Deleting uploaded contacts is only half the cleanup. If continuous contact uploading remains enabled on a phone, the app can keep syncing address-book data again. The durable fix is a two-part workflow: stop future uploading first, then remove what was already uploaded.
Start in Accounts Center
Meta’s current help instructions route Facebook contact-upload controls through Settings & privacy → Settings → Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Upload contacts. From there, select the Facebook account and turn off continuous contact uploading.
Facebook and Messenger can have separate contact behavior
Meta provides separate contact-management guidance for Messenger. If you have used both apps, review both rather than assuming one switch controls every upload path.
Stopping sync does not automatically erase historical uploads
Meta’s privacy troubleshooting guidance says uploaded contacts can be removed. Turning off future syncing and deleting stored uploads are different actions, so do both if your goal is a clean reset.
App-level access and platform-level uploading are different layers
On iPhone or Android, review whether Facebook or Messenger still has permission to read contacts. Revoking the phone permission can add another boundary, but it does not necessarily erase contacts that were uploaded previously.
Menus move; your privacy intention should not
Apps change interface labels over time. After a major reinstall, phone migration or settings reset, it is worth checking that contact upload is still off—especially if friend suggestions suddenly begin reflecting new entries from your address book.
The privacy fix is “stop + delete,” not only “delete”
First stop the app from uploading future contacts. Then remove the contacts already stored. Finally, review the phone’s own Contacts permission if you want the strongest boundary.