll. No one is crying, or complaining besides you. Overally, the irony of your idiocy is pretty great. Side note: None of the apps you listed are social networks.
You don't get the use of Twitter, Snapchat, etc. because you likely have no friends to use it with.
Plenty. It's just dumb. Snapchat. The photos go away. Why not just keep them like Facebook does? Twitter is just status messages and links. Why not just post them on Facebook? Whatsapp? You can only use on a phone, why not FM or text? Need I go on? If I had a friend that used Twitter more than sparingly, I would punch them in the face.
I guess you don't have any chicks sending you late night nudy pics then huh?
Well done on completely missing the point of all of those platforms. Posted via the Android Central App
+1,000! Posted via the Android Central App
I acknowledge that I don't use the app to its fullest potential, knowing that there are millions out there who do. Settle down.
U r wrong!!!111!!! ;) Posted via the Android Central App
Cool your jets son. He didn't say it sucks. He didn't even say he doesn't like it. All he said was that it's not his favorite.
When he didn't need to...but made a point to.
lol, did u forget to take your Xanax today?! Hopefully you're no older than 12-13, cause you're pretty immature. Have a nice day, son.
You didn't need to act like a troll on the boards. But you made a point to.
To me a troll says things to get a reaction. I'm giving my opinion. I would say it to you if you were sitting at the desk across from me. That's not trolling.
A troll never admits it's a troll, but you can bet that if you're called out by more than one person, you are one. Posted via the Android Central App
You need an intervention. Facebook has become your drug of choice.
Writers are required to write. This means they must use sentences at the beginning of pieces that help readers get into stories. What Russell did wasn't hipster, it was what writer are supposed to do. Perhaps you should try it.
Bloggers aren't writers. They are unemployed writers.
Bloggers aren't writers? You're silly. Posted via the Android Central App
Your mom said you need your cherry flavored enema now. It's time for you to log off.
"You're" PURE GENIUS AT WORK
No. His use of "your" was correct. Both times it was possessive, not a contraction for "you are". Correction fail.
He had "you're" in there originally, you dopes. Pay the **** attention.
No. Gator is correct.
You are mom? Haha, he used it correctly, you didn't.
"You are mom said you need you are cherry flavored enema now. It's time for you to log off." Hope this helps.
Someone forgot how to English Soft and sweet Marshmallow
Talk about a thought committing suicide!!
Sooo bloggers aren't writers, they are unemployed writers, which still makes them writers... Posted via the Android Central App
Want to know the per-requisite is for becoming a blogger? Using complete sentences. That's it.
Sooo they are still writers... Posted via the Android Central App
*prerequisite. Posted via the Android Central App
"per-requisite" PURE GENIUS AT WORK
Haha. Nice.
What? Do bloggers write? Seems that's all they do is write. I don't know many bloggers that don't write.
Can't we just let AC folks do their job without criticizing them? If you don't like the article, don't read it. AC is probably the best Android site exactly because they have different contributors who have different preferences, things that are important to them, etc. What you're doing here is pure trolling and completely unnecessary and unhelpful. Posted via the Android Central App
Leave him be. He's clearly seeking attention. And he has succeeded. Soft and sweet Marshmallow
He probably just needs to be changed. Poor little guy... Posted via the Android Central App
...that's a guy?
That's because a little over a year ago they gained access to battery stats. So they could be a horrible app and delete it from the battery stats so you never see it and think it's okay. Posted via the Android Central App
Most people who use the term "hipster" don't seem to know what it means.
I don't use Facebook heavily, maybe open it and use it once or twice a day for 5 min each time but I too have never seen it show up on my battery stats. I could be totally wrong but I don't think the Facebook app is the resource hog it used to be from years ago. Like I said, maybe I just don't use it enough to see it drain my phones battery.
TROLL POST. Seriously man, did you even read the article?
Of course I did, you dope. I know it's mainly about battery life. But the title and the other subtle digs in there bleed of "I AM TOO GOOD FOR FACEBOOK" hipsterdom. Literally, the point of this article is, "I try and use Facebook as minimally as possible, but here's another way to use it even less while saving battery life that somehow you need because you use your phone too much." We get it. You don't like Facebook because A) tinfoil or B) have no friends. Don't try and disguise it.
There are other reasons to not use Facebook, you know. Misanthropy, for example. And you are kicking mine in, you little twit. Posted via the Android Central App
Seems YOU'RE the only one who thinks that. The rest of us know how to read and don't have an agenda.
Hipster. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Nothing wrong with being a hipster regardless ^^ Posted via the Android Central App on my Frost Nexus 6P
Most of the Facebook wakelocks I don't believe trigger the usage under battery stats, and tend to simply raise the usage of Android OS. Using Amplify I had tons and long wakelocks caused by Facebook where it either didn't show or was only 1-2% under battery stats.
I dont have issues either except for their little experiments with crashes from time to time. Posted via the Android Central App
It doesn't show up as a battery killer for me either and I use it often. I'd like to know why it's so hard for them to enable a tinted status bar though...
Nah, you aren't alone. I rarely use it and have only ever seen it pop up higher on my battery chart if actually did check it more often out of boredom at work or something. I have almost all notifications turned off for it. As far as I know, no wakelocks are draining significant battery life. I'm currently using a Note 5 but I don't recall it ever being a problem on my Note 4 or HTC One before. Out of curiosity and the simple fact that I don't really need the app I may give uninstalling it a shot anyway.
Oh how right you are Russell. I added the web page to my home screen and it has the app's icon.
I've been using it through Chrome for a few months now.
Yep it works fine and looks just like you've got the app installed. Posted via the Android Central App
I can finally uninstall it? Thank goodness. I never use it anyway
I agree with this 100%. I have also noticed a performance issue due to the Facebook app, which will often use up as much as a couple hundred MG's of RAM on my phone (Droid Turbo) and Nexus 9. Not to mention the constant updates that take longer than usual to install. I have uninstalled the apps on both devices and saw a performance jump, opting to use the mobile version, and occasionally will reinstall it when I find that sharing content or checking in to a show or location takes a little longer via mobile browser / Chrome, than through the app. But I have also seen the improvement by simply removing it.
Can you only uninstall it on marshmallow? I'm on lollipop (note 4) and there's no "uninstall" option
It might be preinstalled as bloatware from your carrier, which means it can only be disabled, not uninstalled
Disabling it should accomplish the same thing though.
