People share content on the web every day using the Like button. While this has been a key part of how people share, mobile apps have not been able to integrate the functionality. Now they can.

The new Open Graph built-in like action makes it easier for people to share content from your app. While the Like button is a great way to let friends share content from the web back to Facebook, the like action enables you to build your own like buttons for your mobile or web app and drive distribution across Facebook.

You can use the new like action to implement your own like button for a more integrated experience with your app on web and mobile platforms, as Instagram and foursquare have done.

When a person likes their friend’s story via the new like action, a notification is sent to the friend. For example, if a person likes the photo their friend posts on Instagram, the friend will get a notification.

As with the Like button, like stories are presented and aggregated in News Feed, similar when someone clicks the Like button.

Unlike the Like button, people must authorize your app to publish like stories. Continue to use the Like button to make it easy for anyone who visits your website to share content back to Facebook. Similarly, use the Like button when you want to make it easy for anyone to like your Facebook Page.

To use the new like action, follow the below guidelines and policies:

• Starting today we will no longer approve custom like actions. Apps that currently use a custom like action must migrate to use the built-in like action in the next 90 days. We have updated the Platform Roadmap to reflect this change.
• A like may only be published when a person performs a like action. For example, if someone gives a movie a five-star rating in a movie app, that warrants a rated action rather than a like action.
• For more guidance on creating your own like buttons, please see our branding guidelines.

To learn more about using the new like action, please see our documentation on Built-in Like.