{"id":132811,"date":"2015-10-12T13:50:21","date_gmt":"2015-10-12T18:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smashballoon.com\/?p=132811"},"modified":"2024-09-30T09:43:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T14:43:01","slug":"facebook-api-errors","status":"publish","type":"doc","link":"https:\/\/smashballoon.com\/doc\/facebook-api-errors\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook API Error Message Reference"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you receive an error message when trying to display your Facebook posts<\/a> then you can use the table below to diagnose the issue and find the relevant solution.<\/p>\n

For older versions of the plugin before v4.0, please see legacy documentation here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\n PPCA Error: <\/strong>Due to Facebook API changes it is no longer possible to display a feed from a Facebook Page you are not an admin of. The Facebook feed below is not using a valid Access Token for this Facebook page and so has stopped updating. <\/p>\n

\n

The Access Token you are using is not from an admin of the Facebook page.\u00a0\u00a0See here for directions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Your Access Token is not approved to access the AP<\/h3>\n

You\u2019re unable to use this Access Token in the plugin. To fix this issue, first, update the plugin to Pro v4.0+ or Free v4.0+ and then either set up a new feed or edit an existing feed\u2019s sources under\u00a0Facebook Feed > All Feeds > click Edit for the relevant feed > Settings > Sources<\/em>\u00a0>\u00a0Change<\/em>\u00a0and follow the connection process. This will then provide you with your own Access Token. If you\u2019re having an issue updating the plugin then please see\u00a0this FAQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: An unknown error occurred. Or, Error: An unexpected error has occurred. <\/p>\n

\n

You may be requesting too many posts<\/h3>\n

If you request too much data from Facebook\u2019s API then it will occasionally send back an \u2018unknown error\u2019 message. Facebook has certain limitations on its API and doesn\u2019t allow you to retrieve too much data in one request and put too much load on their servers.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re requesting a high number of posts or have the post limit set very high then try reducing the post limit. You can do this via the setting located under\u00a0Facebook Feed > All Feeds > select Edit for the relevant feed > Settings > Advanced >\u00a0API Post Limit<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Facebook\u2019s API may have a temporary issue<\/h3>\n

Facebook\u2019s API may be unreachable temporarily. Try waiting a few minutes and then trying again. You can clear the plugin cache and force the plugin to check the Facebook API again by going to\u00a0Facebook Feed > Settings > Feeds > click\u00a0Clear All Caches<\/strong><\/em>. You can also do this for an individual feed by going to\u00a0Facebook Feed > All Feeds > click Edit for the feed > Settings >\u00a0click\u00a0Clear Feed Cache<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: Error validating application. Application has been deleted. Type: OAuthException. Code: 190 <\/p>\n

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You need to obtain an Access Token<\/h3>\n

Facebook may have made a platform change that caused an issue with our plugin connecting to their API. To fix this issue, first, update the plugin to Pro v4.0+ or Free v4.0+ and then either set up a new feed or edit an existing feed\u2019s sources under\u00a0Facebook Feed > All Feeds > click Edit for the relevant feed > Settings > Sources<\/em>\u00a0>\u00a0Change<\/em>\u00a0and follow the connection process. This will then provide you with your own Access Token. If you\u2019re having an issue updating the plugin then please see\u00a0this FAQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: Error validating access token: Session has expired on ____ <\/p>\n

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Your Access Token has expired or wasn\u2019t extended correctly<\/h3>\n

The Access Token you are using has expired.\u00a0 To fix this issue, first ensure you have the latest version of the plugin. If not, update the plugin to the latest version (you can find the latest version numbers in the change logs here:\u00a0Pro<\/a>,\u00a0Free<\/a>). Then, update your Page Source in the Settings tab for the specific feed. If you\u2019re having an issue updating the plugin then please see\u00a0this FAQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: (#32) Page request limit reached. Type: OAuthException. Code: 32 <\/p>\n

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Your Access Token is making too many requests<\/h3>\n

This error occurs when the Access Token you\u2019re using is making too many requests to Facebook in a short period of time. If you are using the same Access Token (which is the case if you connect everything to your personal Facebook account) to display a lot of different Facebook feeds \u2013 either on your own website or across multiple sites \u2013 then you may exceed the API request limit that Facebook has set for your Access Token. This is usually simple to fix by just changing the caching settings in the plugin under\u00a0Facebook Feed > Settings > Feeds<\/em>. For example, if you have the Caching setting set to be a short period of time (less than 15 minutes) then the plugin will be making more requests per hour than if it is set to be 1 hour, especially if you\u2019re using this same setting for multiple feeds.<\/p>\n

