Simplified connects to your social accounts via access tokens, which are provided by the social networks.
When an access token expires or becomes invalid, you need to reconnect your social account to Simplified, and that will generate a new token.
Each social network has policies and security algorithms meant to keep its users’ accounts and data secure. When a social network identifies certain actions on an account, it forces the account's token to expire, which causes the account to disconnect.
All third party apps, like Simplified, are subject to these security measures. They are often more stringent for third parties than what you may experience using the social network itself. While disconnections can be frustrating, they occur to protect you.
While some periodic disconnections are expected, you can avoid many others by adhering to some best practices. Safeguard against social account disconnections.
Token expiration
Tokens expire due to the following:
A. Changes to account settings that result in disconnection
Simplified depends on settings you maintain in each social network. Making changes in a social network, such as Twitter or Instagram, can result in your account disconnecting from Simplified. Here are some changes that cause disconnections:
You change your username or password for a social account connected to Simplified. For example, if you sign in to Facebook and change your password, your Facebook account disconnects from Simplified.
You revoke Simplified’s access to your social account. Social accounts have settings that list which apps have permission to connect to your social account. Simplified must remain on that list if you want to publish to that social account from Simplified. If you manually revoke Simplified access from the social account settings, your account disconnects from Simplified.
If the user who added a social account to Simplified loses their Admin status or access to a Page or group, the account disconnects from Simplified.
B. Security measures that result in disconnection
To keep your social account secure, a social network might disconnect the account from Simplified when it identifies certain behaviors. The following behaviors are likely to get flagged and should be avoided as a best practice:
Using alias usernames that don’t appear to be real names.
Logging in with the same account credentials from different IP addresses. In other words, sharing logins between users or devices.
Publishing content that gets flagged for copyright violations or other inappropriate content.
C. Token lifespans for each social network
Tokens from each social network can have built-in expiration dates, so that they don’t grant access to information forever. Disconnection can be expected based on each social network’s authentication policy:
Facebook, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Business: Tokens for these social networks have a 60-day lifespan.
Instagram Personal: Tokens for these profiles should not need re-authentication, since they automatically refresh.
LinkedIn and LinkedIn Ads: Tokens for these social networks have a 365-day lifespan.
Twitter and Pinterest: These social networks do not issue tokens with expiration dates, so they shouldn't need re-authentication.
TikTok: Tokens for these profiles have a 365-day lifespan.
YouTube: YouTube shouldn't need re-authentication, since these tokens refresh each time Impact uses them to collect data from the network.
Top disconnection reasons
Simplified displays the specific reason for your disconnections whenever possible. The following are the most common errors we receive from each social network, along with recommendations to prevent them.
Facebook and Instagram Business
Facebook password or security alert
This is the most common reason that Facebook or Instagram Business accounts get disconnected. We receive this message from Facebook when:
Your Facebook account password gets updated.
Facebook has detected what it thinks is a suspicious login attempt to your account. This includes logging in from a device or web browser that Facebook doesn’t recognize. To protect your account, Facebook disconnects any third-party tools, like Simplified. Here’s what you can do to avoid this in future:
Avoid using alias usernames for your Facebook accounts. Use the same name on Facebook that you use in everyday life, so people know who they’re connecting with.
Don’t share your Facebook account credentials (username and password) with anyone else. Team members managing Pages or groups should be signing in with their own credentials.
Try turning on Facebook alerts for unrecognized logins. If you start getting alerts, you can tell Facebook which devices and browsers to trust in the future. See the Facebook help article Get alerts about unrecognized logins to Facebook.
Facebook access revoked
When you connect your Facebook account to Simplified, Simplified is authorized in your Facebook account’s Business Integrations. If Simplified is removed from the authorized connections list, its access to your Facebook account is revoked and your Facebook account, including all your Pages, groups, and associated Instagram Business accounts, is disconnected from Simplified.
Revoking access to a social account can be a necessary troubleshooting step. It starts you with a clean slate before you reconnect that account to Simplified. Make sure you and your team understand the consequences of revoking Simplified’s access to a Facebook account.
Facebook security checkpoint
When Facebook thinks your account security may be compromised, it triggers a security check when you log in. Security checks are different ways of confirming your identity. For example, they might ask you to identify friends in a tagged photo, or provide your date of birth. This needs to be completed before you or Simplified can access the account.
Actions that can trigger security checks include:
Compromised accounts
Unrecognized logins
Incomplete setup of two-factor authentication
Reports of inappropriate content
Copyright violations
To resolve the issue and unblock your account, do the following:
Clear the cookies and history from your browser.
Go to facebook.com and sign in to your Facebook account.
Follow the instructions to complete the security check provided.
Wait another 24 hours before signing in to your Facebook account.
If you encounter an issue completing the security check, reach out to Facebook.
