Facebook API for educational purposes - facebook

I want to use the facebook Login for a school project.
Apart from his/her public profile, I also need to get his/her likes.
The only way facebook lets you do that, is by submitting a review form in which I have to enter information that I don't know. I can't even fill out the URL of my website since I only host it locally.
Is there a way that you can access those permissions without having to submit those review forms for educational purposes?
Thanks.

It's possible to use the extended permissions even without Login Review, but only if
People listed in the Roles section of your App Dashboard - including Admins, Developers and Testers - can grant any permission without review. If only people in these Roles will use your app, you don't need to submit it for Login Review.
See
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/apps/faq#login_review

Related

How does one add "integration flow for an end user to connect their Instagram business account(s)" - FB Graph API (For IG) question

We have a simple app that summarizes the total number of mentions your instagram account gets using the IG-User/tags endpoint on the graph api (https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-api/reference/user/tags/)
The pre-requisite of the app is the user has their fb account linked to their IG - Business or IG - Creator account.
Unfortunately every time we've submitted it for review so far it has come back with the same comment from FB:
"Although we were able to login to your app using the Facebook Login authentication, we were unable to test the steps to connect an Instagram business account. As a result, you'll need to implement an integration flow for an end user to connect their Instagram business account(s)"
Now as I understand it there is no way I can get the user to link their IG account to FB or to a FB page using the API. The "link account" action is purely handled using the Instagram app. Or am I missing something here.
Well after 3 weeks of back and forth with multiple seemingly segmented facebook support teams I have been able to get this permission from them.
Turns out that there's an unexplained flow here:
This is verbatim from the information I received from their chat support (but is not found anywhere in the documentation)
"You have needed to provide Test Users on your App Dashboard, grant the test user the Instagram_manage_comments permission and then provide us with the login details. We would then link that to an internal Instagram Business Account."(sic)
The part where they link an internal business account to the test user happens on their end and outside the scope of the app. I confirmed this and even then I failed the review multiple times because apparently the steps to approve IG business permissions have not been standardized yet and sometimes the approver simply doesn't know what needs to be done. It's a strange state of affairs and the answer it seems is to just keep pushing.
I'm having the same problem and looking forward to see some comments to your post since the first day. But I started to think it will never come.
I believe they want a new user to start with minimum permissions (which is the email permission) and add other permission only as they are needed. This requires a mechanism in your app that guide a new user logged in with only email permission to give other permissions (e.g. taping a button that opens up user’s IG business account needs instagram_basic and manage_pages permissions. Or taping “post comment” button needs manage_comments permission.) So your app should open up a window that the user can give permissions when any of these events fires. (or when user decides to take permission(s) back)
This is what I understand from “steps to connect an Instagram business account”.
But I am not sure if my understanding is correct. I would definitely like to hear if you found any solutions.
I'm also having the same problem as you as I'm developing similar service to IGBlade (https://igblade.com) & Social Blade (https://socialblade.com).
I'm beginning the wonder if I should change my app review request so that I would inform Facebook that the permissions my app is requesting work serverside and therefore there's no need to implement an integration flow for an end user to connect their Instagram business account(s) to my app.
Any thoughts?
Here is what I have done to get the approval
Create a Facebook test user with correct permissions
Log in with this user
Create a Facebook Page
Edit settings on Facebook Page and add Instagram Business account (personal one)
Submit Facebook review with both credentials (Facebook test user + personal Instagram user).
Wait for review and do not forget to change your personal Instagram user password after the review.

When do I need to submit my app for Facebook review (when only reduced group of people will use it)?

I am creating an app that only a specific list of users will use, and I need Instagram Public Content Access permission (and some other permissions) for them (I have my Instagram Business Account all set up and connected with Facebook page).
On https://developers.facebook.com/docs/facebook-login/review/examples/#screencast there is stated:
You do not need to submit your app if it will only be used by you or
by a reduced number of people. Any account listed in the Roles tab in
your App Dashboard, such as admins, developers and testers, can access
all permissions and generate a user or page access token.
So I just want to make sure, that it is completely fine in my case to keep my app in development mode and let my users use it like this (so I don't need to submit my app for review as long as all the users are going to have their role assigned in my app), and that these permissions are not intended just for a limited time period or only for testing/development purposes.
Thank you for any answer.
What you quoted there, is applicable to permissions your app is going to ask its users to grant to it.
Instagram Public Content Access is not a permission, it is a feature. You need to get it reviewed, if you want your app to be able to access content that the users of your app do not have admin access to.
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/apps/review/feature/#reference-INSTAGRAM_PUBLIC_CONTENT_ACCESS

Facebook app: How to test unapproved features

Hi I try to make the "publish_actions" feature of my web app approved but I cannot get it approved cause facebook approval system keeps asking me to include screenshot of working features.
However, I cannot provide such screenshot because the "publish_actions" feature is not approved yet.
How is it called? A catch 22 or an Chicken-Egg-dilema? Anyways...
Where should I start?
(I already tried with a test user and a developper account, both in live or developper mode)
Thanks to anyone that can help
You can create test users, or add users as "Testers" or above in your App's "Roles" tab in the developer area of Facebook.
If your app is interacting with a test user or any user with an assigned role in your app, it may request permissions that have not been granted yet by Facebook for public use. There's no trick or workaround; just simply request the permissions like you normally would for any other user.

Test Facebook permissions not yet granted

Is there a way for me to test permissions that are not yet granted to my app by Facebook like the "user_status" permission? I need to test "user_status" for a future app that is not yet in develop since I need to prove that what the client wants is possible.
As long as you are testing with an app admin/tester/developer, everything should work, even if the app didn't pass the facebook Review yet.
See
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/apps/review/login#do-you-need-review
However, in order to help you craft your Facebook Login experience, your app's developers will be able to see, and grant, any permission without requiring review by Facebook.
Note: People who are listed in your app's Roles tab will have access to extended permissions without going through review (e.g. publish_actions or manage_pages). For example, if you use the Facebook Plugin for Wordpress to publish your blog posts to your Facebook Page or Profile, you do not need to submit for review so long as all your publishers are listed in your app's Roles tab.
Also, if you're the developer of an app and are the only person using it, then your app doesn't need to go through review. Since you're the developer, all app capabilities should be available. You will still need to take your app out of developer mode, but you should be able to do that without going through review.

Can Facebook users on a facebook app be anonymous?

I'm trying to create an app for closeted and questioning youth on facebook, and an important feature would be the ability to be anonymous on the app. I've been trying to find out if people can be anonymous on facebook, but this sounds like it's not allowed. Could facebook users make a new user account within a facebook app to protect their identity?
Thanks,
Colby
No, they cannot create a new facebook account from facebook app. And facebook has nothing to do with making a user anonymous, if user has given your application required permissions then you can have all the information about user, its up to you either you want to make that user an "Anonymous user" or show his profile pic/information.
Some suggestions:
In App Settings > Auth Dialog there is the setting Default
Activity Privacy which you should set to Only Me.
When a user authorizes your app store as little information as is
necessary, and prominently display your privacy policy explaining
what type of information you store, why, and how you will never
share it with anyone.
(optional) Store userids in your database as md5 hashes so that even if someone gains access to that database, they won't know who
the users are.