Facebook Games

Links to External Sites

By default, Facebook games are not allowed to open links to external web sites on a user's device.

If you want to open any external link from your game, contact your Strategic Partner Manager (SPM) to request the External Links capability and then request an External Link review.

Create a Review Request

If the External Links capability is approved for your game, the External Links section will appear in your App Dashboard under the Instant Games product. Use this section to list all of the domains that you want to open from your game.

The External Links section of the Instant Games product.

Some trusted domains are pre-approved and don’t need to be included in your request. To see the list of pre-approved domains, expand the gray section.

Requested domains must meet the following criteria:

  • Domains must follow the External Links Policy.
  • Links to storefronts such as Apple Store or Google Play are not allowed.
  • Links to games outside of the Facebook Gaming platform are not allowed.

Edit the Review Request

The following sections explain how to edit and submit your External Link Review request.

Add domains

For each requested domain, select Add External Link Domain and then specify the following information to facilitate the review:

  • The URI of the domain
  • A clear explanation or a usage example
  • A category that indicates how the domain will be used

Submit the request

When your External Link Review request is ready, select Submit for Review. You will receive a message in the Meta Developers Portal when the review is complete:

  • If your request is approved no further action is required.
  • If your request is rejected the message will provide an explanation for each rejected domain. Update your request and then resubmit it.

Update a submitted request

To make changes to a request that has already been submitted, edit the domain list and then select Update Request. You can't update a request after the review has begun.

You will receive a message in the Meta Developers Portal about your changes to the request.

Cancel a submitted request

To cancel a request that has already been submitted, select Cancel Request. You can't cancel a request after the review has begun.

You will receive a message in the Meta Developers Portal about the cancellation of the request.

Delete all approved domains

To remove all of the approved domains for your game, select Delete all approved domains. The tool will request confirmation of this action.

This action cannot be reverted. To recover any approved domains you must submit a new request.

External Links Policy

1. Build a quality product

All specified domains will be reviewed to ensure that the following points are met:

  1. Prohibited Content: Don't allow links in Instant Games or Cloud Games that redirect to sites that contain or promote:
    1. Community Standards: Content that violates our Community Standards.
    2. Illegal Products or Services.
    3. Sensational Content: Sites must not contain shocking, sensational, inflammatory, or excessively violent content.
    4. Discriminatory Practices: Sites must not discriminate or encourage discrimination against people based on personal attributes such as race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, disability, medical or genetic condition.
    5. Tobacco and Related Products: Sites must not promote the sale or use of tobacco products and related paraphernalia.
    6. Drugs and Drug-Related Products: Sites must not promote the sale or use of illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs.
    7. Unsafe Supplements: Sites must not promote the sale or use of unsafe supplements, as determined by Facebook in its sole discretion.
    8. Weapons, Ammunition, or Explosives: Sites must not promote the sale or use of weapons, ammunition, or explosives.
    9. Adult Content, Products or Services: Sites must not contain adult content, products, or services. This includes nudity, depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, sexual tips or fetishes, casual dating, or activities that are overly suggestive or sexually provocative.
    10. Surveillance Equipment: Sites must not promote the sale of spy cams, mobile phone trackers or other hidden surveillance equipment.
    11. Hacking or Cracking.
    12. Work At Home Schemes.
    13. Penny or Pay Per Bid Auctions: Sites that promote or facilitate penny auctions or pay per bid auctions.
    14. Voting Information: Sites must not provide procedural voting information and sites must not solicit voter registration information.
    15. Exchanging or Trading in Social Engagement: Don't integrate links to sites that contain or promote the purchase, sale, or exchanges of “likes”, “shares”, “followers”, “comments”, “accounts”, “pages”, “groups”, or any other Facebook feature or functionality.
    16. Facebook Imitation: Don't integrate links to sites that could easily be confused, by design and/or experience, with Facebook or other Facebook apps and products. This includes apps that imitates Facebook or other Facebook apps and products.
    17. Unacceptable Business Practices: Links must not redirect to sites that promote products, services, schemes or offers using deceptive or misleading practices, including those meant to scam people out of money or personal information.
    18. Prohibited Financial Services: Links must not redirect to sites that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, including, but not limited to, initial coin offerings, binary options, and contracts for difference trading.
    19. Deceptive Employment: Links must not redirect to sites that promote unreasonable or unrealistic claims with regard to employment opportunities.
    20. Sweepstakes: Links must not redirect to sites that promote free-to-play experiences where randomly selected users are able to earn or win real money or anything of monetary value.
  2. Restricted Content
    1. Real Money Gambling: Links that redirect to sites that promote or facilitate online gaming/gambling where anything of monetary value (including digital currencies) is required to play and anything of monetary value forms part of the prize, are only allowed with our prior written permission. Online gaming/gambling may include betting, lotteries, raffles, casino, fantasy sports, bingo, poker, and sweepstakes in an online environment.
  3. Low Quality or Disruptive Content: Don't allow links that redirect to not fully-functional sites or that provide an unexpected, disruptive, or misleading experience. This includes sites that contain a disproportionate volume of ads relative to content, or sites that drive a negative user experience such as ads that are highly sexual, visually shocking, or promote scams.
  4. Spyware or Malware: Don’t disseminate spyware, malware, or any software that results in an unexpected or deceptive experience. This includes links to sites containing these products.

2. Things you should know

  1. We reserve the right to reject, approve or remove any external link for any reason, in our sole discretion, including Publishers and apps that negatively affect our relationship with our users, or that promote content, services, or activities, contrary to our competitive position, interests, or content philosophy. These guidelines are subject to change at any time.