Facebook encourages users to add their phone umber to their Facebook accounts while news bloggers and rumor mongers are constantly telling people how unsafe it is to have their phone numbers on Facebook. The result of this is confused Facebook users that don’t know what to do.
The truth is, there are always two sides to every story and if you don’t have the right info, you will not know what to do. Adding your phone number to Facebook doesn’t stop at just putting it there. You need to understand Facebook privacy and the cons of having your phone number on Facebook.
The main advantage of having your phone number on Facebook is security. Mobile phones have proved to be the most efficient way for giant sites like Facebook, Google, Yahoo e.t.c. to maintain the security of accounts.
- You can use your phone number to login to your Facebook account on the login page. In the username box, you can enter your email, Facebook username or phone number.
- If you lose/forget your Facebook password and can’t access your email, you can easily use your phone number to reset your password. Simply go to the account recovery page and ask Facebook to send a reset code to your phone.
- Your Facebook phone number will be required to set up 2 step verification for your Facebook account. This is a Facebook account security measure that only allows you and only you to log in to your account whether someone else has the password or not.
- You can choose to get important Facebook notifications via your phone. From the notification settings page, you can choose to have Facebook notifications directly to your phone.
- If you’re using your Facebook account to promote yourself or brand and you want people to call you, you can leave your phone number in your public profile and people can use it to reach you. People can also search for you on Facebook using your phone number.
With that being said, you also need to understand that you’re in charge of your Facebook account and all the information in it. Facebook has created all the tools necessary to manage the privacy of the information in your Facebook account.
Make Your Facebook Phone Number Private:
If you’re using your phone number on Facebook for other reasons other than publicity, you can make it private. Add your phone number and make it private! Simple as that.
To make your Facebook phone number private, go to your Account Information page and change the privacy setting of your phone number to ‘Only Me’. This means nobody will see your phone number. Even your Facebook friends.
To stop people from using your phone number to search you on Facebook, go to the Who can Look me up page in your privacy settings. Turn the ‘Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?‘ option to Friends. No one else will be able to search you via your phone number.
Conclusion: You don’t need to remove your phone number from Facebook. Use the privacy settings available to make sure your phone number is not seen or used by people you don’t want.