To reduce the risk of triggering a security check in future
Review your account’s Security and Login settings and set up all available security measures.
Ensure that two-factor authentication is set up. Incomplete configuration can trigger security checks.
For more ways to keep your account secure, see the Facebook help article Keep your Facebook account secure.
Facebook token expired
Facebook supplies tokens that allow Simplified to access and connect to your account. When a token expires, your Facebook account, including all your Pages, groups, and associated Instagram Business accounts, disconnects from Simplified.
This disconnection occurs with the following actions:
The token has reached its built-in expiration date.
Tokens have built-in expiration dates for security so that a single token can’t grant access to your information forever. Facebook tokens expire every 60 days. You will need to reconnect your Facebook account on a regular basis to get a new token and confirm Simplified is still authorized to access your Facebook account.
The user who connected the account to Simplified is no longer an Admin of the Facebook Page or group.
To add a Facebook Page or group to Simplified, your Facebook user must be an Admin of the Page or group. If your Admin role is later removed, the Page or group will disconnect from Simplified.
Make sure that all your Page and group Admins know which user is authorizing Simplified’s access. That user needs to remain listed as a Page Admin or group Admin.
Unconfirmed Facebook account
This error means there’s an issue with your account that you need to resolve on Facebook before you can reconnect it to Simplified. Sign in to your Facebook account to see what Facebook needs you to do to resolve it.
Insufficient Page role
To add a Facebook Page to Simplified, your Facebook account must have a Page role of Admin or Editor if it's a classic Page type or Facebook access with full control or partial control on a new Page type. This disconnection occurs when the user who connected the account no longer has sufficient access to the Facebook Page. Their role may have changed or their account was removed from the Page because they left the company.
Make sure that all your Page Admins know which user is authorizing Simplified’s access. That user needs to remain listed as a Page Admin or Editor.
Simplified lacks Page permissions
This error means that Simplified is missing a permission it needs to complete an action on your behalf for a Facebook Page or Instagram Business profile. When Simplified performs the action, such as pulling analytics data from Facebook, it causes your social account to disconnect.
When you add your Facebook account to Simplified, you are asked to grant Simplified permissions to manage your Page. If you do not grant all permissions, then your account could be in a state of constant disconnection. Permissions can also be revoked in your Facebook account's business integrations, where Simplified is authorized as a connected app. Finally, Simplified may not have permissions for any newer Facebook features or recently created Pages.
Another possible reason for this disconnection for an Instagram Business profile is that it was switched to a Personal profile. You will need to switch it back to a Business profile before you can reconnect.
To reset all permissions for Simplified, you must remove the Simplified app from your Facebook account’s business integrations and then reconnect the Page in Simplified.
Ensure that your Facebook account has a Page role of Admin or Editor if it's a classic Page type or Facebook access with full control or partial control on a new Page type.
Facebook requires two-factor authentication for your Facebook account if your Page is in Business Manager (see Facebook's article Turn on Two-factor Authentication for Business Manager).
Open another browser tab and sign in to Facebook as your personal profile. Then use this direct link to your Facebook account’s business integrations: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=business_tools
Select Remove next to Simplified.
Select Remove again to confirm.
Now reconnect your Facebook Page in Simplified.
Open your Simplified Calendar and click Reconnect next to the Facebook Page on the window that will open.
Select Continue as [your Facebook profile name]. Do not select Edit Access to change any of those settings.
Select Continue. Simplified will be granted all the necessary permissions by default. Do not select Choose what you allow to change any of the permissions.
Page restriction settings
This error means that Simplified can't access some of your Page's data that it has requested from Facebook. The most common cause for this is when the Page has country or age restrictions, or if the Page itself is not published.
Check your Page’s settings to see if any of these things are restricting its visibility. If the Facebook account that was used to connect the Page to Simplified does not meet the Page’s visibility requirements, then Simplified won’t be able to see the Page either. See Manage Page Settings: How do I control who can see my Page? in the Facebook Help Center.
Two-factor authentication not found
Facebook requires two-factor authentication on Facebook accounts to prevent unauthorized access to Business Manager and Pages with large audiences. You need to add this extra layer of security to your Facebook account because it meets one of the following conditions:
Your Facebook Page is an asset in Business Manager.
The Facebook Page associated with your Instagram Business account is an asset in Business Manager.
Your Facebook Page has a large audience.
Use Facebook’s help article to turn on two-factor authentication for your account. Then reconnect your Facebook Page or Instagram Business profile to Simplified.
Learn more about Facebook’s requirements for Business Manager and Pages with large audiences.
Your Instagram account is a Creator profile
Simplified labels Creator profiles as Business profiles, but due to limitations from Instagram, they do not have access to direct publishing. You can either publish all your posts from Simplified via mobile notification or switch your Instagram account to a Business profile. Check your Instagram profile type to confirm if your account is actually a Creator profile. Convert your Creator profile to a Business profile and get full Instagram functionality in Simplified.
