An Update on Login Review - How to Get Your App Approved Quickly & Easily

This year at f8, we rolled out Login Review as a new part of our app review process, extending our existing App Center and Open Graph reviews. We heard from people that some apps ask for too many permissions — so we wanted to create a simple, quick process to make sure developers request only the permissions that make sense for their apps. During Login Review, we review any permissions that an app requests beyond public profile, e-mail, and friend list (apps don't need to submit for review if they're only asking for these three permissions).

We’ve reviewed over 25,000 apps in the past six months, and on average apps finish their review in less than a day[1]. Below are a few things we've learned from Login Review, and tips on how app developers can quickly and easily get their apps approved.

Results

We've found that apps are requesting fewer permissions. Since launching Login Review, the average number of permissions that apps request has dropped from an average of 5 permissions to an average of 2. We’ve also found that in many cases, when an app requests fewer permissions, people are more likely to log in to that app. Our goal is to help developers understand the optimal permissions requests for each app, so people are more likely to trust the app and log in.

Tips & Best Practices for Your App

We've noticed a few common reasons that apps get rejected for during Login Review so we have included below the top 5 reasons why apps are not approved. You can avoid these common roadblocks and help ensure a successful review the first time you submit your app by following the tips below.

• Ensure your app’s Facebook Login uses our SDK for iOS, Android or JavaScript, and is functional, properly branded and not broken. See more guidelines on our Login best practices page.
• Provide detailed step-by-step instructions on how the reviewer can reproduce the requested permissions in your app. Check out our Review Guidelines for more details on what to submit, and how.
• Look at our Permission Selector Dialog which should prompt you for the proper permission to request, along with some valid and invalid use cases for each.
• Ensure your app runs end-to-end and does not crash or break; make sure your files are downloadable and working properly if you provide a simulator build.
• Encourage your users to compose their own content in captions, comments, messages and other sharing fields; do not pre-fill the field for them, even if the person can edit or remove the content before sharing.
• Remember, in addition to passing permissions review, developers are also responsible for ensuring their apps comply with our Platform Policies.

Recent Improvements

We’re constantly streamlining our review processes as we hear feedback from developers. So far, we’ve made several improvements in response to your feedback, including:

• Added the ability for Facebook reviewers to upload screenshots and provide error logs to developers so they can better understand what we’re seeing.
• Added a “Give Feedback” button to the review interface to give developers an opportunity to directly share their thoughts on how we’re doing.
• Changed App Center policies regarding image asset requirements, which have increased App Center approval by about 20% in a matter of weeks.
• Improved several interfaces, including the permissions selector and Status & Review page, to make them clearer and easier to use.

We welcome your thoughts, and we'll continue to work on making our review process the best it can be, so you can keep building and growing awesome apps with Facebook.

[1] Excludes weekend wait time.