Social media apps like Instagram and Facebook allow users to link their accounts together, so that something posted to Instagram can also easily be posted to Facebook. However, for any user that now feels like cutting the cord between the two apps, it’s a fairly simple process that only takes a few minutes to complete. Here’s how to unlink an Instagram account from a Facebook account, and why it might be a good idea.
Facebook bought Instagram back in 2012. More recently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that Instagram Reels plays an important part in how people are now using the Facebook app. Instagram Reels is a TikTok-like feature with the option to record on Instagram and share to Facebook through the “Share to…” button. Last month, Facebook began alerting Instagram users through in-app notification about new features that are only available on Facebook. All of which indicates how much more closely Facebook is integrating the two services.
For those that would prefer to decouple the two services as much as possible, open the Instagram app and tap on the Instagram profile icon located in the bottom right corner and then on the three-line menu icon in the upper-right corner. Next, tap “Settings” and then on “Account” followed by “Sharing to Other Apps.” From here, tap the Facebook button and then “Accounts Center” at the bottom of the screen. Tap the account name, which will open up the “Accounts & profiles” screen, and the user will then need to tap on their Facebook profile. After which, hit the “Remove from Accounts Center” button followed by “Continue” and then finally the “Remove” button at the bottom.
Why It's Worth Unlinking Instagram & Facebook
Keeping the two social media accounts separate can be a good idea in terms of security. If a user’s Instagram account is hacked, and the two accounts are linked, that means whoever took over the account might be more easily able to gain control over the user’s Facebook, too. Unlinking the two accounts also helps to maintain greater privacy control over what a user posts and shares online. The user may not want their Facebook friends to see everything they add to their Instagram feed, so being able to easily disconnect the two social media accounts is an important step in making that happen.
Separating the two apps can also help cut down on potentially annoying notifications. When the two accounts are linked together, Instagram users will get notifications suggesting they add Facebook friends, or letting them know that a Facebook friend has joined Instagram. If they don’t want to hear about these things, all they have to do is unlink their Instagram from their Facebook account.
Source: Instagram