Most apps I disable bring me to a pop-up that asks if I want to uninstall it. Posted via the Android Central App
That "uninstall" is just uninstalling the updates of the app. The app is still there, its just disabled, if you re-enable it it will have updates for it. It's like reinstalling an operating system. Posted via the Android Central App
Maybe if you root
Facebook came pre-installed with the Note 4! Dear God Posted via the Android Central App on my Frost Nexus 6P
I've been on this train since last year, so YES. This is the way to go. Facebook has made continual updates to its webapp and you can even receive notifications on your smartwatch. You really lose almost nothing. Note 2 minor inconvenieces: posting photos is somewhat broken (but still works), and you can't easily tag friends in posts - their names don't always bring up the auto-drop down list to choose from.
There is sadly one thing you do lose, which honestly is the only reason I've even ever had the Facebook app, that's the ability to upload pictures via share directly from any other app with the share feature, without the app you have to go to the mobile page and make a post from there and find the picture, not a huge thing, but the ability to share pictures was nice.
Completely. I found this annoying to, but a minor inconvenience.
When I had the 2nd gen Moto G I didn't have it installed mainly for the reason that it takes up like 200 something MB of storage I was limited for storage on that phone and it would always bring that phone to a crawl, while I do have it on my current X I hardly use it on here, I will use it on my tablet mostly when I do so I probably need to uninstall it now lol Moto X 2014 XT1095
Nvidia Shield K1
I just may do this as well. As I look on my phone I see the Facebook app is accounting for 108 MB of storage on my phone. 40 MB for the app and 68 for the data. That's ridiculous. That is probably one of the reasons why its such a resource hog. It's ridiculous.
My FB app was over 340 MB before purging it.
Same, and I don't use it daily. Posted via the Android Central App
108 is really good for Facebook. Mine's around 300MB. Plus another 200-300 MB for Messenger.
I recently deactivated my FB account, and Tinder as it requires FB to authenticate, and uninstalled both. I needed to just disconnect. It's amazing how many times I catch myself going to click the empty spots on my home screens where those two app icons were located. 99% of the time clicking those apps was out of habit and/or boredom. Due to the frequency in which I accessed both apps, my battery life has obviously been better. I'm going to wait and see how big of an improvement after a week or two.
This is a poorly argued anecdote based on one person's experience. I have no issue with FB, and likely use it more than any other app. I end most days with 35%+ battery on my Nexus 5X. Which anecdote wins?
You'll note that nowhere in this article do I say this is the One True Way to use your phone. Lots of people are happy with Facebook, and for good reasons. You're looking for a fight when there isn't one.
People don't handle experience well Posted via the Android Central App
Russell's! Simply because he was way less of a jerk about it.
How do you know you wouldn't end up with 50% left at the end of the day if you did what the article outlines? I'm not sure how much of a battery impact the change would have but your reasoning is flawed.
Duhhhh Posted from my Nexus 6/Nexus 7 2013/Surface Pro 3
I value your intellectually stimulating contributions to every discussion on this website.
+1 Posted via the Android Central App
It wasn't giving me issues, but I uninstalled it just to give it a try. My wife seems to not have a problem with it on her 2nd Gen Moto G, so we'll see.
Really thinking about doing this since you can't sync FB contact photos to your phone contacts anymore.... Posted via the Android Central App
I sense hesitation Posted via the GS6 Active, aka GS6 M.E. (Manly Edition)
I use SyncMe for this now.
The problem is that I use a lot Facebook Messenger and I can't find a good replacement. All my friends are on Facebook so I can uninstall the Facebook app but the Messenger is must have for me. Do you have any ideea what can I use ? IM+ just has ugly UI.
Doesn't BeeJive make one? They used to be good, though not sure any more as I haven't needed to use anything but hangouts and iMessenger in for ever.
Install folio, it's a perfect replacement for Facebook. Less battery drain and more control by you Posted via the Android Central App
Disa is a good replacement by the way and is easier on battery life.
I wouldnt mind doing this, however my contacts+ widget gets its pictures from FB so i would lose my one tap phone call ability and have to go back to scrolling through my contacts to call anyone. Not sure it's worth it.
I've been doing this as well. For the few occasions when I need to use Facebook, I would rather not have to have the app installed. A little tip to make this easier, is to try the app 'Chromer'. It basically uses the chrome tabs that can be integrated into apps, but as a stand alone instance. It's kind of hard to explain, but look up the app. I have a shortcut to the Facebook mobile site on my home screen, I push it and chromer opens it quicker than loading up the full chrome app would. Posted via the Android Central App
I have Chromer too, but using the shortcut just opens the actual browser, not the custom tab. Odd. Soft and sweet Marshmallow
I think you have to have it set as your default browser. If chrome is set as default, it will open that instead. Posted via the Android Central App
It's already set as the default browser I'm not sure if Marshmallow made a difference Soft and sweet Marshmallow
Wait, I know what it is. If you open the page in chrome and add it to your home screen, it opens in chrome. I've added it to my home screen through my launcher, and it asks you how to open it then. Posted via the Android Central App
I use an app called 'more shortcuts' by ChKY to add it to my home screen. Posted via the Android Central App
That did the trick! Thanks! Soft and sweet Marshmallow
Glad to be of help! Posted via the Android Central App
Exactly what I started using a couple of weeks ago. Love how fast it loads and am now leaving an eight hour shift between 60-65% compared to about 40-50%. Still have the Facebook app and Messenger installed on the tablet but only use that at home Posted via the Android Central App
Uninstalled the Facebook app long ago. It's a storage and resource hog, at least on my Moto G 1st Gen. Bonus: you can still read messages/send messages on the mobile site, without having to install Messenger. Other data point: Facebook is also a resource hog on the desktop, at least in my experience - especially with games/apps open. My sister complained that her PC was slowing down, and the culprit was a Facebook game that Chrome showed was hogging resources. She had it coming up automatically even when she wasn't playing it. I fixed that behavior, and she hasn't complained since.
Grab the FB lite apk. I effing HATE FB, but it's a necessary evil it seems. FB LIte is so much better than the regular FB app. It uses almost NO resources when it isn't being actively used (ie: sitting in the background).
FB lite is def better than the full app, but Chrome is def faster than lite. I've tried it, lite will still stutter and lag, using 2015 MXPE. Chrome FB is the way to go on this one. Did the same with Twitter, Instagram, Vine...etc. I just bookmarked the pages and pinned it to my screen.
