Facebook API Quick Tip: App not Switching from “In development?” — Do this

TL;DR: Be sure you have filled out the information in the “Basic” section of “Settings”

I recently noticed that the Facebook API may not always give you a reason why your app isn’t switching to “Live Mode” from “In Development.” In my case, it just showed a circular progress indicator and then disappeared after a few seconds — no guidance or warning on why.

If this is happening to you, it should be a simple fix:

1. Go to your Facebook Developer page and login
2. When you try to switch the “In development” toggle to put it on “Live,” this is when the circular progress indicator appears. Sometimes it will tell you what’s wrong, sometimes it does not:

Sometimes you get info

Sometimes you don’t

3. If you get the warning, go fix what it’s asking you to fix (generally the Privacy Policy URL and data deletion information) and be sure you press the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen. Once you do that, try to switch from “In development,” and if the progress indicator still appears but no information is given afterwards:

• Go back into Settings -> Basic (the same place where you put your Privacy Policy URL/data deletion information) shown on the left-hand navigation pane:

• You need at least the Privacy Policy URL, User Data Deletion, and Category sections completed.
• Scroll down and complete the Data Protection Officer Contact Information section
• Scroll down and make sure your App information is completed. For Android, you’ll need at least the Google Play Package Name and the Key Hashes section completed. For iOS, you will need at least the Bundle ID.
• Save the information and then try to switch the “In development” toggle again. If it all goes well, you should be prompted with the confirmation dialog:

All good now

If it’s still not working:

• Click “App Review” on the left pane and go through the “Requests,” “My Permissions And Features,” and “Permissions and Features” categories and make sure no conflicts are present.
• And if that still didn’t work, reload the page or sign out/sign back in and try again.

This stumped me for a bit so hopefully something here helps you out. Good luck.