Meta announced it is introducing a new “Link History” setting on Facebook and Instagram to make it easier for users to find their browsing history in the app. This setting is now available on his Facebook and Instagram apps for both iOS and Android. The link history feature saves a user’s browsing history for his 30 days, adding convenience, but Meta’s disclosure that it may use that information to improve the ads shown to users across the platform raises concerns.
What is link history?
Although Meta calls it a feature designed for user convenience, “link history” is essentially a new setting added to Facebook and Instagram. According to Meta, when you enable the link history setting, the sites you’ve recently visited on the app are recorded and stored in one place.
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Mehta said the feature will allow users to easily search for links they have visited in the past, 30 days to be exact. This is an opt-in feature and is enabled by default, but users can opt out if they wish. The process is shown below.
How to enable/disable Facebook link history
android
- Open the Facebook app
- Tap the “More” icon that appears in the bottom right corner
- Tap “Settings & Privacy”
- Tap on link history
- Here, enable/disable the “Link History” setting by toggling it on/off.
iPhone
- Open the Facebook app
- Tap Menu with your profile picture at the bottom of the app window
- Tap “Settings & Privacy”
- Tap “Link History”
- Here, toggle on/off to enable/disable link history settings.
Importantly, you can stop the Facebook app from recording your browsing history by toggling link history off, but it may take up to 90 days for Meta to complete the process of deleting the history it has already saved.
Also read: Indians will download 26 billion apps on mobile devices in 2023, data shows
How to enable/disable link history on Instagram
android
- Open the Instagram app
- Tap the three lines on the top right
- Tap “Settings & Privacy”
- In the “Apps & Media” section select “Website Permissions”
- Tap “Browser settings”
- Here, toggle on/off to enable/disable link history settings.
iPhone
- Open the Instagram app
- Tap your profile photo that appears at the bottom right of the app window
- Tap the hamburger menu that appears at the top right of the app window
- Tap on the “Your Activity” option and scroll down to the “How I Use Instagram” section to find the link history setting
- Here, toggle on/off to enable/disable link history settings.