Ongoing Meta Compliance
An app passes App Review, launches, and works fine for months — then one day API calls fail and the App Dashboard shows the app as deactivated. No policy was broken, no code changed. The cause is almost always the same: a missed Data Use Checkup (DUC) deadline. DUC is not App Review. It is Meta’s separate, annual recertification for any app that has already been approved and is live — and missing it disables access with no extension.
What the Data Use Checkup Actually Is
Meta’s Data Use Checkup is an annual assessment that confirms a developer’s continued use of and access to specific data via Meta APIs still complies with the Platform Terms and Developer Policies. It is distinct from App Review: App Review verifies a planned use case before access is granted; DUC re-certifies an already-approved app on a recurring annual basis, for as long as the app keeps using that access.
Who Actually Has to Complete It
DUC required
Any app published Live with an approved use case, or with Advanced Access to a permission or feature. This covers most apps doing anything beyond basic public data.
DUC not required
Apps still in Development Mode, or apps that only hold Standard Access to permissions and features, are exempt — until the app is switched to Live.
The Notice Timeline
Deadlines are unique to each app. Meta sends a developer notification by email and to the App Dashboard Alerts inbox well before anything is at risk — the problem is almost never a lack of warning, it is that the warning goes to an inbox nobody is watching.
−60 days
First notification that DUC is due
−30 days
Reminder notification
−10 days
Reminder notification
−3 days
Final reminder notification
Deadline
App deactivated if DUC is not completed — no extensions granted
What Completing DUC Actually Involves
1
Examine every permission, feature, and product the app currently has access to — including auto-granted ones like email and public profile.
2
Certify that the app’s actual usage still matches the allowed use case for each permission.
3
Certify continued compliance with the Platform Terms and Developer Policies.
4
Answer a set of data handling questions covering how personal data received from Meta is stored, secured, and processed by any third parties involved.
Only an app administrator can certify DUC, and it can be completed for multiple apps at once from the “My Apps” dashboard if one person manages several.
If Your Data Handling Answers Get Flagged
Submitting DUC does not always mean immediate approval. If Meta finds the data handling responses carry an unacceptable level of risk, the assessment is not accepted and the developer is asked to update practices and resubmit — the app stays active during this window. There is a 20-calendar-day period to resubmit acceptable responses, and after every third resubmission attempt there is a mandatory 3-day wait before trying again.
What Happens After the App Is Deactivated
Missing the deadline deactivates the app immediately — Meta does not grant extensions once the window closes.
A deactivated app can still complete DUC and restore access — but every use case, permission, and feature the app previously held has to go back through a full App Review submission, not a quick reinstatement.
This is functionally identical to losing a permission through enforcement action — the fastest recovery path is completing DUC before the deadline in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Data Use Checkup the same as App Review?
No. App Review approves a use case before access is granted. DUC is the annual recertification required afterward, for as long as the app keeps that access live.
Do I need to complete DUC for permissions I'm not actively using?
Yes, if the app still has access to them. Unused permissions can be removed from the App Dashboard before certifying, but any permission the app retains access to must be certified — including auto-granted ones.
Can I get my app reinstated after it's deactivated for missing DUC?
Meta states the app can complete DUC and restore access, but every previously approved use case, permission, and feature must go through App Review again — it is not an automatic reinstatement.
Does every app need to do this?
Only apps that are Live with an approved use case or Advanced Access to a permission or feature. Apps in Development Mode or holding only Standard Access are exempt until they go Live.
If your app has an approaching Data Use Checkup deadline, was deactivated after missing one, or needs the follow-on App Review resubmission that reinstatement requires, our Meta App Review Rejection Fix service covers both the DUC response and the resubmission. This is also a common follow-on issue after the kind of Ads API permission approval or Facebook Login permission work covered elsewhere on this site. Meta makes all DUC and reinstatement decisions independently; this guide is based on Meta's official developer documentation and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta Platforms, Inc.