I think FB Lite is built for low-end phones with low-resolution screens. It's going to lag a bit if you have a big high-DPI screen since it's not built with those devices in mind.
On the FB beta here and it is a dog for sure. Have uninstalled many times and my phone has thanked me. Time to just switch to mobile. Posted via the Android Central App
Sadly I can't uninstall this crap app but I can at least disable it. Have not had FB on my primary phone for over 2yrs now. I occasionally check in on the browser and realize I am missing nothing.
Haven't used the app in over a year. Pretty sure I didn't miss out on anything. Posted via the Android Central App
How about the Facebook Lite app? (official) Have you tried?
I have not. It could well be the best of both worlds.
No, it's not. See my comment above. TLDR, stutters/laggs
Must be your phone, Get the most current version. Don't know what you're talking about re: LAG. I've been running with it for 3-4 months with no issues. Notifcations and messenger works too..
I've had good luck with Lite. The apk file size is only .5 MB. I started using it on a backup Moto E with pretty low specs. Recently replaced the full FB app with Lite on my Nexus 5x, and it works fine. Plus message threads appear within the app, as they did before FB stripped out the function and forced you to use App. It's not the best looking app, since it's designed for low spec phones in developing markets. But it works.
I have been using tinfoil for facebook for quite a while now. But I just deleted it... And so far? I think it was a good move. Using Chrome seems to be perfectly swell. Thanks for the advice. Posted via the Android Central App
Now if there was an alternative to messenger. Fb Web works but sometimes notifications don't come through. Posted via the Android Central App
Check out Tinfoil for Facebook - it is a wrapper around the mobile web version but is very security aware to protect the end user. I've been using this for ages and have never installed the Facebook app. If you use Tinfoil and want to be able to checkin you need to enable this in the Tinfoil settings.
Tinfoil development has stopped. Folio and Metal are keeping it alive on their own projects.
I gave up fighting the whole avoiding Facebook thing. Facebook is the social network of choice for friend's and family. I did my best trying to recruit people over to Hangouts/google+. I even went as far leaving a "moved to Google+" sign on my Facebook page and uninstalled Facebook all together from my phone. In the long-run I just ended up being the weirdo that disappeared. Facebook is here to stay and that's just the way it is. I also noticed that people would rather communicate with Facebook Messenger rather then send a text or email. Don't even get me started on Hangouts. Besides my girlfriend I don't know of anybody else that uses it besides Google/Tech enthusiasts. As far as phone performance is concerned I don't have any Facebook related issues or battery drain problems. Then again I'm not obsessed with battery life. If it gets low I just charge up. Simple stuff Dam It Feels Good To Be A Google Gangster
The Facebook app in recent times has always been a resource hog and an overall performance mess of Android. And I still ask myself why I still use that poor performance excuse of an app. Like it takes up 185MB on my phone. I mean, on a 32GB G4, it's not much, but the app is a pain when it comes to performance. What would drive me to uninstall is that the app keeps spamming notifications when you're offline for several hours and you just went back online. It's annoying as hell. Soft and sweet Marshmallow
I agree with Russell, I switched to using chrome only for Facebook and it's great. Now if I could do the with instagram, it would be even better. It seems all apps made or bought by Facebook use too much battery. Posted via the Android Central App
Using Chrome, you can actually see most recent stories right off the bat.
The straw that broke the camels back for me was one day years ago my phone in a screen off state lit up (this was before features like active display) and dings and tells me it was someones birthday. a random person. not even a close friend. facebook had to go
Lol Posted via the Android Central App
I actually can't get notifications from the mobile site. I don't know why. Is it a thing that is still rolling out? Or is there something I'm doing wrong? I've not had the pop up when logging in. I have gone to my Facebook account setting > notifications, but there is not option for mobile. I've tapped the green padlock, gone to site settings, nothing there. I've gone to chrome > settings > notifications > and set it to ask first (only other option is blocked) I've got the latest chrome installed (47.0) Am I missing something? Posted via the Android Central App
Same here. Maybe it pops up after a while? Soft and sweet Marshmallow
On the mobile facebook website, click on the hamburger menu in the upper right, scroll down and click on account settings, click on Notifications, click on Mobile, click "Turn On", and it should pop up asking if you want to enable notifications.
There is no mobile section on my Facebook notifications setting. I just have 'on Facebook', 'email address' and 'text messages' Posted via the Android Central App
I get the same thing. you are not alone. I did notice that if I went to Desktop mode, I got asked to turn on notifications. Maybe mobile shows up in the desktop mode of the website.
Wow that's done it! How weird that I can't get to the mobile settings on the mobile site, just the desktop site. Thanks :-). Now we wait and see if the notifications work. Posted via the Android Central App
I've been having the same issue and I have yet to figure how to make it happen. I've given permission several times. Posted via the Android Central App
I've done this for a couple years now. I used the "Add to homescreen" option within Chrome to create a homescreen short cut. The shortcut even looks like the regular FB app. Zero issues, and I don't have to give facebook the blanket permissions it used to ask for. Loving it.
I use Tinfoil for Facebook for these very same reasons Posted via the Android Central App
They're not listening to us! They might be happy with just the mobile site but Tinfoil is definitely value-added, and free!
I use Tinfoil also, works well for what I need
Tinfoil development has stopped, move to Folio or Metal which are based on the same engine and are actively updated.
I installed the FB app on my iPad, but not my phone. Over the course of time, with only occasional use, I decided I actually liked the functionality of the site through Safari over the app...maybe it's just more familiarity of using the website through my computer, but I like the site better than the app. The added benefit being space, AND, I don't give away all the Permissions the app requires ;-).
Same. I only alone Facebook on my tablet. Posted via the Android Central App
If it wasn't freaking pre-installed on my phone, I absolutely would uninstall it, but LG decided I needed Facebook on my phone with no ability to remove it.
Which LG phone do you have? I have the G4 on T-Mobile and it's not pre-installed. Perhaps it's your carrier.
Interesting, and frustrating. I have the LG V10 on T-Mobile, and I just noticed that I can't uninstall Facebook either.
G4 user on AT&T...same thing here. I turned off notifications, used Force Stop on it (insert SW joke here) and then disabled it, which downgraded me to v28 from v58 or something, Did the same with AT&T apps when I got the phone and they haven't reared their ugly heads since, so it's as close to an uninstall as we'll get.
That sucks. I don't think there was single third-party pre-install on my G4, outside of the carrier apps.
