In this article: How Will This Affect Me? | PPCA Error | Does This Affect Facebook Groups? | Connecting Multiple Facebook Pages | Do I Need to Update the Plugin? | Why is This Change Being Made?
Due to changes in the Facebook API, after September 4, 2020, it will only be possible to display feeds from Facebook pages which you have access to (i.e. have a role on). We apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this may cause, but unfortunately this change is beyond our control. See below for more information on Facebook’s explanation for this change. This will impact all current users of the Custom Facebook Feed free and Pro plugins and may require you to take action.
How Will This Affect Me?
There are two main ways that this may affect users of our plugin, depending on whether you are an admin of the Facebook page you are trying to display.
1) I am an admin of (or have a role on) the Facebook page
You can still use the plugin to display content from any Facebook page(s) that you have a role on (Administrator, Editor, Moderator, Advertiser, or Analyst). If you have a role on the Facebook page then you can connect your account by adding a New Source during feed creation, or in the plugin’s Settings page.
For further help on reconnecting your Facebook page, or if you have tried reconnecting your account and are receiving a PPCA Error (Public Page Content Access), then please refer to this article.
Note: To prevent disruption to your feeds, please make sure that you have the relevant Facebook page connected on the plugin Settings page and are using this to display the feed, or that you are using a Source for that specific Facebook page. If you are using an Access Token from another Facebook page to display your feed then it may stop working after this change goes into effect. To check which Facebook page an Access Token is for, see here. If you are using the latest version of the plugin (v3.14) then if you will see a PPCA Error notice above your feed if you need to take action. If you don’t see a PPCA Error notice then no action is required.
2) I do NOT have a role on the Facebook page
Unfortunately, due to this change it will no longer be possible to use the plugin to display a Facebook feed from a Facebook page you don’t have access to. We understand that this is frustrating and an inconvenience and we apologize for this. Unfortunately, we don’t have control over the changes that Facebook makes to their platform and can only do our best to adapt our plugin to accommodate them.
If you need to display a Facebook feed from someone else’s Facebook page then there are three options:
- Ask an admin of the Facebook page to give you a role on the page. That way you can connect the page inside the plugin and display it on your website. Please note that if you are removed from the page at a later date then you will no longer be able to display the feed.
- Ask someone with a role on the page to obtain an Access Token using this tool and send it to you. When connecting a source you can then select “+ Add Account Manually” and enter the Access Token and ID for that page.
- Use the Facebook Page Plugin widget. This will allow you to display a feed from any public Facebook page, however, it has limited customization options.
Note: The latest version of the plugin contains a backup cache, so even if you don’t take action then a cached version of all of your feeds (even ones you aren’t an admin of) will continue to be shown initially to avoid your feeds being blank.
Why am I receiving a PPCA Error Notice for my Feed?
If you are receiving a PPCA Error notice then it means that one or more of your feeds are not using a valid Access Token for the specific Facebook page it is trying to display. Please see here for directions on how to resolve this.
Does This Affect Facebook Groups?
No, this change does not affect Facebook groups. Feeds from Facebook groups can continue to be displayed without interruption.
Connecting Multiple Facebook Pages
If you have a role on multiple Facebook pages then you can use the “Connect a Facebook account” button to connect multiple pages or groups, or use the “Manually connect account” button to add an account manually using its ID and Access Token.
Do I Need to Update the Plugin?
While we are making improvements in a plugin update to accommodate these changes, it is not necessary to update the plugin in order to use the plugin after this change goes into effect. So long as you are using an account or Access Token for a Facebook page that you have admin access to then the feed will still continue to work.
Why is This Change Being Made?
Facebook recently changed the allowed use-case for their Page Public Content Access feature. Previously, it was permissible to use this feature to retrieve and display content from any public Facebook page, however, they have recently changed the allowed use-case for this feature to only be “limited to providing aggregated, anonymized public content for competitive analysis and benchmarking”. The official statement from Facebook is below.
“The Facebook Platform Policy for Page Public Content Access (PPCA) has changed. The allowed usage is now limited to providing aggregated, anonymized public content for competitive analysis and benchmarking.
