How to Really Connect Your Words with Friends Mobile Account to Facebook

I can't say it's absolutely true, but when it comes to mobile word gaming, there's Scrabble people and then there's Words with Friends people. It feels segregational. Rarely does one play both. At least, that's what I see when it comes to my family and friends.

Everyone who loves Scrabble sticks with Scrabble, while those who just liked playing from time to time or never played at all veer towards Zynga's word clone. Me... I'm one of the rare few who plays both. If you're addicted to word games—any words games—how could you not?

The other day I finally decided to open my Words with Friends play to more of my online buddies, opting to connect to Facebook. It took me a good three months, but I finally did it, though not without some painful hiccups. I remember when I connected Scrabble to Facebook—very easy. Too bad Zynga couldn't have made it easy.

Problems Connecting Mobile to Facebook

First off, I thought it was quite intuitive what needed to be done. As long as you had the updated Words with Friends with the Facebook and Twitter connect options plainly visible, it seemed like a super easy task. Simply hit the "Facebook" sign and follow the instructions. For some, it is that easy. But for me and my iPhone 4, it definitely was not.

I immediately received the following error:

"Account Already Connected: This Facebook account has been connected to another user."

I don't know how this happened, because I never actually tried opening up Words with Friends on Facebook before trying this method, so I was very baffled by this error. But I took this as a sign to get on my computer, log-in to Facebook, and install the Facebook version. I figured it might have something to do with the fact that the email address I used to sign up with Words with Friends on mobile was different than my Facebook email address.

Problems Connecting Facebook to Mobile

So, I installed Words with Friends on Facebook and it immediately presented me with a popup message asking, "Are you playing on Mobile?". After clicking "Yes" it presented me with an option to sign in "using my email account instead" or my Facebook account. I figured that would be the obvious fix for this problem, so I entered in my email address and password for Words with Friends and pressed continue.

"Sorry, we could not verify that information. Please try again."

This was very frustrating. I know my email address was correct, as well as my password. Yet, just in case, I tried updating my password in the Words with Friends app on my iPhone by going to "Settings" and typing in my password again in the "New Password" and "Password (again)" spots. Then I pressed "Save And Close" and went back to Facebook on my computer to try connecting again.

"Sorry, we could not verify that information. Please try again."

I then tried deleting the Facebook app and reinstalling it, then going through the process again. This time, the "Are you playing on Mobile?" message did not automatically appear; I had to click on "Start a Game" and then press "Close" to get the popup message to appear (which is a very weird process). But again...

"Sorry, we could not verify that information. Please try again."

Okay, I uninstalled the Facebook app and reinstalled yet again, then when through the same steps to connect my Words with Friends email address, but this time I clicked on the "I forgot my password" link directly in Facebook to make sure it was kosher. Alas, no luck.

I then when back to the iPhone app and tried to connect to Facebook that way again (even force-closing the app and deleting and reinstalling it), but kept getting the "Account Already Connected: This Facebook account has been connected to another user." message, as well as "You have already authorized Words with Friends. Press 'Okay' to continue."

Contacting the Zynga Helpdesk

After this, I decided to send a support request to Zynga with Friends (you can do that here if you need to). Eight communications and three representatives later, I finally got it connected.

Before that, I did peruse their Helpdesk to see if there was information already available on the subject, but all I found was a quick explanation of logging in with email vs. logging in with Facebook. Funny how it doesn't mention anything about connecting to Facebook when you already have the app installed.

Apparently, if you try to connect to Facebook by hitting the Facebook icon in the mobile app or by setting it up using the Facebook app, you run the risk of having a generic Words with Friends account associated with your Facebook user ID. That's what happened in my case. So, why do they even give you these options if they don't work 100 percent of the time? Very strange.

How to Connect to Facebook Without Any Problems

Learn from my mistakes (or Zynga's mistakes). The surefire way to connect your mobile Words with Friends account to Facebook is by first uninstalling the mobile app, then reinstalling it. Here's what you should do.

1.  Before uninstalling, open Words with Friends on your mobile device and go to "Settings" to make sure your email address is listed, then type in your password of choice (twice). If you already set a password before, it doesn't hurt to do it again. It can be the same one.

2.  Click on "Save And Close" to finish.

3.  Now, uninstall the app.

4.  Reinstall it. If you have the paid version in iTunes, just re-sync with iTunes and make sure Words with Friends is checked for syncing in the Apps section. You will not have to pay again.

5.  Once reinstalled, open up the app. You should be presented with a similar message to this:

6.  Use the "Login with Facebook" option, NO MATTER if you have an email address account or not. You will be able to update that in a later step.

7.  Enter your Facebook login information. If you're already logged into Facebook on your device, you may not have to do this. You will just need to grant Words with Friends access by clicking "Allow".

8.  After setting up Facebook connect, you'll re-enter the app, where you should be asked if you already have a Words with Friends (or Zynga with Friends) account already. If you have an account, then enter your email address and password. If it doesn't ask you, go to "Settings" and try updating your email address and password there.

Finally Done

Once set, you should be good to go. If you didn't do these steps first and are getting the "Account Already Connected: This Facebook account has been connected to another user." message, you will need to contact Zynga support so they can clear the accidental generic Words with Friends account that was automatically created for Facebook.

Hope this helps anyone with problems connecting their mobile accounts with Facebook.

I'd like to think that Zynga will fix these issues. Realistically, you should be able to connect your accounts by hitting the Facebook button on the mobile app or by using your Words with Friends email and password in the Facebook app. You shouldn't have to uninstall and reinstall the app to perform this, but that's life I guess.