In this post, we’ll cover how you can easily delete your phone number from Tiktok.
Online users have become stricter about their personal information since cases like Cambridge Analytica.
As a reminder, this data leak affected millions of Facebook users in 2014. TikTok, on the other hand, is not completely risk-free, like any other online service for that matter.
Still, you can permanently delete your phone number as a precaution.
Why delete the phone number on TikTok?
In early 2021, cybersecurity experts revealed a serious flaw in TikTok’s “Friend Finder”.
This feature allows you to find your friends on the social network. The vulnerability in the mobile application resulted in the exposure of the phone number and account settings of each affected user.
An attacker could also have easily accessed other information stored on the platform, such as your login details, email address, etc. The flaw has since been fixed, but users are now questioning the reliability of TikTok.
Internet users fear threats such as spear phishing or smshing. Moreover, hackers seem to be particularly fond of phone numbers lately.
As a proof, a Telegram subscriber put more than 500 million numbers from Facebook accounts for sale earlier this year.
How to delete your phone number from Tiktok?
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to delete your phone number from Tiktok without contacting support.
Want to permanently delete your phone number on TikTok?
- Click on “Settings”;
- Open the “Me” tab located at the top right of the interface, then on the three dots icon;
- Continue by clicking on “Account and profile”, then on “Phone number / Email”;
- Choose “I want to change the associated TikTok phone number”;
- Answer “No” to the question “Is your problem resolved?
- Press “I still have a problem” to continue your removal request;
- At this point, the customer support team may ask you some personal questions, such as your username, email address, Google account (your profile may also be associated with your Twitter or Facebook account)…
You then have to wait for the support to come back and confirm the deletion of the number.
Delete your account if you don’t use TikTok anymore
Deleting your phone number from Tiktok might only be the first step into quitting Tiktok.
You are potentially exposed to data leakage, even on a service with a strict privacy policy like TikTok. Beyond the application itself, security flaws can be related to the web browser, Google Play… So, the safest method is to leave the network.
If you decide to delete your TikTok account, you will be able to delete all saved data (favorites, personal history, search results, etc.). To do this, you can:
- Log in to your profile and click on the three-dot icon at the top right of the interface;
- Then click on “Manage account”, then on “Delete profile”;
- A secret code will be sent to you via SMS, Messenger or your mailbox;
- Enter the received verification code, then click again on “Delete profile”.
This solution is foolproof, but also irreversible. However, you can change your mind for 30 days after deactivation.
Just log in to your account with your password and username to reactivate it.