I took Facebook off of my phone around October and battery life has greatly improved. My cousin did the same thing on his iPhone and he's noticed massive improvements as well. I would happily get rid of Facebook but the few people that I like to keep in touch with use it and won't change.
Good point. I'll consider uninstalling it on my Nexus 7 (2013). Also, I once decided to uninstall it from my current phone since the 230 MB (WOWW!) takes too much space from the 8 GB (minus Android needed space) of my old-fashion Moto G 1rst 8GB version. I'm dealing with 8 GB, and I installed the Facebook LITE version which is only about 30 MB... It's pretty damn ugly, but it gets the work done. Also, I'm not into facebook that much, I basically use it only for news and sporadic notifications from friends
I've been using the mobile browser for quite some time now. I've often wondered why we need an app for every single site out there - just make the mobile browsing experience better as you said.
I do not get the option to receive notifications. .anybody know why? Posted via the Android Central App
On the mobile facebook website, click on the hamburger menu in the upper right, scroll down and click on account settings, click on Notifications, click on Mobile, click "Turn On", and it should pop up asking if you want to enable notifications.
Nice... but you do lose direct sharing into Facebook without the app. Takes a few more steps to upload stuff, so it CAN be done on the mobile site, but still. And then there are phones (like some Sammy ones) that won't let you uninstall Facebook, maybe only Disable at best.
What is facebook?
It's when you slam your face into a book until it looks like your avatar. I guess you do have facebook.
I have notifications turned off and don't like them from facebook anyway. I just used package disabler pro on my Note 5 to remove facebooks app after reading this. I have heard it helps a lot and will see how it works out. You can just add the web app link to your home screen and still feel like you have it as well. Its not like you can use the app if you don't have internet anyway.
I allowed facebook notifications in Chrome a few weeks ago, then disabled them because I was dragging my feet on uninstalling the app. How can I force-re-allow notifications in Chrome?
Go into chrome settings and remove then re-add the mobile Facebook site. Go to the site first m.facebook.com and then make the changes. It worked for me. Posted via the Android Central App
I uninstalled the app too. It really does make a difference. I didn't think it would. I had an issue getting the chrome notifications at first even though I had the mobile Facebook page set to get notifications through chrome settings. I removed it and readded it and that seemed to have worked. I also deleted Facebook messenger. I still get messages so I don't miss it at all. My phone has really sped up quite a bit. Still on a note 4. My battery has been pretty bad for a while but I do see a difference although not much of one because my batteries are just old. Waiting to upgrade in a few months to take care of that. Or I'll just buy a new battery. All in all I like it and I don't seem to be using Facebook as often as I used to with the app which is what I needed. Posted via the Android Central App
I used facebook only for posting stuffs for my website notifications (Facebook page), but they moved it to Page Manager app, so Facebook and Messenger are now gone for me too ^_^
It wasn't too bad until the latest update which seems to create huge wakelocks by something called lollipop bug reporter (or something similar to that). If you disable that service the app closes on you when you try and open it. At least ask users if they want to help in reporting bugs but I didn't like the way it automatically did it at the expense of my battery. I'm now using the mobile site.
I started using the web version of Fb on my phone when I found that it would let me keep the stream set to Most Recent by default. Until recently, I kept the Fb app loaded so it would show up when I want to share something.
Aren't there apps like Greenify, that can prevent Facebook eating battery .etc?
I think more apps should move to web-based access. This means more standardizations and less reliance on device specifics. I understand certain hardware-intensive apps need to remain apps for performance reasons, but Facebook, Instagram, etc. can work very well within the browser framework, and this would mean that a proper mobile web browser could offer the SAME experience regardless of ecosystem. This would mean platforms such as iOS, Windows, become less relevant, which is a good thing. There are many lazy developers that put that maximum effort into the iOS app, while the Android app is of lesser quality, and the Windows Phone equivalent is even worse (or absent entirely).
I agree. It's also the point of view of Google. People often don't realize that it's not really Android vs. iPhone. The battle is between Web applications and phone apps. Google wants you to use the former and Apple wants you to use the latter.
The original Motorola Droid RAZR had it pre-installed, so it couldn't be removed... May have been a major contributor to the phone's poor life cycle. Posted via the Android Central App
I got rid of Messenger because IT was the Ungodly battery hog, at least compared to the Official Facebook app. I tried the Chrome notifications, but they never showed up in a timely manner (30 MINUTES late,) so if anyone has a better fix for that, please advise.
Just uninstalled Facebook and wanted to share this article ON Facebook. Now I have to copy and paste the link manually now. Haha. Posted via the Android Central App
Rather than keep going on about putting a mobile website on your home screen, TRY TINFOIL and report back! It's free!
Just installed. Looks promising!!
Have you tried swiping in from the right? Very useful! Posted via the Android Central App
Tinfoil development has stopped since many months, Folio and Metal are now the alternatives ;)
I haven't had the Facebook app installed on my phone for over a year now. It was such a privacy invasion requesting just about every permission, it took up a lot of space (especially with how much data it cached), it performed poorly, and the plethora of background services it ran brought system performance and battery life down. I have been loving just having a Chome link on my home screen instead. They have actually supported notifications through Chrome for quite a while now, so I haven't felt like I'm missing anything. Granted, the photo viewing experience and a couple other things aren't quite as good in the browser, but overall it's worth a few tradeoffs to keep that horrible app off my phone. Being smart about what apps you install on your phone really pays off. All of those complaints about performance on the Nexus 5X? Yeah, I am having a completely different experience. I have had zero performance or lag issues with my Nexus 5X.
Did long time ago... Messenger I still keep but hanging alot lately I may eventually remove this also Posted via the Android Central App
I don't get the pop up for accepting notifications. How do I get that? Posted via the Android Central App on the Samsung Galaxy S6 active.
On the mobile facebook website, click on the hamburger menu in the upper right, scroll down and click on account settings, click on Notifications, click on Mobile, click "Turn On", and it should pop up asking if you want to enable notifications.
I don't see anything for "mobile". When I click on "notifications", the only options I have are "How You Get Notifications" with "On Facebook", "Email", and "Text Message". Under that I see "What Notifications You Get" with a number of different options there, but nothing for "mobile".
Seems like this would just turn Chrome into the resource hog, no?
