Messenger Platform

Overview for the Messenger Platform

Messenger from Meta lets a business' Facebook Page or Instagram Professional account respond to people who message them through Facebook, Instagram, or a Meta plugin on your mobile app or website. A person must initiate the conversation. The Messenger Platform is free to use.

How it works

When a person sends a message to your business Page or Instagram Professional account, a webhook notification is triggered. Your app calls the Meta social graph to retrieve the conversation, determine the appropriate reply, and send a response within 24 hours. You can send an automatic reply, have a live agent respond, or use a combination of both.

The platform supports this at scale and provides a wide variety of conversation entry points and message types.

Scoped IDs

Each person who messages your Facebook Page or Instagram Professional account is assigned a scoped ID unique to that account. This ID allows you to map interactions for the same person across multiple messaging apps.

  • Page-scoped ID -- Created when a person messages your Facebook Page.
  • Instagram-scoped ID -- Created when a person messages your Instagram Professional account.

Limitations

  • A person logged in to Facebook cannot message your Instagram Professional account. Similarly, a person logged in to Instagram cannot message your Facebook Page using the Messenger Platform.
  • Instagram Messaging is available for any Instagram Professional account for a business or creator.

Key concepts

Concept Description
Access tokens Opaque strings that provide temporary, secure access to Meta social graph endpoints for sending and receiving messages.
Page access tokens A type of access token used to make API calls on behalf of a Facebook Page. Required to send and receive messages through the Messenger Platform. Generated after a Page admin grants your app the necessary permissions.
Access levels Standard Access (default) limits data to users with a Role on your app or Page. Advanced Access extends data access to all app users and requires App Review.
Facebook Login for Business Required to request permissions from your app users to send and receive messages on their behalf.
Webhooks Real-time notifications about messages sent to your Page or Instagram Professional account, avoiding the need to poll the Meta social graph.
Rate limiting Limits on API call volume and message throughput. High-volume messaging can temporarily disable inbox functionality.
Policies Platform policies, responsiveness requirements, and community standards you must follow to maintain API access.
CDN URLs Privacy-aware Content Delivery Network URLs for retrieving rich media shared by Instagram users. The URL stops returning media after content is deleted or expired.

Before you begin

To implement the Messenger Platform, you need:

Permissions

Request the following permissions through Facebook Login for Business for Messenger conversations:

  • pages_show_list
  • pages_manage_metadata
  • pages_messaging
  • pages_read_engagement
  • business_management

For Instagram Messaging, also request:

  • instagram_basic
  • instagram_manage_messages

The business_management permission is a dependency for pages_messaging, pages_show_list, and instagram_manage_messages. Call this out in your App Review submission. The app user requesting the Page access token must be able to perform the MESSAGING and MODERATE Page tasks.

Next steps

  • Send your first message using the Get started guide.
  • Set up Webhooks -- Receive real-time HTTP notifications for messages sent and received by your app.
  • Find a partner -- Browse the Meta Partner Directory for Messenger Platform expertise.
  • Developer Videos -- Watch walkthroughs, best practices, and recorded events.