How do I kill facebook and make sure it stays dead?

[B2GS3]

I don't use facebook, never have used facebook and never will use facebook. However, my brand new Sony Xperia S has a facebook app that I apparently can't uninstall. Worse still, whenever I check to see what is running in the background I see the facebook app is active.

Can it be removed completely? If not, can it be permanently killed?

 

[Hadron]

You can't uninstall it because the system software is in a memory partition you don't have write access to.

The only ways I know to uninstall it, or prevent it running, require the phone to be rooted.

 

[KENNECTED]

I don't use facebook, never have used facebook and never will use facebook. However, my brand new Sony Xperia S has a facebook app that I apparently can't uninstall. Worse still, whenever I check to see what is running in the background I see the facebook app is active.

Can it be removed completely? If not, can it be permanently killed?

Harlon is correct. I not rooted, nor do I use facebook. Without rooting you can go to the manage applications hit clear data on each facebook app and that should force it to stop. I have an EVO and that works for me, not sure if that will work with Sony.

 

[B2GS3]

Harlon is correct. I not rooted, nor do I use facebook. Without rooting you can go to the manage applications hit clear data on each facebook app and that should force it to stop. I have an EVO and that works for me, not sure if that will work with Sony.

It doesn't matter how many times I hit clear data or force stop it just comes straight back up again within minutes.

Since I don't have an account, what data is it accessing and what is it doing with it and why?

 

[Rush]

I don't use facebook, never have used facebook and never will use facebook. However, my brand new Sony Xperia S has a facebook app that I apparently can't uninstall. Worse still, whenever I check to see what is running in the background I see the facebook app is active.

Can it be removed completely? If not, can it be permanently killed?

This application doesn't consume any significant amount of your battery power. Unless you decide to root the device to move it - just ignore the fact that its there.

 

[B2GS3]

This application doesn't consume any significant amount of your battery power. Unless you decide to root the device to move it - just ignore the fact that its there.

Thanks. Any idea what data is it accessing / accumulating?

I think I'm going to have to root the device and nuke it. I despise facebook and don't want it anywhere near me. Is it possible to use something like titanium backup to return the phone to pre-root format in the event of a problem that might require some kind of warrantee claim?

 

[KENNECTED]

Thanks. Any idea what data is it accessing / accumulating?

I think I'm going to have to root the device and nuke it. I despise facebook and don't want it anywhere near me. Is it possible to use something like titanium backup to return the phone to pre-root format in the event of a problem that might require some kind of warrantee claim?

If you do not have an account and don't access the facebook app, what could a dormant app be accessing that you're worried about? Honestly, you're over thinking this.

 

[Hadron]

Ti Backup can't unroot a device, but there are ways. The tools are different for different devices, so I'd recommend visiting your device's All Things Root subforum to find out what's needed.

 

[B2GS3]

If you do not have an account and don't access the facebook app, what could a dormant app be accessing that you're worried about? Honestly, you're over thinking this.

Perhaps. And it seems it would just be easier to root and nuke. But I'm still curious about what it is doing. I don't trust facebook and find it odd that anyone else does. Therefore, since there is a facebook app on my phone that is both active and accumulating data despite me never going anywhere near the damned thing, it does make me wonder what exactly it is up to.

 

[KENNECTED]

Perhaps. And it seems it would just be easier to root and nuke. But I'm still curious about what it is doing. I don't trust facebook and find it odd that anyone else does. Therefore, since there is a facebook app on my phone that is both active and accumulating data despite me never going anywhere near the damned thing, it does make me wonder what exactly it is up to.

Its a dormant app. This isn't a FB issue, it's an app that your carrier installed on it's UI. There are probably other apps on your device that you are not using, are you worried about those? An app cannot collect or access information on your device unless you activate it.

If you do not have a FB account nor have you set up a FB account on your device, it's not doing anything.

Help us understand your point of view. What could a dormant app, that is not active, meaning you've not entered any of your personal information, access? You don't have a FB account, you've never activated the FB app on your device. Why worry about a carrier app that isn't doing anything. Get pass that it's a FB app and try to understand that it's just something on your phone that you're not using.

