How to Fix: Disable, Delete Messenger 'My Story' Permanently

Infopackets Reader Samantha G. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I use Facebook Messenger to send and receive text messages to my friends using my Android smart phone. One of the neat features Messenger offers is the ability to take a photo of yourself (or someone else) using filters. For example, there's a rabbit filter that puts bunny ears and a mouth on the person being photographed. I had fun with this one day and took over a dozen photos of myself using various filters. Unbeknownst to me, all of these goofy photos were automatically posted in the 'My Story' folder, where they were viewable to everyone of my friends. I did not want this to happen! It appears there is absolutely no way to shut off My Story in the Settings, and I want My Story disabled and deleted permanently! I have searched the Google on how to disable My Story but they say I need to root my phone and download a hacked version of Messenger to do it. Other articles I've come across suggest it's possible to disable My Story via the settings, but it's not in there anymore. The Facebook official page on how to disable My Story is completely useless. Can you please tell me how to disable My Story? I find it incredibly intrusive and annoying! "

My response:

It took some time to figure this out, but I have found a way to disable My Story in a round-about way.

How to Fix: Disable, Delete Messenger 'My Story' Permanently

Here are the steps:

1. First, launch Facebook Messenger on your phone. On the main screen, you should see a list of your friends that you've had previous conversations with. Tap the "My Story" icon at the top of the screen.
    
2. The camera on your phone should automatically activate. By default, the camera points to the user. Tap the icon to change to your external camera (it looks like a circle with arrows around it). At this time, place the phone on a flat surface and tap the button to take an image of a black screen.
    
3. Once the black screen has been photographed, tap the "Your Story ->" icon on the bottom far right. You will receive a prompt to "Add [the black screen] to your story?" - tap 'Add'.
    
4. You will now be brought back to the main Messenger menu which shows all your previous conversations. Tap the "Your Story" icon at the top of the screen (which should display the black image you just photographed).
    
5. The black image will appear, full screen; at this point you need to be quick and tap the 3 horizontal dots near the top right, then select "Story Settings". If you don't tap the 3 horizontal dots in time, you won't be able to access the menu. If that is the case, just go back and tap "Your Story" again.
    
6. You should now see a menu entitled "Who Can See Your Story?". By default, it will have "Friends Only" check marked. Tap the "Custom" option near the bottom.
    
7. The "Choose People" screen will now appear. Go through the list and make sure no names are check marked. Then go back up to the top of the screen and tap the "Apply" link. This will effectively show "Your Story" to no one, thereby disabling the annoying feature altogether. Hallelujah!
    
8. On the "Choose People" menu, tap the back arrow button to go back to the "Story" menu. Finally, tap the "Save" link at the top right of the screen to save your changes.

How to Delete Images from My Story ("Your Story")

You now have the option to delete any images that are in "Your Story", though technically if you just followed the steps above, no one will be able to see it.

To delete images from My Story, do the following:

1. Go to the Messenger main screen which lists all your previous conversations with friends.
    
2. Tap the "Your Story" near the top. The last image you took will be displayed for only a few seconds - quickly tap the 3 horizontal dots near the top right of the image, then tap "Delete" link to delete it.
    
3. Repeat for any other images posted in "Your Story".

I hope that helps.

Got a Computer Question or Problem? Ask Dennis!

I need more computer questions. If you have a computer question - or even a computer problem that needs fixing - please email me with your question so that I can write more articles like this one. I can't promise I'll respond to all the messages I receive (depending on the volume), but I'll do my best.

About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.