It does increase it a bit, but not nearly as much as the Facebook app. A definite improvement
I echo what a lot of people have said. I dumped the Facebook app a year ago due to performance issues and heavy battery use and saw immediate improvement in both. I also decided to scale back on Facebook use as well so the browser option is more than enough to keep up with the few family and friends who still cling to it. ...Joe K.
When there was an incompatibility issue between the Facebook app and the OnePlus 2, I had to use the mobile site and found it too gimped for my needs. Couldn't upload photos and, just now, I see you can't share things to anything but your own timeline, not friends or pages you manage. While Facebook is a battery hog, it's not easily done without. Posted via sheer force of will from my Nexus 6P!
I did this about 2 years or more ago since I grew tired of the battery drain and non-stop notifications.. Same holds true with Twitter.
I also did this on my GS5A because 1: Facebook is a huge space and resource hog, as mentioned. and 2: The app's news feed is horrible. It was repeating things I had already seen, and I was missing stuff that would show up on the PC. It's the same with the W10 Mobile app. I just use Edge browser on there, and get more info. I actually left my Chrome notifications off, because honestly, there's not going to be a post or comment that I just "have to" know about immediately, and it cuts my usage back. Also, if someone on there needs to get a hold of me, I do have Messenger installed.
Uninstalling Facebook was great for me, too. It had nothing to do with performance. Google Nexus 6P
i've used it this way for over a year now and have been actively getting people to drop their facebook and messenger apps for this method.
I did not remove the app but simply removed its privilege to send me notifications. I am fairly sure that performance improved, I just don't get notifications each time close friends post something.
I can't believe all the negative comments about Facebook. /s
Here an app that you may want to check out to use in replacement for the Facebook and messenger apps
http://hermit.chimbori.com
You can also use it for any other service that you have to login to life G+ and many others Posted via the Android Central App
When I try to uninstall FB I've only the option of uninstalling the updates... Sigh. Though could I disable it and stop update notifications.? Posted via the Android Central App
That means FB is included as part of the firmware / default apps on your phone. If you are leaning to uninstalling it, then yes, uninstall the updates, then disable it. If you just want to stop the notifications, you can turn those off and still keep FB installed.
I'm going to take this chance to HIGHLY recommend that the AC team reevaluate their mobile site. With the ads displayed it's the worst performing/most annoying Android site that I follow. So much so that when I see an AC headline that interests me, I will purposefully use that info to go search for the story on a different site instead of just reading AC's version. If I'm on a PC then its fine, but like most others, much of my consumption comes via mobile.
Why don't you just use the app? It's so much better ... Their mobile site is among the worse there is, even Russell admitted it.
Eh, I use Feedly to aggregate my sources, it's much easier to just swipe a couple times and load an Android Police or Droid Life story instead. They load fine without needing a separate app installed.
Definitely the first thing I disable on all of my devices. I'll keep this Chrome trick in mind once I become more active on FB.
I'm using a Verizon Note 4 on 5.0.1 and I can't find the chrome notifcations option for facebook that you mentioned. Is this a Marshmallow only feature? Or am I just blind. Please help.
Go under settings in Facebook websiten notification, mobile and turn on. You'll then get prompted for the notifications Posted via the Android Central App
I have Facebook and Messenger both on my phone. I don't have a problem with either - I use Facebook every day, and Messenger a couple of times a week. I'm not planning in uninstalling either app, and my Nexus 6 (and, it's battery) perform just fine. Posted via the Android Central App
It doesn't effect everyone but its a well known fact FB apps can hurt performance and battery. Posted via the Android Central App
Facebook brings out the best in everyone.... Posted via the Android Central App
I started using my browser for FB a while back to save storage on the devices that were lacking......I really never had any battery issues or conflicts with the regular app. Posted via the Android Central App
As a casual Facebook user with an LG G4 and its 'meh' battery life, I'm not happy that FB makes my top 5 battery draining apps. (Google Play Services and Screen--with its beautiful self--are always wrestling for the #1 spot). I think I'll try this and report back in a week.
I've been using Facebook on Chrome for months and am going to give Twitter on Chrome a try.
I've been using Facebook on Chrome for months and am going to give Twitter on Chrome a try.
Twitter isn't bad, but it isn't great either. It's a decent experience but I definitely missed the apps UX Posted via the Android Central App
Metal is a wrapper for FB and Twitter, you might like it :)
The Facebook app is garbage. Runs like **** on every device I own. Each update seems to make it worse. Moto X 2013 (U.S. Cellular)
I just checked and even though I haven't used my FB app in several days it was still top 5 battery drainers. Uninstalled. People who spend less time on social networks are happier anyway. And who isn't happier with a longer battery life?
Getting rid of FB all together is even better, been almost a year without it and life's been great :)
I've been saying this to anyone who would listen since Facebook first launched an app years ago.
I'm sure this massively improved general performance on your device. Facebook is kind of horrible as an app. It kills your performance and your battery.
A great tip! A year or two late....but a great tip none the less :P
I did the same today and found out Facebook was eating up over 15% off my battery life. I m glad I read this today. Posted via the Android Central App
I hate Facebook andzuckerbutgerheimer
Zuck it hater!
Hmmm good idea. I just browse Facebook occasionally anyway. I'll have to give this a shot, regain some processing power, though i haven't had any issues yet as my phone (Droid Turbo 2) is only a few months old.
Dumped the facebook app a few days ago actually. The browser version seems quicker and less buggy. No noticeable difference in battery life, minor differences in data usage, and notifications kind of stink compared to the app. But I'm running a phone with an 8GB ROM so having large apps aren't a thing. Posted via the Android Central App on the Moto G³
Is this useful for someone who barely has any Facebook notifications? (Let's say a couple per month on average.)
Very. Posted via the Android Central App
I have Facebook and messenger installed (Z3 & Z5) and have had no such issues with performance hogging or battery consumption. On average the Android system itself consumes the most battery next to screen on time. Perhaps the apps are different on different handsets, the Z3 and Z5 certainly aren't those in my experience.
Are you using stamina mode? Because that would likely stop Facebook running when the screen is off. Posted via the Android Central App
Nope, Stamina is set to only kick in at 15%. The Z3 ran the Concept Marshmallow anyway. and before then on 5.1.1 was the same config as the Z5.
Do you have STAMINA mode enabled? If so, that's why the Facebook app doesn't consume anything, since it only runs when the phone's screen is on.
Facebook is an oozing pile of runny shìt... I never installed it on my phone and never will. I stopped using Facebook a couple of years ago and never looked back.
