How to Revoke Third-Party App Access to Your Google/Facebook

 

Managing and Removing External App Permissions for Account Safety

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• Google Security Settings: Navigate to the security tab in your Google account to view and disconnect services that have access to your private data.
• Facebook App Management: Use the Apps and Websites menu to remove old games, quizzes, or tools that still have permission to view your profile or friend list.
• Revocation Benefits: Cutting these connections stops apps from requesting new data, which protects your privacy if those external companies ever suffer a data leak.
• Permission Audits: Regularly reviewing which apps have "read and write" access helps maintain a clean digital footprint and prevents unwanted posts or account activity.

Problem Description

Many people use the convenience of a social login to quickly access new websites or mobile games. While this saves time, it creates a lasting connection where an external service can continue to view your personal data long after you have stopped using it. This is often referred to as third-party access, which means an app made by another company is allowed to see parts of your Google or Facebook profile. Over time, a single account might be linked to dozens of forgotten services, each holding a digital key to your information. Removing these links is a necessary part of keeping your account secure and ensuring your private data is not being shared without a clear reason.

When you sign into a service using a social account, the two platforms use a system called a digital bridge to share information. This bridge allows the new app to verify who you are without you needing to create a new password. However, if you do not regularly check these connections, old apps might still have permissions to read your emails, see your contacts, or view your private photos. Users often notice this when they see strange activity in their account history or receive emails from services they haven't visited in years. Revoking this access is the process of closing that bridge so the app can no longer ask for your data.

Common Causes

• Testing New Tools: Signing up for a productivity app or photo editor to try it for five minutes and then never opening it again.
• Mobile Game Integration: Connecting a game to your profile to save progress or compare scores with friends, even if the game is eventually deleted.
• One-Time Quizzes: Using your account to participate in a viral social media quiz that requires access to your profile data to generate a result.
• Public Wi-Fi Portals: Using a social login to bypass a sign-in screen at an airport or coffee shop to get free internet access.
• Old Browser Extensions: Adding a tool to your web browser that requires a login to sync your settings across different computers.
• Educational or Work Tools: Using your personal account to log into a software used for a specific project that is now finished.
• Streaming Services: Linking your music or video streaming accounts to share what you are listening to on your public profile.
• Forgotten Giveaways: Entering a contest or giveaway that requires you to follow a page or sign in with your account to qualify for a prize.

Step-by-Step Solutions

1. Disconnect Apps from Your Google Account

   Open your web browser and go to your Google Account settings page, then click on the Security tab located on the left-hand menu. Scroll down until you find the section labeled Your connections to third-party apps & services and click on See all connections. This screen lists every app that has a digital key to your account; click on an app you no longer use and select the option to Delete all connections.

   After you confirm the removal, check the list again to see if there are other apps with "Full Account Access," as these are the most important to remove if you do not recognize them.

2. Revoke Access from Your Facebook Profile

   Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of Facebook, select Settings & Privacy, and then click Settings. In the menu on the left side of the screen, look for the Apps and Websites section under the "Your activity" or "Security" headings. You will see a list of active apps; click the Remove button next to any service that you no longer want to share your data with.

   A pop-up will appear asking if you also want to delete all posts, videos, or events that the app posted on your timeline; check this box if you want to clean up your profile history along with the access removal.

3. Manage Permissions on Mobile Devices

   On your smartphone, open the Google app or the Facebook app and navigate to the Settings menu within the app itself. For Google, tap your profile icon and select Manage your Google Account, then follow the same Security path used on the desktop version. For Facebook, tap the three-line menu icon, go to Settings & Privacy, and find Apps and Websites to audit your list while on the go.

   Once finished, restart the app to ensure the settings have been updated and that the removed services no longer appear in your active list.

4. Review and Update Account Security

   After removing old apps, it is a good time to check your general account safety settings to make sure your recovery options are current. Go to the security section of your account and verify that your recovery phone number and backup email address are still active and accessible to you. This ensures that if you are ever locked out, you have a way to prove your identity and regain control of your profile.

   Check whether your two-factor authentication (2FA) is still active, as this provides an extra layer of protection even if an app's digital key was compromised in the past.

Technical Notes or Limitations

When you revoke access, you are essentially destroying an authentication token, which is a temporary digital key that allows an app to talk to your account without knowing your password. Revoking the token stops the app from getting new information, but it does not automatically delete the data the app has already collected and stored on its own servers. If you want your data completely removed from the third-party company, you may need to contact that company directly or log into their specific website to request an account deletion. Additionally, some apps might still send you marketing emails if they saved your email address before you disconnected them. It is also important to note that revoking access might break certain features, such as synced game progress or automated cross-posting between social platforms. Finally, clearing these connections does not sign you out of the main Google or Facebook account on your current browser; it only affects the "bridge" to external services.

Summary of Fixes

To secure your account, navigate to the security settings of Google or Facebook and find the list of third-party apps. Select the services you no longer use and click the remove or delete button to cancel their permissions. Regularly performing this audit ensures that only trusted and active apps have access to your private information.

For more information on maintaining a safe digital presence, you can review our guide on Account Security (Post 20). Additionally, if you are having trouble with security codes during the login process, see our detailed walkthrough on why verification codes or OTPs are not arriving to ensure your primary protection methods are functioning correctly.