Facebook app vanished, and won't let me reinstall.

[Belonging to Abba]

The Facebook app disappeared, but its app info is still listed under settings on my Galaxy phone. Whenever I click "install" for Facebook in Google Play Store, it downloads the app, but it is deleted right after download. How can I fix this, without having to factory reset? Under "manage accounts" in settings there is no Facebook account listed (there used to be). I tried Revo Uninstaller, but this did not work.

I think this situation arose through setting up mobile device management software on the phone (MDM). I am using MDM to apply personal restrictions to the phone. I applied a Managed Google Play account to the device with the MDM to distribute apps to the device. The day after I did that, the Facebook app disappeared from the home screen. Since Facebook was not uninstalled properly, I think this is what caused the problem. I also tried to distribute the Facebook app to the device through the MDM, so now for the app details in the Play Store, it says, "Per your administrator, this app may not be uninstalled", even though the app doesn't exist on the phone. For the button in the Play Store it says "install" as the option.

 

[JesseRaymondBassett]

try this url. It is a .apk file so your cell phone should recognize it. Facebook.apk

 

[Belonging to Abba]

try this url. It is a .apk file so your cell phone should recognize it. Facebook.apk

Can you explain how to download it? I downloaded the file from the website you gave on the computer and transferred it to my phone with a USB cable. Then with file explorer I clicked on it after granting the permission. When I clicked on it, I got the prompt, "Do you want to update this app?" When I clicked on update, I got this message: "App not installed as package appears to be invalid." I read online that this message occurs when there is a conflict with an already installed app, or I guess in my situation, because Facebook is still listed under apps but does not exist on the phone.

 

[Belonging to Abba]

.

 

[JesseRaymondBassett]

Can you explain how to download it? I downloaded the file from the website you gave on the computer and transferred it to my phone with a USB cable. Then with file explorer I clicked on it after granting the permission. When I clicked on it, I got the prompt, "Do you want to update this app?" When I clicked on update, I got this message: "App not installed as package appears to be invalid." I read online that this message occurs when there is a conflict with an already installed app, or I guess in my situation, because Facebook is still listed under apps but does not exist on the phone.

Have you tried to factory reset your phone?

 

[Belonging to Abba]

Have you tried to factory reset your phone?

I was able to fix it by adding the Facebook app to the blocked app list in the MDM console. This allowed me to uninstall it, and after removing it from the blocked list, I was able to reinstall it.

 

[JesseRaymondBassett]

Good. I am glad this is solved.

 

[Belonging to Abba]

Good. I am glad this is solved.

I am not out the of the woods yet. Even though I was able to reinstall the Facebook app successfully, with the MDM software, the Facebook app disappears I think every day without being uninstalled correctly (it's app information still listed under apps in settings).

I am thinking of backing up the phone and factory resetting it, but I am not sure it is worth the work for one app, when I can use the Facebook lite app instead. However the performance of the normal Facebook app is better than the Facebook lite app.