Facebook apps can have various states, which are indicative of an app's activity or inactivity and can affect their ability to access and use our products and APIs. App states are different from app modes, which control who is able to access and use an app.
All newly created Facebook apps start out in the Active state. Active apps can be used by app uses who are able to access the app, can be loaded in the App Dashboard, can add and configure our products, and make calls to our APIs.
You can see all of the active apps that you have an app role on by going to the Apps panel and filtering by All Apps. They also appear in the App Dashboard's app selection dropdown menu.
Apps that meet the following criteria may be placed in the Inactive state:
Once an app has been placed in the Inactive state:
You can see all of the inactive apps that you have an app role on by going to the Apps panel and filtering by All Apps. They also appear in the App Dashboard's app selection dropdown menu.
Administrators who load the app in the App Dashboard will be given the option to restore access. Restoring an app will:
New access tokens must be generated. Also, any permissions that were removed from the app due to disuse while it was inactive must be re-approved through the App Review process.
The ability to archive an app is being released gradually, so this option may not be available to you yet.
Apps that have been archived by an app administrator will be in the Archived state. Once an app has been archived:
Permissions granted to the app by app users, and access tokens associated with the app, will not be invalidated, and any approved permissions and features will still be approved. However, archived apps are still subject to inactivity.
To archive an app that you own, go to the Apps panel, click the app's ••• icon, and select Archive App.
Any app administrator can restore an archived app by going to the Apps panel, filtering by Archived, clicking the app's ••• icon, and selecting Restore app.
Apps that have been enforced upon for terms or policy violations will be in the Restricted state. To learn more about app enforcement and its impact on apps, and how to appeal an enforcement decision, refer to our Enforcement document.
Apps that have been removed by an app administrator will be in the Removed state. Once an app has been removed:
Alternatively, you may wish to archive your app or set it to Development mode.
To remove an app that you own, go to the Apps panel, click the app's ••• icon, and select Remove App. You can also remove an app by clicking the Remove App button in the App Dashboard > Settings > Advanced panel.
If you wish to restore an app that has been removed, you may file an appeal. If the appeal is accepted, the app will return to an active state.