How to Unlink Facebook From Instagram

Ever since Facebook purchased Instagram, the two have been closely linked. While you could open an Instagram profile without a Facebook account, it was strongly recommended you connect the two. Fortunately, if you no longer want this setup, there are ways to unlink Instagram from Facebook. 

Facebook has noticed that Instagram is now one of the most popular social networks and has been importing some of the main site's features into the photo-sharing app. This includes features like text-only Stories and an algorithmic feed. So it would only be natural to question why you should leave the two platforms connected, especially as it's no longer the norm to publish all your online activity to the Facebook News Feed. 

It has also become clear that Facebook mishandles your data. From the Cambridge Analytica scandal to a massive security breach compromising 50 million accounts, many people no longer trust Facebook to handle their personal information. However, the privacy benefits of unlinking Facebook from Instagram are only an illusion. The same company owns the two platforms, and Instagram even stores your data on Facebook's servers. 

That said, removing Facebook from Instagram will stop the latter from suggesting your account to your Facebook friends. Our Facebook friends list often includes everyone from work colleagues to distant family members, and you may find that you no longer want to connect with them on Instagram. 

To remove the connection between Instagram and Facebook, you need to disconnect your Facebook account in the Instagram app. This eliminates the active connection between the two, so you'll no longer be able to post your Instagram photos to Facebook automatically. You'll also remove the contacts connection and will no longer be able to find your Facebook friends on Instagram automatically.

If you followed the previous steps, you will have disconnected Facebook from Instagram. However, Facebook had to authorize the connection too, just as it would for any other third-party app. To completely disconnect Instagram from Facebook, you need to remove Instagram's access to your Facebook account.