Facebook debugger: why complaining about app_id missing

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While using the facebook debugger, it complains:

Warning fb:app_id hasn't been included in the meta tags. Specify the app ID so that stories shared to Facebook will be properly attributed to the app. Alternatively, app_id can be set in url when open the share dialog. Otherwise, the default app id( 966242223397117 ) will be assigned.

I don't understand why I have such a message, since I don't have an app_id for my website, and I shouldn't need why since I'm not doing any facebook connect or using any of their plugin.

Am I missing something, or is it simply that facebook wants to push me to create an app for my website?

Yongyoni answered 28/1, 2016 at 15:55 Comment(1)

I share with you the same concerns. Besides, I believe that most of the URLs analyzed in the debugger come from websites without any relation with apps. – Battlefield 10/5, 2016 at 9:32

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If you don't have an app to associate the website to, then that warning can be ignored.

For an example of a successful website which doesn't have a fb:app_id included, you can run a debug on this stackoverflow page's URL within the Facebook Object debugger, you will see that it also produces the same warning message.

The posts themselves will generally appear the same as they are represented at the bottom of the debugger tool.

Seoul answered 28/1, 2016 at 16:10 Comment(5)

Thanks. Am I losing something by not creating the associated facebook app? Like post configuration, visibility, whatever? – Yongyoni 28/1, 2016 at 16:13

You might lose out on analytical data (called Inslights on Facebook). You can get around this by attaching your Facebook ID to the page's meta data, that will allow you to view the insight data. If you ever wanted anyone else to also use your page insights, you'd also need to add their Facebook ID. If you were to use a Facebook app instead, you can just grant permissions and remove permissions to the other users from within your app on developers.facebook.com/apps – Seoul 28/1, 2016 at 16:26

@Seoul Why do I need an ID? – Kandacekandahar 4/2, 2020 at 7:42

@Kandacekandahar you don't need an ID. Having an ID allows the actions associated with the Facebook Object will be attributed back to your Facebook App (via it's app_id). Mostly it is good for Facebook Insights analytical information. The [developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/og/object/](Facebook Object) debugger can give more information by scraping a web page to see what can be parsed from the meta data. – Seoul 5/2, 2020 at 18:6

@Seoul Incorrect, the warning says "required properties", required implies that there will be an error incase it is not complied with. So yes, you need an ID, without ID it may soon stop working. That is exactly what Google maps did few years ago. – Opacity 26/1, 2022 at 10:23

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You need to add this into your head tag in HTML source

<meta property="fb:app_id" content="XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" />

That is default app id.

Replace XXX With your app id

Glister answered 1/8, 2016 at 6:23 Comment(4)

Upvoted because I do have an app_id and as the first link for the error message, this answer helps me out most. : ) – Cita 14/8, 2016 at 17:47

Except for setting up the app_id which Product should I add to my application in the Facebook application dashboard? – Ronni 18/2, 2018 at 20:56

@Glister - HTML source? where it is? – Hendrix 3/9, 2019 at 5:14

@ArnoldBrown Add this into head tag. – Glister 20/9, 2019 at 5:35

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If you don't have an app to associate the website to, then that warning can be ignored.

For an example of a successful website which doesn't have a fb:app_id included, you can run a debug on this stackoverflow page's URL within the Facebook Object debugger, you will see that it also produces the same warning message.

The posts themselves will generally appear the same as they are represented at the bottom of the debugger tool.

Seoul answered 28/1, 2016 at 16:10 Comment(5)

Thanks. Am I losing something by not creating the associated facebook app? Like post configuration, visibility, whatever? – Yongyoni 28/1, 2016 at 16:13

You might lose out on analytical data (called Inslights on Facebook). You can get around this by attaching your Facebook ID to the page's meta data, that will allow you to view the insight data. If you ever wanted anyone else to also use your page insights, you'd also need to add their Facebook ID. If you were to use a Facebook app instead, you can just grant permissions and remove permissions to the other users from within your app on developers.facebook.com/apps – Seoul 28/1, 2016 at 16:26

@Seoul Why do I need an ID? – Kandacekandahar 4/2, 2020 at 7:42

@Kandacekandahar you don't need an ID. Having an ID allows the actions associated with the Facebook Object will be attributed back to your Facebook App (via it's app_id). Mostly it is good for Facebook Insights analytical information. The [developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/og/object/](Facebook Object) debugger can give more information by scraping a web page to see what can be parsed from the meta data. – Seoul 5/2, 2020 at 18:6

@Seoul Incorrect, the warning says "required properties", required implies that there will be an error incase it is not complied with. So yes, you need an ID, without ID it may soon stop working. That is exactly what Google maps did few years ago. – Opacity 26/1, 2022 at 10:23

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This means your page is missing the fb:app_id meta tag.

Missing Properties The following required properties are missing: fb:app_id

You must use the fb prefix (the og prefix won't work!)

The meta tag should look like this (replace the app id "474629550209194" below with your own)

<meta property="fb:app_id" content="474629550209194">

The meta tag is fb:app_id - og:app_id (open graph) won't work.

Sandon answered 1/2, 2021 at 6:43 Comment(0)

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The Facebook Object Debugger linked in OP's question is no longer accessible. However, Facebook still has a Sharing Debugger that will complain about the absence of the fb:app_id meta tag.

In case someone comes to this question regarding the Sharing Debugger:

According to this article from Yoast: "The fb:app_id meta tag is not required. In fact, it doesn’t do anything, and hasn’t for years."

Which means that the following warning from the Facebook Sharing Debugger can be safely ignored:

The following required properties are missing: fb:app_id

Troth answered 16/1 at 16:55 Comment(0)

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