Which social APIs need approval, and how long it really takes

Five of the nine networks worth posting to gate publishing behind a human review: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Reddit. Four do not: Telegram, Bluesky, Mastodon and Discord. Below is what each review actually involved for us — real dates, real rejection reasons.

Every timeline on this page comes from PostWire's own submissions in 2026, not from documentation.

Needs review

PlatformWhat gates itWhat happened
TikTokContent Posting API (Direct Post)Approved for PostWire on 7 Jul 2026, after two rejections.
InstagramInstagram Graph API (Content Publishing)Approved for PostWire on 14 Jul 2026, clean — no rejections.
FacebookFacebook Graph API (Pages)Approved for PostWire on 14 Jul 2026 in the same submission as Instagram.
YouTubeYouTube Data API v3 (resumable upload)Google OAuth verification required; PostWire submitted it on 17 Jun 2026.
RedditReddit APISelf-serve app creation is closed. Verified dead in the live portal on 17 Jun 2026.

No review needed — you can post today

These four have no application, no demo video and no waiting. This is the fastest way to have something publishing while the reviewed platforms are pending.

PlatformWhat you needCredentials
TelegramA bot token from @BotFather plus the target chat ID.bot_token, chat_id
BlueskyYour handle and an app password generated in settings — not your account password.handle, app_password
MastodonYour instance URL and an access token created in that instance's developer settings.instance_url, access_token
DiscordA channel webhook URL. No OAuth, no app, no review.webhook_url

The pattern across all of them

Having been through five of these: the code is never what takes the time. The reviews are, and they fail on things that have nothing to do with your integration — the shape of your marketing site, whether your Privacy link sits inside a menu, whether your own copy admits the integration is not live yet. Budget weeks, not days, and expect the first submission to be rejected on a field you did not think was part of the product.

Or use an app that is already approved

PostWire has been through these reviews. You post through its approved apps, so there is no submission of your own to file.

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Questions people actually ask

Which social media APIs can I post to today without approval?
Telegram, Bluesky, Mastodon and Discord need no review at all — a bot token, an app password, an access token and a webhook URL respectively. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Reddit all require review.
How long does social media API approval take?
For PostWire: TikTok took about three weeks across several submissions and two rejections. Meta approved Instagram and Facebook cleanly. Reddit no longer offers self-serve access at all and is reviewed by a human.
Why do TikTok API submissions get rejected?
The most common cause is the Website URL field: TikTok requires a fully developed, multi-page site with Privacy Policy and Terms visible without opening a menu. A single landing page is rejected.