How to deactivate Facebook Messenger on your phone and stop receiving chat messages

• The only way to deactivate Messenger is to first deactivate your Facebook account.
• If you don't want to go that far, you can disable your active status, or just delete the app.
• Once you've deactivated your account, you can reactivate it by logging back into Messenger or Facebook.

Getting too many Facebook messages is fun for some people, but a nuisance for others. If you're in the latter category, you might be wondering if there's a way to deactivate Messenger.

Unfortunately, the only way to deactivate Messenger is to first deactivate your entire Facebook account. But there are a few alternatives you can take advantage of too, like disabling Messenger instead.

Here's how to do them all.

How to deactivate Messenger by deactivating Facebook

Although they're separate apps now, Messenger is still heavily connected to Facebook. They use the same account, and settings you change in one app often carry over to the other app. This is why deactivating Facebook also gives you the option to deactivate Messenger.

To deactivate on your iPhone or Android.

1. Open the Facebook app and tap the three stacked lines in the bottom-right (iPhone) or top-right (Android).

2. Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy, then select Settings.

3. Tap Personal and Account Information, then Account Ownership and Control, and then Deactivation and Deletion.

4. On the page that opens, select Deactivate Account - or, if you want to go all the way, Delete Account - and then Continue to Account Deactivation.

5. Enter your Facebook password and confirm that you want to deactivate your account.

This will log you out and deactivate Facebook. Now, to deactivate Messenger:

1. Open the Messenger app and tap your profile picture in the top-left corner.

2. Scroll down to tap Legal & Policies, and then Deactivate Messenger.

3. Tap Deactivate again to confirm your choice.

If you ever want to reactivate your accounts, just open the app and log back in.

How to disable Messenger

An easier method is to disable your "Active Status" on Messenger. This will make it look like you're always offline, which will discourage people from messaging you.

1. Open the Messenger app and tap your profile picture in the top-left corner.

2. Select Active Status, and then toggle off Show when you're active.

Alternatively, you can just delete the Messenger app off of your phone. You'll still receive messages this way, but you won't get any notifications for them on your phone.