It's not malicious and its not that we blindly trust FB, since FB isn't the one who loaded that app on your devices interface.

 

[chanchan05]

Honestly, those apps and games you download are more dangerous than an unactivated FB app on your phone. In fact, they're more dangerous than an activated FB app if data collection of your private information is concerned.

We don't blindly trust FB. We trust it to the extent that we know what's it getting from us, so we know how to deal with it. It won't get anything you don't give it permissions to. Android apps are sandboxed. Basically, it can only do things outside of its sandbox that we allow it to.

 

[zuben el genub]

Some of us just find it annoying that carriers assume everyone WANTS Facebook.
Some of us do not. Employers are now asking for your login to check your account. Pretty soon they will ask to see your phone just to check what apps you have.

I haven't got a personal page per se. I just use it for those who insist on doing business via FB. It's about 3 levels deep in BS. If it was seen and connected to on my phone, I'd have trouble.

You should be allowed to delete some of these social apps without rooting. They have nothing to do with phone operation. It should be blocked by parents' choice if the phone is used by an underaged child. Even if it does nothing. An older sibling with an account could activate FB, and now it will incur a data charge on the phone it isn't wanted on.

 

[B2GS3]

Some of us just find it annoying that carriers assume everyone WANTS Facebook.
Some of us do not. Employers are now asking for your login to check your account. Pretty soon they will ask to see your phone just to check what apps you have.

I haven't got a personal page per se. I just use it for those who insist on doing business via FB. It's about 3 levels deep in BS. If it was seen and connected to on my phone, I'd have trouble.

You should be allowed to delete some of these social apps without rooting. They have nothing to do with phone operation. It should be blocked by parents' choice if the phone is used by an underaged child. Even if it does nothing. An older sibling with an account could activate FB, and now it will incur a data charge on the phone it isn't wanted on.

At last, someone else who doesn't slavishly obey and go along with society's sudden facebook affliction.

As for those who say the app isn't doing anything, why is it accumulating data each day no matter how many times I force stop it and purge that data? If I don't have an account (which I don't) what exactly is it doing?

The list of permissions that it has assumed is astonishing. I'm going to speak to Three about rooting and try to force some kind of sensible approach to the warrantee. It really is a shame that such a wonderful phone and potentially wonderful OS has been hamstrung like this.

 

[zuben el genub]

In your case, it might not be the carrier. I bought an unlocked European (Czech) GSM Galaxy 3. No carrier stuff, but FB was on there.

I just bought a used Nexus S - that did NOT have FB.

 

[Metroid Prime]

Honestly, for me, I hardly ever notice Facebook is there until I see the app. Don't worry man, Facebook is doing no harm and if you wish to get rid of it for good then rooting is the option.

 

[Stuntman]

It doesn't matter how many times I hit clear data or force stop it just comes straight back up again within minutes.

Since I don't have an account, what data is it accessing and what is it doing with it and why?

You should leave it alone. Every time you try to clear data or force stop it, Android thinks that you are using the app and will keep it in the list of recently used apps. If you leave it alone, eventually, it will leave your most recently used apps list. Force stopping an app may cause the app to restart again. I would just launch it normally once and then hit the back button until it exits. This way the app ends normally. Then just leave it alone and never touch it again even to kill it.

 

[xinn3r]

When your Sony Xperia S will finally have ICS, I suppose you will be able to disable the app

 

[mikedt]

Seems to be a lot of this recently, phones with useless Facebook junk, that is active, trying to phone home, using mobile data, draining batteries, etc, and apparently can't be disabled or removed without rooting, even if one never uses it. I've come across a few such phones here which came from Hong Kong, that have immovable(unless rooted) FB bloat/crap, causing problems.

Is FB paying/bribing manufacturers to do this?

Honestly, for me, I hardly ever notice Facebook is there until I see the app. Don't worry man, Facebook is doing no harm and if you wish to get rid of it for good then rooting is the option.

FB on some LG phones is certainly doing harm. Many people here buy their phones from HK, as they're significantly cheaper there. Problem seems to be is that the embedded FB app is trying to call the mothership, and it won't take no for an answer because FB is blocked in the Mainland. So what's happening it's hanging, draining the battery and using up expensive mobile data.