I uninstalled Facebook from my tablet yesterday, got ferd up of all the notifications, plus I have it in my bookmarks. So saved space!
I don't know why the app exists. The website is awesome and with Chrome notifications, the app is irrelevant. Good luck development team. I have a cheap Moto E for fun. The last Facebook update took literally 7 minutes to fully install. 7 minutes. I know it's a slow phone but WTF.
It takes a long time to install on my Moto X Pure Edition. It seems to be like that on every phone I've had. Updates taking forever to install. Stuff like that makes me think that Facebook is intentionally doing this to the Android app to make people get off of it.
give Lite Facebook a try - awesome way to even circumvent Chrome and reduce the cache build up - serves the purpose most of the time
The Facebook app has an update in Google Play nearly every day - its ridiculous, especially since none of those updates are ever focused on performance improvements.
Fixing the bugs introduced in the previous updates. Posted via the Android Central App
I tried this before and am again, but I'm not getting any of the notifications, I turned it on on the website in chrome and clicked to receive them but still haven't gotten any. Am I missing something? Posted via the Android Central App
I've preferred just accessing via browser ever since the split off Messenger. The browser allows me to read posts and messages without needing the 2 separate apps.
OMG This works with the AC app too!!! Just kidding, kinda I just uninstalled FB, AC, Buzzfeed, and Droid Life. Sort of a no brainer looking back. Chrome keeps it handy in the tabs and it will even make a little icon for you to put in a folder on your homescreen. Very nice with limited storage.
I don't know you can use the AC mobile site, or the actual site for that matter. The app is so much more functional and convenient. Posted via the Android Central App
Interestingly, I came across this article while using the Facebook app, and when I follow the link to the article on AC through FB, I'm brought to the AC mobile site in the Chrome app, which is awful and slow (the site, not the app). I have the AC app installed, but I'm not offered the option to open content from AC using the app instead of browser. Just thought this was weird and kind of funny, given the subject of the article. Posted via the Android Central App
I consider the Facebook app to be malware, designed to suck the speed and battery life out of your phone.
Good idea. Used to do this on underpowered phones. Just did it on my LG G3 just to see what happens. Removed Messenger too. Thanks. Posted via the Android Central App
The biggest shortcoming on using the website is that I have a hard time tagging people in comments. Doesn't work about half the time.
Yep, AC mobile site is pretty bad. Laggy, can't reply directly to others comments, can't designate app to open AC links from other apps. For a premier Android site, their app development has been pretty bad.
Am I the only person who has noticed that the only way to get back all of the battery drain Facebook instantly creates is by doing a factor reset? I've gone back and forth multiple times, and every time I have a phone that I've never installed it on I will see a 20% drop in my screen on time... Once I uninstall it I only get back about 10% of it. If I do a reset I will get it all back. I've done this all before ink the matter of a week or so to really limit the effects of other bloat, and its always been repeatable for me. Posted via the Android Central App
That's because the Android Facebook app sucks like most Android apps. Go figure.. the iOS app is just fine.
Android is harder to dev for Posted via the Android Central App
I've always just used the mobile webpage and found it fine. I still have the app installed, though, because I was afraid I'd lose the "Share to Facebook" functionality after I take a picture or video if I didn't have the app installed.
I use the tinfoil app. Works great with no performance issues... Posted via the Android Central App
Just did this on my brand spanking new Nexus 6p..... It's quietly awesome!!!! Thanks Russell!!!! Posted via the Android Central App
Great idea! Especially since I've been having battery life issues these last few weeks. So, it's possible the app may be doing this. So, I went ahead and deleted the Facebook app on my Moto X to see how battery consumption goes and only use Facebook mobile in Chrome now I do have a question about FB Messenger. Will I be able to receive FB Messenger notifications in Chrome if I delete the FB Messenger app, too? Perhaps I could kill two birds with one stone by getting rid of both apps. Has anyone tried this?
I wonder the same things too, but I wanna make sure I get instantly notified because I rely on messenger for a lot of my messages and communication. Posted my Nexus 7 (2013)
Many BlackBerry Priv aren't playing nice with Facebook, including my own. AT&T tech support suggested I delete Facebook. I did. Problems solved immediately.
Option 2: Head to APKMirror or the like, and download the Facebook Lite APK. It's not as pretty as the regular app or the mobile site, but it's just as functional, and arguably better than either for a couple of reasons. Not only is it absolutely tiny, only taking up a paltry ~5 MB once logged in, and automatically and regularly clearing what little cache it uses, but it also barely sips at your data plan, having been designed and optimized for use with 2G networks in the third world.
This is a great idea, since I don't use chrome will this work on the regular browser? Sent from a device beyond your wildest dreams.
Facebook app for Android is one of the worst apps that a phone can have installed. I haven't used it in years. It affects performance and battery life too much. The mobile site works great and recently notification capability was added in chrome as the article states
finished reading the article, proceeded to uninstall facebook immediately.. no regrets
I'll gladly admit that specific site apps are long gone from my phone. Facebook, FB Messenger, all the news, technology (Sorry AC because you're in that list, too), social, heck - pick a number. They have all been gone for quite a long time. Reason: Part battery hog and part information hog. As for Facebook, it can exist right where it needs to, on the web - in it's own little world. It is a social network, not a lifeline to my existence. Most important for me, my life does not exist around it or do I receive validation from sharing life's experiences through it. It doesn't need access to every bit of information in my daily personal life. Am I saying that any of that is wrong? No. It's just not for me.
Looks like you have a declaration based on prior attachments. Aroo!! Posted my Nexus 7 (2013)
Did this on my BlackBerry 10 devices a year ago. Simply added link to my home screen. Works brilliantly and renders just like the app and is aways updated. Functionality is as good as the Android app on my Tab Pro. Think I'll do the same here through Chrome. Posted via the Android Central App
The only thing I can figure out how to do with the chrome version of Facebook is how to share things to me pages and groups. It seems to only let me do it to me profile wall. Posted my Nexus 7 (2013)
Mind blown... Posted via the Android Central App
My phone only gives me an option to uninstall updates.
how do i completely remove?
You dont. Just disable it. Posted my Nexus 7 (2013)
I dont use the Web view in fb it defaults to chrome. Same for auto play video. U just turn that off in the app. Posted via the Android Central App
I sideloaded Facebook Lite some time ago. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles but all the basic functionality is there. The only issues I've noticed is notifications don't always work and pictures are slow to resize. But it's using 2.12 mb, far better than the regular app. Posted via Android Central App
Doesn't this prevent you from sharing anything to Facebook?
