Facebook Graph API won't return email address

Question

Edit: Not Duplicate, because:

I have the permission
Debugged the token
Code works with test user

Please don't mark as duplicate without reading.

I'm trying to get the user e-mail address, but i don't get it. On graph api explorer, when i hit send, email field becomes grayed and says that:

field is empty or disallowed by access token

But when I debug the token it has email permission granted

My profile has an e-mail address.

Update: I tried https://developers.facebook.com/tools/console/ . My profile returns nothing, even on another computer. But the same code returns the email, name and uid of another account.

Code:

    <fb:login-button scope="email">
  Grant Permissions to make more examples work
</fb:login-button>

<button onclick="doPost()">Post to Stream</button>

<script>
function userData() {
  FB.api('/me?fields=name,email', Log.info.bind('/me callback'));
};

FB.getLoginStatus(function(response) {
  if (response.status === 'connected') {
    userData();
  }
});
</script>

It is possible to lockdown you e-mail so no one can has it? Even when i grant permission?

@karthikr, nope, scope added, permission granted (Debug shows that the token has email permission), but no email... I can get another data, just email won't come. Just to clear, i'm using javascript sdk and using Graph API Explorer. — Maxinne, May 19 '13 at 05:24
Have you found a solution to this? I'm having the same problem and it's driving me nuts! — Mihai Fratu, Sep 04 '13 at 13:07
@MihaiFratu, no... I tried everything i found, and the situation is very inconsistent, with some users (like test ones you can setup) working and live ones from some friends with valid primary e-mail addresses that wont. — Maxinne, Sep 04 '13 at 16:57
Filled bug: https://developers.facebook.com/bugs/340561996079829 — Maxinne, Sep 26 '13 at 20:22
I haven't tried this anymore but from what the response on your bug report says I get that you didn't confirmed your email address? Try doing that, maybe it will help. — Mihai Fratu, Sep 28 '13 at 23:55
One thing that I have noticed is that this happens when the user that you are using is also admin of the FB app...I don't know why. — almo, Jul 23 '17 at 01:17

score 44 · Answer 1 · edited Sep 19 '19 at 15:47

44

The Marcus' answer leads me to the real problem I was facing.

Debugging with the Facebook Explorer tool I was able to figure out that I should set the email scope at the FB.api() method after a successful login.

FB.login(function(response) {
    if (response.status === 'connected'){
        FB.api('/me?fields=id,email,name', function(data) {
        console.log( data.email ) // it will not be null ;)
    })
}, {scope: 'email'});

It is not quite clear at the Quickstart guide and I hope it helps someone else, too.

edited Sep 19 '19 at 15:47

Youp Bernoulli

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answered Jan 25 '16 at 14:15

Miere

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2

This parameters on the URL plus scope "email" worked well for me, thanks! – digofreitas Jun 16 '16 at 14:22
2

the ?fields=...,email,... in the api request is very important!! and this was some time ago not required to get the email, just /me would suffice; apparently no more. I just spent hours on trying to find this problem; many thanks!! – Arthur Jun 21 '16 at 14:50
Cash me outside – Emre Akman Mar 01 '17 at 14:15
1

The `scope` inclusion was what fixed it for me. – tyler.frankenstein Apr 06 '17 at 14:24
Thank you!! The scope as the last param did it! – ohjeeez Jun 08 '18 at 00:49

score 36 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 15 '13 at 12:36

36

I had the same problem and I think I found out why: If the user has an unconfirmed email in Facebook (i.e. Facebook sent him a validation mail to his email address but he didn't respond) Facebook WILL NOT pass that email to your app even if he gave you the email permissions (!!!).

So what I did is use his Facebook email if he has a user name (i.e. userName@facebook.com).

answered Dec 15 '13 at 12:36

ozba

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Thats a good work around... The only problem with it is that if you try to send some mailing or other sort of e-mail communication, it will go to the "Other" inbox on facebook. – Maxinne Dec 15 '13 at 17:59
And if my answer suffice for you please mark it as so, thank you :) – ozba Dec 17 '13 at 14:59
1

@ozba facebook emails can be disabled and I know many people having that disabled for spamming reasons. Also there is no way of getting the username any longer from the Graph API. So you shouldn't rely on the Facebook email. – Jan 08 '16 at 08:16

score 21 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 18 '13 at 12:50

21

After i got my bug report marked as duplicate, and i read all posts and links there, i got what caused this problem for me and how to fix.

The Problem Facebook seems to sometimes forget what your primary e-mail is on the graph API (But it still there in the preferences.)

Solution The user affected must remove the e-mail, save settings, then re-add the address, re-confirm, then make it primary. This fixed my account both on my sandbox app, and other apps where Facebook login don't used to work.

answered Oct 18 '13 at 12:50

Maxinne

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Another solution is just to add another email address to your account and the original email address now becomes primary – dannrob Jul 15 '14 at 13:30
How is that a solution? It just means we loose the customer, we can't even tell him why because we don't have his email. – shredding Oct 01 '20 at 13:45
@shredding, it *is not* a solution, it is a problem on Facebook side... What you can do is check if you got the e-mail, and if not, ask for it from the user... – Maxinne Oct 02 '20 at 00:23

score 8 · Answer 4 · answered Jan 18 '17 at 09:28

8

New facebook graph requires scopes added in the /me request as follow:

/me?fields=email,birthday,location,locale,age_range,currency,first_name,last_name,name_format,gender&access_token=

answered Jan 18 '17 at 09:28

Alin Razvan

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Worked for v2.8 Graph API – Max Mar 01 '17 at 04:14
We on 2019, and this actually worked for me! (v3.2 Graph API) – Ballon Ura Jan 14 '19 at 10:37
v3.3 didn't need the access_token parameter, thank you so much! – swateek Jun 10 '19 at 13:20

score 4 · Answer 5 · answered Nov 01 '13 at 09:58

I had the same issue while I was developing the fb login button for my site. I had even setup permissions for my app here:

https://developers.facebook.com/apps/<my-app-ID>/permissions

and it was working fine for certain initial cases, that is, it was giving email (i tested it on my own account and it was giving my email). Then suddenly it started to reflect no email at all. After two hours of browsing, I figured it out that there was an issue with the access token as when I went on this link:

https://developers.facebook.com/tools/explorer/<your-fb-id>/?method=GET&path=100002451127858%3Ffields%3Did%2Cemail

Update your-fb-id with your id and go to the above link. Click on 'Get Access Token'. In the tab that opens up, click on 'Extended Permissions' and in that, choose 'email' and submit. Now, test your query again. It'll definitely work, on the console as well as your website. Cheers! :)

Thank You It works for me (Note: You will find Get User Access Token Option and then from list select email) — Abhi Burk, Aug 29 '18 at 19:27

score 2 · Answer 6 · answered Jun 13 '13 at 19:23

This is a known bug. If the user does not have any email address set to primary, the query will return null for email. Set the email address for your account to primary https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=account&section=email&view and then try.

Source: https://developers.facebook.com/bugs/298946933534016/

Facebook Graph API won't return email address

6 Answers6

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