Very often, users of the Android operating system need to delete their account due to some system error, sale or transfer of the phone to another person. There are several options for how to delete a Google account on Android. Some try to do this using standard methods, but when they try to delete, the system displays an error message.
Official way (long)
This is not a quick solution, since the user will be able to permanently delete the “VKontakte” page without restoration only after 6-7 months. However, for others, the account will become unavailable immediately.
To remove you will need:
- Open vk.com in your browser and log in.
- On the top panel on the right, find the button with your name and avatar and click on it. Select “Settings” from the drop-down list.
- Scroll down and find “Delete Page.”
- After clicking the button, the service will ask you to select from the list the reason why the user wants to delete the VKontakte profile forever. You can also check the “Notify friends” checkbox.
- Having confirmed his decision by clicking on the “Delete” button, the user will see a message about the page being blocked.
Now, instead of a profile, everyone will see a well-known avatar with a dog and a note about account deletion.
In addition, for about six months after deletion, the “Restore Page” button will be available. During this time, you will be able to restore the deleted page without any problems, but after this time, doing something will be problematic.
We strongly recommend that you, before finally parting with the service, clear all personal data (delete photos, videos, messages and contact information).
Delete a Facebook page linked to Instagram
Before deleting your account, you should unlink it from Instagram to stop reposting posts. To do this you will need to go to your Facebook page:
- Click the arrow in the upper right corner and go to “Settings” ;
- find “Applications” and select “Instagram” ;
- then click the cross and confirm your actions by selecting the “Delete” .
Once your cabinets are untied, the removal process can begin.
Removing an account from a phone using the Root right
If you have received this right on your gadget, there are more methods for deleting registration. In this case, it is enough to erase the accounts.db file, where the device stores account information. To do this, we need a file manager such as Root Explorer, which has access to protected information. You can purchase it in the Play Market for 175 rubles (at the time of writing).
Launch Root Explorer. We enter the folder /data/system. Open the accounts.db file by long pressing on it. In the new window, click on the “Delete” button.
It is worth paying attention: - some smartphones and tablets are very “sticky” to a person’s account. Interestingly, in this case they will also require authorization, even after you have reflashed the gadget. This is a difficult case. Hence, my advice to you. Write down your login and password in several places at once. For example, in a simple notebook. In the cloud of the same Google, or Yandex. On a removable storage device on your phone or PC. You can store passwords in the Password Manager. I recommend using the free LastPass service. It has been around for quite some time and has never been hacked.
Deactivating an account if it is blocked
If your page on the social network Facebook is blocked, then before deleting it, you will need to unblock it. To restore, you will need to use the special Facebook option “Trusted Friends” . This will help in case the account is blocked due to a hacking attempt or suspicious activity of the page owner. When blocked, the friends you tagged will receive codes. They can inform you of the received codes and help you restore access.
If you have not configured this option in advance, you will need to contact technical support. To do this you need to go to the Facebook website:
- in the lower left corner click the “Help” ;
- in the menu you need to select “Manage your account” ;
- then click “Change password ”;
- in the window that appears, select “Errors and known issues” ;
- find in the suggested list “I can’t log into the site” ;
- Next, you should file a complaint indicating the problem and your email.
After you send a complaint to technical support, a letter will be sent to your email indicating the reason for deactivating your account. The letter will also contain detailed instructions on your next steps. To confirm your identity, you will need a photo of your identification document. After verification, access to your profile will be restored.
Having restored your page, you can begin the deletion procedure.
Reset your phone to factory settings
This is a cardinal method, used when:
- A person cannot remember his credentials and restore them;
- About to sell a smartphone;
- All the methods we discussed above do not help delete an account;
- Malicious software has appeared on the phone and the methods we have discussed do not help.
This method works a little differently on different versions of the Android system. We will reset personal settings from the "Application" by selecting "Backup".
Then “Reset to restore factory settings.”
On a different firmware, the section and the button may look and have a different name. On Explay Atom, go to “Settings”, then go down and select “Backup and reset”. In the new window, select “Reset settings”. On Lenovo, resetting to factory settings works the same way. On Samsung, this setting is located in the “General” section. Then select “Backup and reset”. In other words, you need to get to the window where there is a "Reset to Factory Settings" function, or something similar. Most likely, it is in the settings (gear).
When you click on this button, Android will give you a warning: “All data from memory will be deleted.” This means not only a Google account, but also a Yandex account, if you have one. Also, all numbers and so on will be deleted. Keep this in mind!
It happens that the gadget has password protection. If you cannot remember this password, we can reset it in other ways:
- For example, using the Recovery function. How to enter this function can be found in the gadget’s instructions.
- You can press and hold the Reset button, which is usually located on the right side of the device. But it can also be under the cover.
Also, to delete your account, you can simply reflash your smartphone. It's the same as changing the Windows computer. Of course, in this case, all information from the phone will also be deleted.
Ambiguous ways
If we talk about very quick methods, then they are all related to the actions of the administration:
- You can write a letter to technical support with a request to quickly destroy your profile, but you must understand that convincing reasons are needed. As a rule, there are no problems with quickly deleting profiles of deceased relatives; it is a little more difficult to get rid of accounts to which access has been lost.
- The most dubious way to delete a page on VK permanently immediately without the possibility of recovery is to get banned by the administration. Some brave souls launch spam mailings or contact specialized groups with a request to report a profile for spam or insults. Do not forget that some reasons for a ban (such as extremism) are criminally punishable.
But if the user decides to delete the VKontakte page forever, it is still recommended to use privacy settings or a specialized deletion function. For all third-party people, the account will be deleted quickly, and a little later the data on the social network servers will be destroyed.
Self-destruct function
You should be aware that in addition to deleting an account by the user, it is also possible to automatically delete a profile if there is no activity on it for a certain period of time (specified in the account settings). The account self-destruct function allows you to get rid of inactive profiles. Now, if you have not used your account for more than 1 year (the maximum period of inactivity on the page), the profile will be deleted without your participation.
Here we will show the self-destruction function of the Telegram messenger on a computer and phone.
On the computer
- Launch Telegram messenger on your computer and click menu button.
- Next, click the menu item "Settings".
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and in the “privacy and security” block, click the line "Automatic account deletion".
- Select the time after which your account will be automatically deleted and click "Save". If, after automatic deletion, you want to resume your account, you will have to register again in the messenger, and your friends will receive a notification about registration in Telegram.
On the phone
- Launch the application, log in and press the menu button .
- Select "Settings" .
- Click the "Privacy and Security"
- In the “Account Self-Destruction” , click the line “If you were not there” .
- And as the last setup step, select the period after which your account will be deleted automatically.