How many requests can I make with the same token?<\/strong>
\nThis varies based on the Facebook page that the Access Token is from. Facebook grants an API request limit to an Access Token based on how many engaged users the Facebook page that the Access Token is from has. An \u201cengaged user\u201d is any user who has clicked on your Facebook Page or its content within a 24 hour period. For every engaged user your Access Token is granted a request limit of 4,800 per rolling 24 hour period. For more information on Facebook API Request Rate Limits please see\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How can I resolve this error?<\/strong>
\nThe best thing to do initially is to drastically increase the plugin caching time so that it makes requests to Facebook less often. You can do this by increasing the time in the Caching setting to be 1 hour or greater. Once the Access Token is working successfully again (usually within a few hours) then you can set this to be lower, but there are a few factors to consider:<\/p>\n

1) How active your Facebook page is.<\/strong>\u00a0If it isn\u2019t very active then it\u2019s likely you haven\u2019t had many engaged users in the past 24 hours and so your Rate Limit will be low. In order to increase your API Rate Limit, if only temporarily, you could post on your Facebook to encourage engagement from your users in the form of clicks, likes, shares, or comments.<\/p>\n

2) How many feeds are using this Access Token.<\/strong>\u00a0If you have 5 feeds using it then it will make a lot fewer requests than 20 feeds.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: No posts available for this Facebook ID <\/p>\n

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Your Facebook page may have restrictions on it<\/h3>\n

The feed you\u2019re trying to display has to be a publicly accessible page. If your page has any restrictions on it (age or location) then it means that users are forced to sign into Facebook in order to view your page. This isn\u2019t desirable for most pages as it means that it isn\u2019t accessible by people who don\u2019t have a Facebook account and that your page can\u2019t be crawled and indexed by search engines.<\/p>\n

An easy way to determine whether your page is set to public is to make sure you\u2019re signed out of your Facebook account and then try to visit your page. If Facebook forces you to sign in to view your page then it has a restriction on it.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can remove any restrictions by logging into your Facebook account and going to the Settings for your page. You can then remove any\u00a0Country Restrictions<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Age restrictions<\/strong>\u00a0(see screenshot<\/a>). Once removed this will allow the Custom Facebook Feed plugin to access and display your posts.<\/p>\n

Your Facebook page may not have any posts in it<\/h3>\n

If your page is fairly new then it may not actually have an eligible posts that the plugin can display. Notifications such as \u2018__ changed the cover photo\u2019 or \u2018__ created a page\u2019 are filtered out and aren\u2019t displayed.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Try creating a new post on your page and then viewing the plugin\u2019s feed again.<\/p>\n

Your Facebook page might not be published<\/h3>\n

When creating a new Facebook page it isn\u2019t actually published publicly until you click \u2018Publish\u2019 at the top of your page. If it isn\u2019t published then the plugin isn\u2019t able to retrieve your posts.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check the top of your page to see whether there is a \u2018Publish my page\u2019 or similar button.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: Unsupported get request. Object with ID \u2018____\u2019 does not exist, cannot be loaded due to missing permissions, or does not support this operation. <\/p>\n

\n

You do not have permission to access this data<\/h3>\n

The Access Token you are using doesn\u2019t have permission to access this data. This may be because you\u2019re using an incorrect Page ID. Please see\u00a0this page<\/a>\u00a0for directions on how to obtain your Facebook Page ID.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: (#190) Access to this data is temporarily disabled for non-active apps or apps that have not recently accessed this data due to changes we are making to the Facebook Platform. https:\/\/developers.facebook.com\/status\/issues\/205942813488872\/ Type: OAuthException. Code: 200 <\/p>\n

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You\u2019re using a new or inactive Facebook developer app to generate an Access Token<\/h3>\n

Due to some sudden\u00a0Facebook changes<\/a>\u00a0\u201cApp\u201d Access Tokens from new Facebook apps are temporarily unable to access the Facebook API.\u00a0\u00a0To fix this issue, simply update the plugin to the latest version\u00a0(you can find the latest version numbers in the change logs here:\u00a0Pro<\/a>,\u00a0Free<\/a>) and click the blue Facebook button labeled \u201cConnect a Facebook Account<\/strong>\u201d on the plugin\u2019s settings page. This will then provide you with your own Access Token. If you\u2019re having an issue updating the plugin then please see\u00a0this FAQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: Unsupported get request. Code 100. Type: GraphMethodException <\/p>\n

