Meta Business Account, sometimes referred to as Business Manager account or simply Business account, is being renamed to business portfolio. This change will appear gradually across Meta technologies. The change is cosmetic only and does not affect Meta Business Account IDs (business portfolio IDs).
App Review
App Review is part of app development that enables us to verify that your app uses our Products and APIs in an approved manner. Meta needs to validate how you intend to use the requested permissions to make sure it is compliant with our requirements and policies.
Businesses first need to develop a prototype of their product so they can demonstrate their use case with a video recording for the App Review submission. To pass App Review, it is important that you ask for only the permissions your app needs. Requesting unnecessary permissions is a common reason for rejection during app review.
The following video provides a brief overview of the App Review process:
Business apps are automatically approved for Standard Access for all Permissions and Features available to the Business app type, so you can test your app while you are in this access level. Make sure your test users have a developer or admin role in the Meta app being used to implement embedded signup. This means that if you are using the API for yourself as a Direct Developer, you do not need advanced access or app review.
If you are a Solution Partner developing on behalf of others, then you need to request Advanced Access through App Review. You can request Advanced Access by submitting your app to App Review. To get Advanced Access, you need to complete App Review for the following permissions outlined in the table below.
| Permission | Capability | Access Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Meta-wide permission for reading and/or managing WhatsApp business assets you own or have been granted access to by other businesses. This allows Solution Partners to manage WhatsApp Business Accounts that are shared with them. | Standard Access: For Direct Developers Advanced Access: For both On-Prem and Cloud Solution Partners |
| Specific to Cloud API. Allows an app to use Cloud API to send WhatsApp messages to a specific phone number, upload & retrieve media from messages, manage & get WhatsApp business profile information, then register those phone numbers with Meta. | Standard Access: For Direct Developers Advanced Access: For Cloud Solution Partners |
The average turnaround time for app reviews is about 24 hours. We recommend starting the app review process as soon as possible. For more information, see WhatsApp Business Platform Messaging Sample Submission on how to submit your app for App Review. You don't need to wait for embedded signup to be fully implemented to start this process.
Reducing Chances of App Review Rejection
As a Solution Partner using Cloud API, you will need to apply for all three permissions above. If you are a Solution Partner using On-Premises API, then you do not need to request the whatsapp_business_messaging permission. You can request all these permissions in a single bulk submission, or as separate submissions. For each permission, an explanation and screen recording specific to the permission being requested are required.
You will need to submit a distinct screen recording tailored to each individual permission describing your app’s intended use. Do not submit the exact same video clip for each permission, even if the single screen recording covers the proposed use cases for all three permissions, or it may be subject to rejection. If you wish to submit the same or similar recording for all three permissions, they should be edited to highlight what portion of the video is specific to each permission’s section.
Provide as much context as possible so that the reviewer is very clearly able to verify the app’s intended use for each distinct permission.
Permission Requirements
For each of the permissions, you will need to demonstrate your business intentions that are specific to the permission, via a written explanation and a demo video. When producing the video, a user can go through the embedded signup flow without having advanced access via App Review if the user has a role on your app and your business. You can then create a test user with this role to create your demo video.
| Permission | Business Intention | What to Include in Submission |
|---|---|---|
| The whatsapp_business_management permission allows your app to read and/or manage WhatsApp business assets you own or have been granted access to by other businesses through this permission. These business assets include WhatsApp Business Accounts, business phone numbers, message templates, QR codes and their associated messages, and webhook subscriptions. | Written: Explain how you will use this permission to read the business assets of logged in users as part of the onboarding through Embedded Signup. Video: On your website, start by clicking the Embedded Signup signup flow link. Then have developers associated with the business go through Embedded Signup. |
| The whatsapp_business_messaging permission allows an app to send WhatsApp messages to a specific phone number, upload and retrieve media from messages, manage and get WhatsApp business profile information, and to register those phone numbers with Meta. | Written: Explain how you will use this permission to manage your customers’ accounts after they onboard through Embedded Signup. Video: Show a post-onboarding user experience with account setup and connection to a phone number. This could be a flow where you set up a user's phone and take them to a messaging experience. When you display users phone or message templates on your portal, we should be able to verify connection between the data fetched and the permission used. |