Facebook Launches Mobile App ‘Link History’ to Monitor Website Visits: How to Turn It On or Off

Facebook’s mobile app now has a “Link History” setting that records every website you’ve visited over the last 30 days.

Now accessible through the Facebook app for iOS and Android, the setting is enabled by default but is optional. According to reports, Facebook users are seeing an in-app pop-up that explains the link history feature and offers them the option to turn it off. Facebook presents link history as an easy-to-use repository for all the links you’ve clicked recently, but in typical Meta manner, there’s a privacy catch.

Link history toggle is reportedly going out on Facebook’s mobile app, according to the support web page. The functionality is currently being gradually rolled out globally and can be found on the Facebook app for iOS and Android. As previously indicated, when enabled, the link history setting stores a user’s list of websites visited during the last thirty days using the Facebook mobile browser.

Facebook adds that links clicked during Messenger chats are not included in this option. Link history is an option that you can switch on or off at any time. The support page states, “Any URLs you tap inside Facebook and visit in Facebook’s Mobile Browser will be preserved here for 30 days when link history is turned on.

It has been noted that when users access the Facebook app, a pop-up for the link history option appears. A Gizmodo report claims that the feature is promoted as a handy way to store all of your links. “Easily get back the recent links you’ve visited with your Facebook browsing activity now saved in one place” is added to the in-app prompt, which says, “Never lose a link again.”

But there’s also the issue of privacy to consider. Facebook makes it clear that it may utilize the list of links you have saved to provide you tailored advertisements across its platforms and technologies on both its help page for the link history toggle and the in-app pop-up.  “Bear in mind that when link history is on, we may use link history information from Facebook’s Mobile Browser to improve your ads across Meta technologies,” the support page says. This effectively turns your link history an all-in-one-place interest board for Facebook to access and utilise to send targeted advertisements to users.

Open any link within the Facebook mobile app to open the Facebook mobile browser, then select the option to enable or disable link history. Next, choose Browser settings by tapping the three-dot menu located in the lower right corner. Press the toggle and confirm your selection to switch the setting on or off. When the setting is off, Meta claims that it will instantly remove any link history you may have followed and that it will not utilize your browsing history to “improve your ads” on any of its platforms. However, it also mentions that the full removal of your list of connections could take up to 90 days.

Open the Facebook mobile browser by clicking on any link within the app to enable or disable link history. Next, pick Browser settings by tapping the three dots in the lower right corner of the screen. Toggle the setting on or off by pressing the toggle and confirming your selection. According to Meta, if you disable the feature, it will instantly remove all of your past links and won’t utilize your browser history to “improve your ads” on any of its platforms. However, it also mentions that it can take up to 90 days for your list of links to be fully removed.

Open the Facebook mobile browser by clicking on any link within the app to enable or disable link history. Next, pick Browser settings by tapping the three dots in the lower right corner of the screen. Toggle the setting on or off by pressing the toggle and confirming your selection. According to Meta, if you disable the feature, it will instantly remove all of your past links and won’t utilize your browser history to “improve your ads” on any of its platforms. However, it also mentions that it can take up to 90 days for your list of links to be fully removed.

The link history feature is already available on the mobile Instagram app from Meta. The menu’s “Your activity” option is where you may find the setting. Facebook said last month that calls and one-on-one chats on the Messenger app will by default be encrypted from beginning to end.