\n

You may be using a Facebook ID from a personal profile<\/h3>\n

The easiest way to check whether you\u2019re trying to display posts from a personal profile instead of a page is to view your page on Facebook and see whether you have \u2018Friends\u2019, \u2018Likes\u2019 or \u2018Members\u2019. Profiles have \u2018Friends\u2019 and pages have \u2018Likes\u2019. If you have \u2018Friends\u2019 then it\u2019s not a page, it\u2019s a personal profile.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Due to Facebook\u2019s privacy policy you\u2019re not able to use the plugin to display all of your posts from a personal profile, only from a public\u00a0page, as posts from a personal profile are protected for privacy reasons. You may have limited success in displaying certain posts from a personal profile but most posts are not able to be displayed.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re using the profile to represent a business, organization, product, public figure or something else other than yourself, then we\u2019d advise\u00a0converting\u00a0your profile to a\u00a0page\u00a0per Facebook\u2019s recommendation:\u00a0http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/help\/175644189234902\/<\/a>, as there are many advantages to using\u00a0pages over profiles. It is in fact against Facebook policies to use a profile to represent something other than yourself (see \u2018Why should I convert my profile to a page\u2019 in the link above).<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve converted to a page then the plugin will be able to retrieve and display all of your posts.<\/p>\n

Your Facebook page may have restrictions on it<\/h3>\n

The feed you\u2019re trying to display has to be a publicly accessible page. If your page has any restrictions on it (age or location) then it means that users are forced to sign into Facebook in order to view your page. This isn\u2019t desirable for most pages as it means that it isn\u2019t accessible by people who don\u2019t have a Facebook account and that your page can\u2019t be crawled and indexed by search engines.<\/p>\n

An easy way to determine whether your page is set to public is to make sure you\u2019re signed out of your Facebook account and then try to visit your page. If Facebook forces you to sign in to view your page then it has a restriction on it.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can remove any restrictions by logging into your Facebook account and going to the Settings for your page. You can then remove any\u00a0Country Restrictions<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Age restrictions<\/strong>\u00a0(see screenshot<\/a>). Once removed this will allow the Custom Facebook Feed plugin to access and display your posts.<\/p>\n

Your Facebook page might not be published<\/h3>\n

When creating a new Facebook page it isn\u2019t actually published publicly until you click \u2018Publish\u2019 at the top of your page. If it isn\u2019t published then the plugin isn\u2019t able to retrieve your posts.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check the top of your page to see whether there is a \u2018Publish my page\u2019 or similar button.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you\u2019re still having trouble displaying your posts after trying the common issues above then please\u00a0contact support<\/a>\u00a0for assistance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: (#2) Service temporarily unavailable\t <\/p>\n

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Facebook\u2019s API may be temporarily down<\/h3>\n

Facebook\u2019s API may be unreachable temporarily. Try waiting a few minutes and then trying again. You can clear the plugin cache and force the plugin to check the Facebook API again by going to\u00a0Facebook Feed > Settings > Feeds > click\u00a0Clear All Caches<\/strong><\/em>. You can also do this for an individual feed by going to\u00a0Facebook Feed > All Feeds > click Edit for the feed > Settings >\u00a0click\u00a0Clear Feed Cache<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: Invalid OAuth access token <\/p>\n

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Your Access Token is either incorrect, invalid, or expired<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re using your own Access Token then the easiest way to check whether it works is to test it in the\u00a0Facebook Access Token Debugger<\/a>. Paste the Access Token in the field and click\u00a0Debug<\/strong>\u00a0to see whether or not it\u2019s valid, and for which page IDs the Access Token is valid. If you get an error message, the page ID is missing or is missing the pages_read_engagement \u2018scope<\/strong>\u2018, your token is invalid.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong>
\nTo fix this issue, first ensure you have the latest version of the plugin. If not, update the plugin to the latest version (you can find the latest version numbers in the change logs here:\u00a0Pro<\/a>,\u00a0Free<\/a>). Then, update your Page Source in the Settings tab for the specific feed. If you\u2019re having an issue updating the plugin then please see\u00a0this FAQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Error: Server configuration issue <\/p>\n

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A PHP setting needs to be enabled on your server<\/h3>\n

In order to retrieve your posts from Facebook, the plugin requires a few basic PHP modules which are enabled on the majority of web servers by default. If these are disabled on your web server then it may be the cause of the problem. You can check this by going to WordPress Dashboard ><\/em>\u00a0Facebook Feed <\/em>and clicking on the Help<\/strong> button in the upper right corner of the page. Then scroll down to your System Info<\/strong> section and click Expand<\/strong>. In the section labeled ## SITE\/SERVER INFO: ##<\/strong>\u00a0you should see the three items and whether they are active:<\/p>\n