No it's just more steps. Posted via the Android Central App
Decided to give this a try and see if I have any battery improvements. Using Chromer and More Shortcuts I basically now have the mobile webpage as an app. Posted via the Android Central App
I've been doing this for over a year, find that I don't miss it a bit.
I also uninstalled the Facebook app a while ago and it was well worth it! I'm a rather casual user so I didn't miss anything.
I use the tinfoil app so I can get a home screen icon an enhanced website functions. Oh and I've been actively spreading the joy of ditching the app around me, people seem to value battery life much more than instant notifications...
Use Lite by facebook. It's awesome. Posted via the Android Central App
Just use Fast for facebook!
Did this months ago and haven't looked back. The mobile web version still supports messenger, so no need to install that either. Welcome to the club, Russell :)
Good that it works for you. But I like uploading photos to Facebook and prefer the app to the browser. Also when I deleted it I never noticed a difference in battery life. Posted via the Android Central App
I uninstalled the FB application a couple of years ago and my phone (at the time) had a significant increase in performance and battery life. What is funny is that since then, every phone I hand down to the girlfriend all of the sudden goes from a smooth running phone with good battery to slow and always dead. The mobile site has been very good, even though I really only use it for one private group of friends (if it wasn't for that, I'd bail completely). Every time someone asks me about why their phone is slow or battery is bad, I just ask if they have Facebook installed. When I tell them to get rid of it, they always balk. God forbid you miss a baby photo for an hour. Not sure how Facebook can justify such an array of experience draining applications. You'd think phone manufacturers would try to talk with them. Makes the phones look bad.
Alas, I can't uninstall Facebook on my Note 5. The best I could do is disable it.
I'm surprised there was no discussion of the effect of changing settings in the fb app prior to completely giving up on it. There is some control there, no? I do use the app, just not very much. But I do not notice performance issues with video previews, etc.
Gmail was KILLING my battery!!!!! I did the suggestion on clincking on storage and clearing data and clearing cache and a miracle happened .
I did this for 2 days and noticed no change in performance or battery life. Was really hoping to see a difference.
Same. Just reinstalled the app. Noticed no difference on my Note 5. Maybe it is more beneficial on older devices, but not needed now.
How did you uninstall it on your Note 5? Mine just says "disable" and won't let me uninstall it. Posted via the Android Central App
I had similar issues with Instagram app and after uninstalling my battery life improved significantly.
This is not an article about how much you hate facebook. But my comment is. You will experience enlightenment once you move away from this website. The people wrapped up in it are usually just your typical youtube commenter. Your third eye will open the second you disable your account after uninstallation. lol. xD
I had no luck getting notifications to turn on unless I was in desktop mode
I've never used the FB app. Any site that has a FB app, I prefer to use their mobile website if
they have one. For FB, I just go to m.facebook.com
Nice too because you can use messenger without the app Posted via my HTC One M9
I uninstalled it a week ago and my battery life seems to have improved. For light-weight FB users this is the best option.
I've tried this but had to resort to simply disabling it - apparently Facebook has become a System App (and can't be uninstalled) on my Note 5.
Same problem here. Wish I could uninstall it! Posted via the Android Central App
I'm probably not the typical Facebook user, but I haven't used the Facebook app in well over the year. The browser version does what I need without being a resource hog, and with less intrusive privacy issues. To paraphrase Nancy Reagan: Just Say No to Facebook apps.
Haven't had facebook apps in my phones for years. Always the notorious battery draining apps.
Some metrics would be nice. Did benchmarks score higher? Did battery life increase by x%? Posted via TCP/IP
How the hell do you uninstall it?? Mine just says "disable" on my Note 5...wtf. Posted via the Android Central App
Believe you need a rooted device. Seems to be the only way I've ever done it. Posted via the Android Central App
Nexus...period. Posted via the Android Central App from my Nexus 6 or Pixel C.
Thanks for the idea. Just removed the app and have fb set as bookmark in Chrome. Looking forward to seeing the performance difference and battery savings. Posted via the Android Central App
is there any way to post videos thru the Tinfoil, Lite, or Chrome FB page options?
I tried this, but wound up missing 1 click log-in to other apps.
sign in with google and skip everything that doesn't offer that option. :-) Posted via the Android Central App from my Nexus 6 or Pixel C.
Far more apps use Facebook login than G+ login, especially because Facebook is available on every (mobile) platform while G+ is limited to iOS and Android. Ergo, that solution wouldn't work for me. Uninstalling and then reinstalling the Facebook app from scratch helps too.
Others have mentioned Tinfoil, which is a great option. Another developer took the Tinfoil code and is adding some other features. That app is called Metal, and works well for my casual use. It also has support for Twitter, but haven't used that side of it as Fenix is my option there.
I've uninstalled so many apps in favor of chrome. Facebook, Starbucks, eBay, the list goes on. Most mobile web experiences implement many of the same features as the app... I still pay for my lattes with the barcode on the phone. I have so much free space on this 16 GB phone.
I really should write for you guys. I did this 6 months ago and never looked back. This is like the 10th time I've seen a story written about some sort of change in phone usage that I've personally done long ago. Oh well...
Glad im not the only one who's noticed this. I noticed back on my S4, my N6 has only seen the mobile site. I stopped using FB anyways because I got tired of getting into petty arguments with people about not saying Happy Birthday to them on FB or not commenting/liking things.
Facebook app is so crazy that whenever it updates (which is every day, since I'm on beta) it crashes everything else on my phone or slows/stops everything else from functioning, and sometimes it even crashes the system itself. Now that's impressive Posted via the Android Central App
Thanks for the article, un-installed yesterday, although I had to log into FB messenger, it was worth it all the way. One note though, you can set a bookmark on your home screen, makes it look like you never deleted it. Very happy user. Posted via the Android Central App
It sure has improved my battery the last few days! And I can do the little time I spend on Facebook on my desktop!
Loving this solution so far and by far.
How do you get notifications via chrome? I find myself using mobile FB instead of the app bc I did not want to install messenger. Anyway for it to come up in Google Now? My Turbo is always hot. Could FB be the cause of that?
The one thing I would miss is the integration into my contacts on my phone. What I like about that is pulling in the profile pictures and adding them to contacts. Not a deal breaker if I didn't have it, but I would miss it.
