You might not use Facebook very often these days, but Instagram and WhatsApp are pretty much staples for many when it comes to social media and networking. And in case you didn’t know, both of these apps are owned by Facebook. One of the lesser known features of Instagram is that you can upload your contacts to its servers to find people you know on the photo sharing platform. However, if you no longer want to sync your contacts with Facebook servers, here is how to turn off contact sync and delete your contact list from Instagram.
Delete Your Contact List on Instagram
As mentioned above, the “sync contacts” feature is an easier way to find people you might know on Instagram. However, you may not want to share more personal data with this Facebook-owned app and social networking giant than is absolutely necessary. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to turn off contact sync and delete your uploaded contact list from Instagram servers. That’s what we’re going to discuss in this article today.
As always, you can use the table of contents below to jump to any relevant chapter you want to read.
Disable Contacts Syncing in Instagram App
The first thing we need to do before deleting contacts from Instagram servers is to not allow Instagram to access your contacts. After all, after following all the people you know, there is no reason for Instagram to hide your contacts. To do this, follow these steps:
note: I’m showing this process on Instagram for iPhone. However, for Android devices, the steps remain the same so you can follow it even if you’re using an Android smartphone.
- In the bottom navigation bar, tap your profile icon in the Instagram app. Then tap the overflow menu icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
- In the overflow menu, tap ‘Settings’ and Go to the ‘Account’ section.
- Here, Tap on ‘Contacts Sync’ and turn off the switch to prevent Instagram from uploading your contacts to their servers.
Delete Contact List from Instagram Servers
Now that you have disabled the contact sync feature in the Instagram app, we will delete the uploaded contacts from the Instagram servers. To do this, you need to access the Instagram website from a computer. Unfortunately, Instagram does not allow you to delete your contacts from their servers using the mobile app.
- Go to the Instagram website and sign in with your Instagram account. Click on your profile icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Click on ‘Settings’ in the drop-down menu.
- Next, Click on ‘Manage Contacts’.
- Here, Click ‘Delete All’ to remove all your synced contacts From Instagram servers. If you have never synced your contacts with the photo sharing service, the button will be dimmed and unclickable.
That is all. You have now deleted all your synced contacts from the Instagram servers. Now make sure to disable contact syncing in the Instagram app so that your contacts don’t sync again.
Keep Your Personal Contacts Away From Instagram Servers
Now that you know how to delete your contacts from Instagram servers, you should go ahead and do this to improve your privacy. After all, why give more user data to companies like Instagram and Facebook, especially when it doesn’t add that much value to your user experience? So, have you ever given Instagram access to your contact list? Do you regularly sync your contacts to find new users? If so, will you delete these contacts from the Instagram servers? Let us know in the comments.
This is quite a lot for us. While you’re here, check out our detailed guides on how to restore deleted posts on Instagram, delete Instagram Account, and lock your Facebook profile to keep it away from prying eyes.