LinkedIn token expired
LinkedIn supplies tokens that allow Simplified to access and connect to your account. These have built-in expiration dates for security, so that a single token can’t grant access to your information forever. When a token expires, your LinkedIn account, including your profile and Pages, disconnects from Simplified.
LinkedIn tokens expire every 365 days. You can expect to have to reconnect every year to get a new token and confirm Simplified is still authorized to access your LinkedIn account.
As an extra security measure, LinkedIn also expires tokens for inactive accounts. If you haven’t used LinkedIn in Simplified (scrolled through a LinkedIn stream, published to LinkedIn, or loaded Inbox) in the last 60 days during that period, your token will expire.
LinkedIn access revoked
When you connect your LinkedIn account to Simplified, Simplified is authorized as a LinkedIn permitted service. If Simplified is removed from LinkedIn's Permitted services, its access to your LinkedIn account is revoked and your LinkedIn account, including your profile and Pages, is disconnected from Simplified.
Revoking access to a social account can be a necessary troubleshooting step. It starts you with a clean slate before you reconnect that account to Simplified. Make sure you and your team understand the effects of revoking Simplified’s access to a LinkedIn account.
Insufficient access
To connect a LinkedIn Page to Simplified, you must be a LinkedIn Super admin of the Page. If you are removed from the Page’s Admin list, the Page will disconnect from Simplified (even if you’re still listed as another kind of Page admin).
Make sure that all your LinkedIn Page admins know which account is authorizing Simplified to access the Page. That user needs to remain listed as one of the Page's Super admins on LinkedIn.
See a list of LinkedIn Page Admin types.
Restricted profile
LinkedIn restricts access to accounts that violate its acceptable use policies. Restrictions can be temporary or permanent, depending on the violation.
Sign in to LinkedIn for information on why it was restricted, what you may need to do, and how long you need to wait before you can access it again. When you regain access to your account, you will be able to reconnect the account to Simplified.
Here are some reasons an account might be restricted:
An unusually large number of page searches, profile views, connection requests, or messages from the account. These are flagged as possibly coming from a bot or automated tool.
The name used in the account profile is not a real person or is otherwise untruthful.
LinkedIn has detected inappropriate or illegal activity on the account.
A history of repetitive abusive behavior on the account.
LinkedIn has detected that the account may have been hacked or compromised. If you think your account has been hacked, report it to LinkedIn right away.
Here are some tips to avoid restrictions in future:
Don’t create a new account if your current one gets restricted. Each LinkedIn user is only allowed one account. LinkedIn detects and restricts accounts from the same IP address or that connect with the same people and employers.
Make sure you are familiar with and follow LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies and the Dos and Don’ts of their User Agreement. Violating these terms results in restrictions.
If you plan to conduct an unusual number of page searches, profile views, connection requests, or messages, try to spread your activity on LinkedIn over a number of days.
Try using a different browser to see if an application in your default browser is generating high levels of activity on your account.
See LinkedIn’s help article for best practices for keeping your account secure.
Locked Twitter account
When Twitter thinks account security may be compromised, it temporarily locks the account, which disconnects it from Simplified. Accounts are locked when Twitter detects suspicious behavior that violates Twitter Rules or Terms of Service.
Before you can reconnect your Twitter account to Simplified, sign in to Twitter to restore your account.
To reduce the risk of having your account locked in the future, see Twitter’s help article Help with my compromised account.
Twitter access revoked
When you connect your Twitter account to Simplified, Simplified is authorized as a connected app. If Simplified is removed from the authorized connections list, its access to your Twitter account is revoked and your Twitter account is disconnected from Simplified.
Revoking access to a social account can be a necessary troubleshooting step. It starts you with a clean slate before you reconnect that account to Simplified. Make sure you and your team understand the effects of revoking Simplified’s access to a Twitter account.
Suspended Twitter account
Twitter suspends access to accounts that violate its rules, or that may have been hacked. Go to Twitter to understand why it was suspended. Sometimes accounts are suspended by mistake. If you are unable to unsuspend your account, you’ll need to file an appeal with Twitter.
When you regain access to your account, you will be able to reconnect the account to Simplified.
Accounts are most commonly suspended for being the following:
Fake or containing spam.
Hacked, to prevent potentially malicious activity.
Reported for abusive behavior.
To prevent account suspension:
Make sure you’re familiar with and follow the Twitter Rules of conduct.
See the Twitter help article About rules and best practices.
See the Twitter help article About account security for options to keep your account secure.
TikTok
If your account does get disconnected from Simplified, start by reconnecting the account. If you can’t reconnect, go to TikTok and sign in for information on why your account is having issues. Most commonly, TikTok suspends accounts that violate its community guidelines or that may have been hacked. See TikTok’s help article Content violations and bans to learn more.