Key takeaways
- Instagram, Facebook and Threads: Meta App Review per permission, with the app set to Live.
- TikTok: an unaudited app posts privately, for up to 5 users in 24 hours, until it passes an audit.
- YouTube: 10,000 units and 100 uploads a day by default; Google Business Profile: 0 queries until access is approved.
- X: pay per use, $0.015 a post and $0.20 a post with a link; Telegram and Bluesky: no review.
On this page
What does each platform require before an app can publish?
The gates protect people’s accounts from apps that post without consent, so the strictest sit on the platforms where a bad post costs most. For how long a connection lasts once access is granted, see access token lifetimes by platform.
| Platform | Gate before publishing | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram, Facebook, Threads | Meta App Review | Review per permission; the app must be Live |
| TikTok | Content Posting API audit | Until audited: private posts, up to 5 users in 24 hours |
| YouTube | Quota | 10,000 units and 100 uploads a day; more by extension request |
| Google Business Profile | Access application | 0 queries a minute until approved; 300 after |
| Community Management API tiers | Development tier, then Standard with a screencast per use case | |
| Trial, then Standard access | Trial is sandbox only; Standard needs a video demo | |
| X | Pay per use | $0.015 a post, $0.20 with a link |
| Telegram | None | Create a bot with @BotFather; a channel admin adds it |
| Bluesky | None | App passwords or a self-hosted OAuth client |
How does an app get Instagram publishing access?
Through Meta’s App Review. Each permission an app uses to publish to Instagram, Facebook Pages or Threads is reviewed on its own, with a screencast of the app using it, and the permissions take effect only once the app is switched to Live. Until then an app works only for people with a role on it.
Which platforms audit or review apps?
TikTok: content from an unaudited client can only be posted with self-only visibility, and at most 5 users can post through it in 24 hours; the audit checks the app against TikTok’s terms and lifts both limits. See the TikTok Content Posting API guide for what the audit asks for.
LinkedIn: third-party posting runs through the Community Management API, an application-only program with a Development tier and a Standard tier that needs a screencast for each use case. Pinterest: new apps start on Trial access, which is sandbox only, and Standard access, needed for anything public, requires a video demo of the app’s sign-in and its API calls.
Which platforms limit apps by quota?
YouTube gives every project 10,000 quota units a day for most calls, plus 100 video uploads and 100 searches a day counted separately; an upload costs 1 unit. More takes Google’s quota extension request form. Google Business Profile starts every project at 0 queries a minute: access comes through Google’s application form, from someone who manages a profile verified and active for at least 60 days with a website, and an approved project gets 300.
Which platforms need no review?
Telegram and Bluesky. A Telegram bot is created in a chat with @BotFather, and posting to a channel only needs the channel’s owner to make the bot an admin with permission to post. Bluesky has no central review: people use app passwords, and OAuth clients describe themselves in a metadata file the app hosts. X has no review either but charges per use: $0.015 a post and $0.20 a post with a link; price a plan with the X API cost calculator.
Do you need API approval to schedule posts with SkedCast?
No. SkedCast holds the platform access, so you connect your accounts and publish to 11 platforms without applying to any of these programs. Developers who want their own code to post can call the SkedCast API instead of passing each platform’s review.
Sources
- Meta for Developers — App Review (read 5 November 2026)
- TikTok for Developers — Content sharing guidelines (read 5 November 2026)
- YouTube Data API — Getting started: quota (read 5 November 2026)
- Google Business Profile APIs — Prerequisites (read 5 November 2026)
- LinkedIn — Community Management API access
- Pinterest — API access tiers
FAQ
- Do you need App Review to publish to Instagram through the API?
- Yes. Meta reviews each publishing permission, and it takes effect only once the app is Live.
- Which social platforms have no developer approval process?
- Telegram and Bluesky. A Telegram bot is created through @BotFather, and Bluesky OAuth clients host their own metadata with no central review.
- Can a new TikTok app post publicly?
- No. Until TikTok audits it, posts are private and at most 5 users can post through it in 24 hours.
- How much YouTube API quota does an app get?
- 10,000 units a day for most calls, plus 100 video uploads and 100 searches a day. More needs Google’s quota extension form.
- How do you get Google Business Profile API access?
- Apply through Google’s GBP API contact form as a manager of a profile verified for at least 60 days. Until approved, the project’s quota is 0.
- Do I need my own API access to schedule posts with SkedCast?
- No. Connect your accounts and SkedCast publishes for you; developers can use the SkedCast API instead of each platform’s.