Been doing this for a long while. I do it with Twitter and Google + as well.
So far my battery life increase has me amazed. Don't really believe it yet but it is substantial. Going to give it a few more days to see if it holds up. And not missing anything either. Posted via the Android Central App
Once I've set up a new device, I immediately delete or disable FB if it's installed by the manufacturer. Worst app and service ever.
There are some decent 3rd party Facebook apps if you still want the connectivity. I use Friendcaster, and am thinking of checking out Fast Client. https://www.androidcentral.com/e?link=https2F2F... (Fast Client) https://www.androidcentral.com/e?link=https2F2F... (Friendcaster)
Getting rid of FB all together is even better, been almost a year without it and life's been great :)
This all sounds great on paper, but I didn't receive one single Facebook notification, or more importantly, one single messenger notification through chrome over 2 days after trying this out. I uninstalled the apps, logged in through chrome and gave permission to receive notifications through chrome and it never worked. So back to the regular old apps it is for me after missing an important message over the 2 days I tried this for. It turns out that receiving a single message as soon as it is sent is way better than any, percieved or otherwise, performance improvement, after all my phone is primarily a communications device.
Have you tried Facebook Lite? If it is available in your country you should try it, it's basically a wrapper for Facebook's mobile site but with the added benefit of notifications, and still has the built in messenger, unlike the normal app.
if not available in his country, he can still download it and install it from apkmirror
What I find funny is that people who brag the most about not having Facebook, are also the same ones who post a lot on message boards and news site articles such as this.
Why couldn't they make chrome notifications to work with fb-chat messages, too?
I'm glad I found this. One of my "resolutions" for 2016 is to get off Facebook, slowly but surely (I'm going to taper down instead of quitting cold turkey). I realize it's a huge resource and battery drain on my phone, and it can be a "having an actual LIFE" drain on my life, too. Plus, I find its permissions to my private data and personal life increasingly concerning. However, like the author, I do value being able to see the photos and (some of) the posts of distant friends and family who are on it. I think my plan is to uninstall it off my mobile devices and just leave it on my desktop for now, where I plan to check it less and less as the year goes on (and I get used to eating without having to photography my food first again, too). Question: does the fb messenger app alone use many of your phone's resources? I could see starting there.
Man.... why did I wait so long to remove that crap app?!?! Thanks for this.
Facebook is not for everybody
I get on there from time to time
Using the app on my LG phone
And on my Surface Pro 3
When I got my nexus 6, I never put Facebook on it. I did put Facebook Messenger, which is one of the Facebook services I do like. I can't wait for them to do Invites as it's own app. I noticed they have an app for groups, but I don't care too much about those.
You have performance issues with the Facebook application on the Nexus 6P? I find that surprising. I see no performance issues on the Galaxy S6 and none on my previous LG G2. Facebook does hog more battery than most application for sure but nothing ridiculous imo. I think people seem to dislike Facebook but can't seem to get rid of it since its such a widely used communication tool.
Me too. Started using it a long time ago and have quite improvement in mobile UI of FB. It is now pretty much the same as FB app. You do lose ability to share photos directly through gallery however you can still upload photos. One problem I keep facing is that notifications stop coming after a few days. May be its because of Doze suspending chrome notification service in the background I am still looking into it. On my tablet running 4.4.4 notifications work perfectly. I use messenging in browser too so not using FB messenger either.
I uninstalled my blue icon of death years ago, for all the same reasons pointed out in the article. Since then I've used Fast for Facebook as my app of choice. It's far more light on its feet, but just as fully featured as the original, plus adds a ton of awesome stuff like GUI switching between desktop or mobile web-based, android or ios app-based, etc. Plus it doesn't make devices crippled just keeping up with all the pinging like the official app does. https://www.androidcentral.com/e?link=https2F2F...
I switched to Metal and nevr look back.
Btw, you guys should fix Ac.com . the site has became slower each day. My phone use more battery to browse Ac.com than any other sites.
Russel Thank you! Just uninstalled the facebook app and my Nexus 6 is sitting at 70% at 8pm. I would have usually charged my phone once already today. Huge difference in battery life... Thank you smart sir!!
I haven't used the Facebook app in years, and don't miss it. The mobile web version is all I need.. Also, I uninstalled the Facebook messenger as well, because you can access messenger from the mobile web version as well :)
I just uninstalled Facebook, Messenger and Moments last Friday. Prior to this, the battery life on my Note 4 was terrible. Unplugging my phone at 7am would leave me with a dead battery by 9pm. No games, just some texting, a few phone calls and Aqua Mail checking 4 accounts in the background. I replaced the battery and was still having issues. Now after 24 hours off the charger, I still have 32% battery! Very happy now!! I can't believe uninstalling these three apps from Facebook made such a difference. I am now recommending that everyone get rid of these apps.
LMAO, why does this thread even exist? I've been doing exactly this for the past 3 years not 3 weeks surely ppl are able to figure this out for themselves?
Because...out in the real world...you'd be amazed at the masses following the herd and having to have someone else do the "figuring" for them.
It appears that "I don't have Facebook" is the new "I don't have a TV".
Well done, how very virtuous of you. Say what you like about it but if Facebook is where your freinds and family are, then that's where you're going to be.
So you don't have a Facebook app OMG,,, well nether do I ,,, bit like the eBay app. See how much better your phone works without that bugger of an app de-installed and go straight to the browser.
Can't get any notifications for facebook on a new galaxy s7 edge. Either through the app, or through chrome. No visual push notifications in the systems pull down menu or on the lock screen. Anyone have any ideas? I've tried a million things suggested online, nothing has worked.
Ok, I believe things like facebook belong on my computer NOT on my damn phone! So, what I need to know is how in the HELL do I get this freaking crap OFF MY DAMN PHONE! Anyone PLEASE! Pisses me off how many apps are becoming so I cannot uninstall them. And it pisses me off how every 6 months Google adds 100MBs more crap to Android and yet Android disc size gets no bigger! They leave us no room for installing anything. I feel like unless it is an integral part of the Android system the OWNER should be able to decide wtf they want on THEIR phone NOT some damn phone company, or Android, or Google, or anyone else! Unless they wish to start paying my damn phone bill! Ideas or app that will remove this unwanted crap? Anyone?
If you don't care about your phones warranty, then you should look into rooting. But you need to research it, so you want damage your phone. It gives you the ability to delete any app on your phone, even apps that came with your phone.

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