Your app was granted access to this feature before the policy change went into effect. As a result, a re-review of your app will take place September 4, 2020. If we determine your app is using PPCA in a way allowed by the new policy, no change will be made. If, however, we find your app violates the policy, access will be revoked.”
They go on to say:
“We believe people, businesses and developers deserve a safe and secure platform, and these changes will help strengthen trust with people who use our apps and drive long-term value for developers who use our platform.”
Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and frustration this change may cause. One of the ongoing challenges of building products which rely on social media platforms to power them is having no control over the changes those platforms make, some of which may negatively affect our users. We pride ourselves on our plugins always being up to date and are committed to continuing to not only accommodate any changes that Facebook may make now and in the future, but to also support and guide our users through these changes too.
Below version 4.0: Using the Multifeed Extension
If you are using the Multifeed extension then the same rules apply, and it is now only possible to display feeds from Facebook pages that you have access to. To display feeds from multiple Facebook pages using the Multifeed extension, simply connect your accounts on the settings page first using the “Connect a Facebook account” button, and then use the “Add to primary feed” button to add them to your feed.
To add the accounts to a shortcode, just use the “account” shortcode option, like so:
Alternatively, you can use Facebook page IDs and Access Tokens and pair them like so:
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Smash Balloon
2 days ago
We’re 9 years old! And what a 9 years it’s been. 5 plugins, over 1.75 million users, and over 5,000 5-star reviews! We couldn’t have come this far without you, and so to show our appreciation we’re running a huge sale for this week only: smashballoon.com/sale/
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Did you know that 1.8 billion people are using Facebook groups?
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We're celebrating our rebranding and website relaunch with a huge Launch Party this week! Enter to win a pair of AirPods Pro for FREE and get huge discounts of up to 65% off our plugins! smashballoon.com/sale/
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One of my emails, in a back and forth to this company, to ask questions about a product, before I actually buy it. The absurdity? By now, it would have been far easer just to ... errr. call me. Welcome to tech sales in the new generation: First tip? Banish the "I am sorry you feel that way" from your lexicon. You sound like Verizon customer service. Not the highly educated individual I presume I am dealing with. That is the perfect passive aggressive non answer that is all the rage in the '20s.. You aren't really apologizing, you just feel badly that in some form, i may feel hurt. I haven't purchased your product. As a self-employed journalist, for whom budget decisions always loom large, i avoid purchases from companies that are incapable of basic human interaction Let's see how this movie goes: I email you a few questions, you respond. That immediately triggers follow up questions, which I in turn ask of you. A Day or so later, we may have resolution. Or, 5 min of actually engaging in a back & forth, and you get a credit card. Sadly, tech companies are far more enamored of the method of information delivery, than results. I'm sure many deal with your company, based on the absence of any alternative. What would be a far more interesting analysis? How many consumers simply, when met with this "form of communication", simply walked away. BTW, my hosting provider, Blue Host, has actual trained sales people on the line.(Gasp! How positively 1990's of them!) As a result of exactly two brief (verbal) conversations, I have purchased a hosting package, as well as paid support.
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I'm an existing customer with an All Access bundle. can I get 65% off renewal? it's due on the 29th March
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Fully customizable social media feed plugins for WordPress. Display your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube feeds - Trusted by 1.6 million users.Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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4 months ago
We have a new balloon to smash!
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Smash Balloon
5 months ago
Like saving time? We’ve been listening to your feedback, and our new Feed Templates feature makes it much quicker and easier to get started creating your perfect feed! Just select a template with one click and let us do the work for you.
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Smash Balloon
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Say hello to Instagram Feed 6!
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Broke my feed. Shows my photo, bio and follow button but no actual images. Just a blank area. It was working fine for months before this!
its not showing any pictures with the new update using the divi theme builder did all that it says to do on your knowledge base.
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Smash Balloon
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We love getting positive feedback like this from our users. It really makes our day, and helps motivate us to continue going above and beyond for our users to provide the best experience possible!
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Hi Smash Balloon. Your support page is not displaying the contact form so I am unable to contact for support for a plugin I purchased. Any other ways to get support? Thanks
Hi Smash Balloon, can you please let me know the pro version all access bundle that is $299 per year is applicable to all the multiple websites including webflow and any platforms?