Samsung phone users report having difficulty deleting Facebook
They're given the option to “disable” but can't delete the app.
Facebook can't be removed easily on Samsung phones.
If you're a Samsung phones user, you may have a hard time deleting the Facebook app.
Samsung phone owners have experienced troubled uninstalling the social media giant's app, an issue earlier reported by Bloomberg News, which said some users found they could "disable" but not delete the app. Samsung users posted similar experiences in forums, such as Android Central.
Samsung users see this page when they try to delete Facebook app.
Samsung users see "uninstall" when they try to delete other apps.
Some Samsung phones come with Facebook pre-installed and the South Korean electronics giant has released several apps that link its devices to the social network. One app, Samsung Mobile, required permission to access 36 pieces information about you and your friends on Facebook, which ranged from timeline posts to your friends' photos, religious affiliation and political views. Another app, the Galaxy S4 app, required less information about your friends, but did want their birthdays, status updates, events, photos and videos.
Neither Samsung nor Facebook immediately responded to a request for comment from CNET. However, Samsung told Bloomberg the pre-installed Facebook app on some of its phones no longer runs after the user disables it. Facebook told Bloomberg that a disabled version of the app acts like it's been deleted and doesn't collect data or send information back to Facebook.
The user complaints come in the wake of several incidents involving the integrity of data on Facebook. In December, The New York Times reported the social network gave companies, including Netflix , Spotify and Microsoft , greater access to users' personal data than previously disclosed. In the same month, Facebook disclosed a bug on the platform that exposed 6.8 million people's photos to outside developers.
In September, Facebook disclosed a breach that affected 50 million users on the platform. The breach allowed the "View As" button to be exploited by attackers, who took names, email addresses, phone numbers and other information from 29 million people. Hackers also took data on birth dates, hometowns and workplaces from 14 million users.
First published Jan. 8, 2:20 p.m. PT
Update 5:37 p.m. PT: Adds additional material.