To set up the integration, you'll need the following permissions/accounts within your Meta Business Suite
A System User
A Facebook App
An Ad Account and Ad Account ID
A SUAT (System User Access Token)
💡 The Retention.com app only supports one Facebook integration at a time. If you already have a Facebook integration set up in your Retention.com account, you will need to delete that integration first.
Please note: The user setting up the permanent token integration must have full access/full control permissions within Meta Business Suite. Depending on your privacy settings, you may be prompted to enter a password or authorization code one or more times throughout the set-up. To avoid permission errors, ensure the setup is performed by the Meta Business Suite account owner, as only they have the necessary access levels to complete the integration successfully.
1. Create a new app
Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Apps and press the + Add button. A modal will appear asking "What do you want to do?" — select Create a new app ID.
This will open a new tab in your browser. Leave your original tab open, as we will return to it later.
Fill in the App name and confirm the App contact email (pre-filled with your account email). Click Next.
On the Use cases step, click Others (5) in the left filter sidebar. Scroll down and select Other, then click Next.
⚠️ The Other option now shows a "This option is going away soon" warning. It still works — select it and proceed. It routes you through the legacy setup flow required for this integration.
On the next step, select Business and click Next.
On the Details screen, confirm your app name and email. You'll also see an optional Business portfolio field — leave it as-is. Click Create app.
🔒 Meta will prompt you to re-enter your password as a security check before the app is created. Enter your password and click Submit.
After the app is created you'll land on an "Add products to your app" screen. Ignore this — return to your original Meta Business Suite tab.
2. Create a System User
In your business account, go to Settings > Users > System users and click the + Add button.
Input a System user name. For the System user role, open the dropdown and select Admin. Click Create system user.
⚠️ The role dropdown now defaults to Employee. You must actively change it to Admin — leaving it as Employee will cause the integration to fail.
3. Assign Assets to System User
On the System users page, click the three-dot menu (···) next to your system user and select Assign assets.
The Assign assets panel has a new 3-column layout. Click Ad accounts in the left column, select your Ad Account in the middle column, then in the right column under Full access toggle on Manage ad accounts. Click Assign assets.
The permissions toggles on the right stay empty until you select your Ad Account in the middle column. The "Full control" toggle has been replaced with granular permissions. Manage ad accounts under Full access is the equivalent of the old Full control.
4. Assign the System User to your newly created app
Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Apps. Select the app you just created and click Assign people.
Select your new system user. In the right panel under Full access, toggle on Manage app. Click Assign.
The "Full control" toggle has been replaced with granular permissions. Manage app under Full access is the equivalent of the old Full control for apps.
5. Generate Permanent Access Token
Navigate back to Settings > Users > System users. Select your system user and click Generate token. Token generation is now a 4-step wizard.
Step 1 — Select app: Open the dropdown and select the app you created. Click Next.
Step 2 — Set expiration: Select Never and click Next.
🚨 Critical: Meta now defaults token expiration to 60 days (Recommended). You must manually select Never for a permanent token. If you leave it at 60 days, your integration will stop working after 60 days.
Step 3 — Assign permissions: Click the Select permissions dropdown, find and select ads_management. Click Generate token.
If you see "No permissions available" on this screen, the system user was not assigned to the app in Step 4. Go back and complete Step 4 first, then retry.
📌 Seeing a different screen? On some accounts this step appears as an approval screen titled "Review [App]'s access request" showing a single line — "Manage ads for ad accounts that you have access to" — with a Save button, instead of the Select permissions dropdown. That line is the ads_management permission. Click Save to grant it, then continue the wizard.
Step 4 — Done: Click Copy to copy your token. Save it somewhere secure — you will not be able to see this token again.
6. Set up the integration in your Retention.com account
In your R! account, navigate to Integrations and select ADD INTEGRATION
Start typing "Face..." into the search box, and select Facebook (PERMANENT TOKEN).
Select ADD NOW.
Enter your AD Account ID and your new Permanent Token.
Important: Your Ad Account ID is different than the ID for the app you created, and the System user ID. Please ensure you are inputting the ID assigned to your Ad Account.
Select CONNECT > NEXT > Toggle Upload collected contacts? to Yes > NEXT > Toggle Enable Facebook (Permanent Token) integration now? to Enable > FINISH
Common Errors Encountered during Permanent Token Setup
Permission Errors: Ensure the Meta Business Suite account owner is setting up the integration. Other users lack the necessary permissions to authorize the connection.
"No permissions available" during token generation: The system user was not assigned to the app before generating the token. Complete Step 4 first, then retry Step 5.
Can't find the ads_management toggle / see a "Review access request" screen instead: On some accounts the permission appears as "Manage ads for ad accounts that you have access to" with a Save button rather than the dropdown. That is the same ads_management permission — click Save to grant it, then continue the token wizard.
Token expires after 60 days: Expiration was left at the default "60 days" in the wizard. Revoke the token and regenerate — select "Never" in Step 5, Wizard Step 2.
Incomplete Authorization: Verify all Facebook authorization steps are fully completed, including the password verification prompt, before returning to Retention.com.
Integration Activation Issues: Confirm that the "Enable Integration" toggle is selected in Retention.com after finalizing Facebook setup.