Why Facebook is a PITA to work with

Facebook is one of the most complicated systems to work with on the Internet. If you notice something weird in apps with a Facebook dashboard compared to what you see elsewhere, the reality is that it's probably just one of Facebook's quirks.

Here are some gotchas to be aware of when working with Facebook data:

1. Rate Limits & Throttling

Facebook imposes strict rate limits based on the app's access level and user activity.

If your app gets too many requests too quickly, you’ll get error 613 (rate limit exceeded).

The limits are dynamic and depend on factors like the number of active users interacting with your app.

2. Data Fields are Not Guaranteed

Just because a field exists in the API doesn’t mean it will always be returned.

Some fields are user-permission dependent (e.g., email, birthdays).

Other fields may be missing if they’re not publicly available or if the user didn’t provide them.

3. Ad Metrics Don’t Always Match the UI

The Ads Manager UI often applies delayed processing or aggregated data models that can result in different numbers compared to the API.

If you're tracking conversions, Facebook may attribute conversions to different days than your system does.

4. 24-Hour Data Delay for Some Metrics

Certain engagement and conversion metrics aren't real-time and may take up to 24 hours to fully process.

Expect discrepancies if you're fetching data frequently throughout the day.

5. Historical Data May Change

Facebook often reprocesses data retroactively, meaning stats from a week ago could look different today.

This is especially true for ads reporting when Facebook reattributes conversions.

6. API Versioning and Deprecations

Facebook deprecates older API versions every 2 years.

New API versions break things unexpectedly, forcing devs to adapt quickly.

Always check the Facebook Graph API changelog before upgrading.

7. Limited Access to Organic Page Data

After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook restricted access to public Page insights.

You now need business verification and special permissions to get post reach, engagement, or follower counts via API.

8. Audience Size Estimates Are Not Exact

Facebook's audience size estimates in the Ads API aren't real-time and often return broad ranges.

The platform also randomizes audience sizes for privacy reasons.

9. Ad Creative Approvals & Rejections

Facebook uses automated systems to approve or reject ads.

The same ad can be approved on one account but rejected on another.

Appeals are possible, but ad reviews take time, especially for restricted industries.

10. iOS 14+ Privacy Changes (ATT)

With Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT), Facebook's ability to track iOS users has been heavily reduced.

Conversion reporting on iOS devices is delayed and aggregated (not user-specific).

Facebook’s Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM) tries to work around this, but expect less granular data.

11. Facebook Pixel and CAPI Inconsistencies

Facebook Pixel data often doesn’t match Google Analytics due to:

Cookie-blocking

Ad blockers

iOS 14 restrictions

The Conversions API (CAPI) helps fix some gaps but requires server-side implementation.

12. No Reliable Way to Export Page Followers

There’s no API endpoint to export a list of people who follow a page.

The only available insights are follower growth numbers, demographics, and engagement trends.

13. Ads API Doesn’t Support All Targeting Options

Not all targeting options available in Facebook’s UI are exposed via the Ads API.

Some exclusions and detailed targeting options are UI-only.

14. The Same API Call Can Return Different Data

If you make the same request twice in a row, you might get slightly different results due to caching, data propagation delays, or Facebook’s internal data processing.

Especially true for ads performance metrics, where updates don’t always reflect in real-time.

15. Business Verification is a Pain

If your app requires advanced permissions (like managing ads or pulling business insights), Facebook requires you to go through a Business Verification process.

This can take weeks or even be rejected for vague reasons.

16. User Data Retention Policies

Facebook enforces strict data retention rules.

User data obtained through the API must be deleted if a user revokes permissions or after a certain period.

Facebook audits apps, and failing to comply can get your API access revoked.

17. Messenger API has Heavy Limitations

If you're integrating with Messenger, message sending is highly restricted unless the user initiated the conversation.

There's a 24-hour rule—after 24 hours, you can only send messages under specific conditions (like updates or paid sponsored messages).

18. Different Ad Accounts Have Different Access

Not all Facebook Ad accounts have access to the same features.

Some accounts randomly get early access to new ad formats, while others are blocked from certain targeting options due to regional or industry restrictions.

19. Attribution Windows Are Confusing

Facebook offers multiple attribution windows (1-day click, 7-day click, etc.), and they don’t always align with what advertisers expect.

Post-iOS 14, attribution defaults to 7-day click / 1-day view, but data will be missing for users who opt out of tracking.

20. Limited Organic Post Performance Data

If you’re pulling organic post data, Facebook has removed or restricted access to some detailed engagement metrics.

Some metrics that used to be available (like shares per post in bulk queries) are now only accessible via Facebook’s UI.

21. Ad Review Process is Inconsistent

The same ad creative can be rejected in one ad account but approved in another.

Sometimes an ad runs for days before suddenly getting rejected, and appealing is hit or miss.

22. Video Metrics Can Be Misleading

Facebook’s video views aren’t the same as YouTube’s.

A "view" counts after 3 seconds by default, but Facebook has other variations like "ThruPlay" (watching at least 15 seconds or the entire video).

Video watch times can look inflated compared to other platforms.

23. No Simple Way to Get a List of Post Comments

If you want to collect all comments from a post, you need to recursively paginate through nested replies.

Facebook limits how deep you can go in one API call, so fetching all replies across multiple threads is complex.

24. Ad Spend Reporting is Not Always Accurate

If you check ad spend in the API vs. what Facebook actually bills, there’s often a small mismatch due to:

Pending charges (spend updates can lag behind actual costs)

Facebook rounding discrepancies

Currency conversion differences

25. Facebook Deletes Old Ad Data

Facebook does not store ad performance data indefinitely—some old campaign details vanish after a certain period.

Best practice is to store important ad data in your own database if you need long-term insights.

26. Webhooks Can Be Unreliable

Facebook provides webhooks for real-time updates, but they sometimes delay notifications or even fail to trigger entirely.

Your system needs error handling and retry logic to deal with missed updates.

27. Audience Overlaps and Budget Scaling Aren’t Always Logical

Facebook’s "Audience Overlap" tool often shows different percentages than what actually happens when running ads.

Increasing an ad budget doesn’t always scale impressions proportionally—sometimes Facebook’s algorithm plateaus performance.

Updated on: 14/02/2025