Would you prefer to open Facebook links outside of the app, in your preferred browser? This is the way you do things.
By default, the Facebook app opens URLs in the built-in browser. However, what if you’d rather utilise the browser app of your choice instead? What you need to know about turning off Facebook’s in-app browser is provided here.
Can You Disable Facebook’s In-App Browser?
Facebook used to allow users to open most links in an external browser, giving them more choice over which links they clicked. On the iOS and Android apps, this is no longer the case, as we discovered when we tested the functionality in 2024.
Instead, only links in Facebook messages are now eligible to be opened in an external browser. Facebook’s in-app browser will launch automatically when you click on links from sites or posts. After that, you’ll have to manually access the URL in a different browser.
Therefore, although you can disable Facebook’s in-app browser for message links, the app’s browser will still open for other links.
How to Turn Off Facebook’s Mobile Browser
It’s easy to disable Facebook’s in-app browser. Nevertheless, the external link setting for privacy is only functional for links sent within messages.
When you click on a link anywhere on Facebook, including a Facebook page, the app’s integrated browser is used by default.
You must hit the three dots at the top of the page and choose Open in an external browser to open these kinds of links in your preferred browser. After that, the app will launch on the mobile browser of your choice.
Using an external browser may lead to less monitoring when you access a website on your phone, depending on your privacy settings and the browser you use.
You can use the following procedures to make Facebook open message links in an external browser:
1. Tap the hamburger menu (which displays your profile icon) in the upper right corner of the app’s home screen. This icon appears in the lower right corner on iOS.
2. After choosing Settings & privacy from the drop-down menu, hit Settings.
3. Once you’ve scrolled down, tap the Media option. It is located in the Preferences area.
4. Scroll down to the Media menu and choose the “Open links in external browser” check box. To turn on the feature on iOS, you will need to use a toggle button.
Facebook will alert you to the fact that you are leaving messaging the first time you click on a link in a message after you apply this setting. To access the link, simply tap the Continue button.
Facebook’s in-app browser offers some convenience, but users who are concerned about their privacy might choose to utilise an external browser. You should also disable Facebook’s link history feature if you want even more privacy.
To lessen the quantity of information Facebook gathers about you when you’re not using the app, you can also utilise the off-Facebook activity feature.
Sadly, the app no longer offers the option to totally disable Facebook’s in-app browser. However, you may turn off the integrated browser for mail links by utilising your privacy settings.