How to Record a Screencast Meta Reviewers Approve
A step-by-step recording plan for Meta App Review screencasts: what to show for each permission, how to caption it, and the mistakes that get otherwise good apps rejected.
The screencast is the part of App Review the reviewer trusts most. Your notes explain what the app does, and the video proves it. Most rejections I fix come down to a video that showed the app but never showed the permission working.
The rule: action, then result
Every permission needs two moments on camera:
- The action in your app. A person does something: connects an account, writes a reply, publishes a post.
- The result on Meta’s side. The reply appears in Messenger, the post goes live on Instagram, the message arrives on a phone in WhatsApp.
If the second moment is missing, the reviewer cannot confirm the permission is needed.
A recording plan that works
- Start logged out. Show the login button, the Meta permission dialog, and the scopes being granted.
- One section per permission, in the same order as your submission.
- Caption every step in English: “Using
pages_messaging: the agent replies to the customer.” Burn the captions into the video. Don’t rely on voice-over. - Show the other side. Keep a second window or a phone open for Facebook, Instagram, Threads or WhatsApp.
- Keep it under five minutes if you can. Cut waiting time.
- 1080p, no tiny text. Zoom the browser if the UI is dense.
Per-platform notes
Instagram publishing (instagram_content_publish, instagram_business_content_publish): upload or choose the media in your app, publish, then refresh the Instagram profile on camera.
Messaging (pages_messaging, instagram_manage_messages, instagram_business_manage_messages): send a message from a test account first, show it arrive in your inbox, reply as a person, show the reply arrive.
WhatsApp (whatsapp_business_messaging): show the message on a real phone. If you send templates, show where the user opted in.
Threads (threads_content_publish): publish from your app and show the post on threads.com or in the app.
Facebook Pages (pages_manage_posts): publish and open the Page on facebook.com.
Mistakes that cost a week
- Recording on an admin account that the reviewer’s test account can’t reproduce.
- Using mock data so the result never reaches Meta.
- Showing five permissions in one blurry flow with no captions.
- Hiding the permission dialog, so the reviewer can’t see which scopes were granted.
- Recording before the feature is finished, so the “result” is a loading spinner.
Want a second pair of eyes before you submit? I review screencasts and tell you exactly what a reviewer will flag.