Have you tried to sign in to your Facebook account only to be asked to provide a login approval code? If so, you’re not alone. Whenever Facebook’s AI algorithms suspect that a new login attempt is potentially harmful to your account, you’ll be asked to provide more information before access can be granted.
This article will show you the steps to resolve the “login approval needed” problem on Facebook and help you regain access to your account.
Login Approval Needed for Facebook
One of the reasons Facebook has turned out to be a Silicon Valley behemoth and one of the most popular social media platforms is its simplified sign-up and login process. To sign up, all you need to provide is your username, password, and either mobile number or email address.
Once you’ve signed in to your Facebook account on a PC or mobile device, you automatically stay signed in unless you take steps to sign out. You don’t need to enter your username and password every time you open your browser or Facebook app. But whenever a login request is lodged from a device you’ve not used previously, you’re almost always prompted to approve the attempt with a code.
Here’s how the exact prompt message reads:
“We noticed a login from a browser, device, or location you don’t normally use. We need to confirm it was you before you can get back on Facebook.”
While this is intended to keep your account safe and secure, it can be quite frustrating, especially when you’ve got some urgent business on Facebook. It could be a call to your loved ones, negotiations with a client, or even a post you’d prepared to share with your followers.
The good news is that the “login approval needed” problem can be easily fixed. In fact, there are two ways around it. Let’s see how each works.
Method 1: Get a Code Sent to Your Email or Phone
The easiest way to fix the “login approval needed” problem is to request Facebook to send you a code via the phone number or email address used while signing up.
Here’s how to go about it:
- This should take you to a new page requesting you to choose how you want to confirm your identity.
- To confirm your identity using your email address, select “Get a code sent to your email.” If you prefer using your phone number instead, select “Get a code sent to your phone.”
- Click on “Continue.”
- At this point, you’ll be prompted to choose the email address or phone number that will receive the code. The email address or phone number linked to your account is default selected.
- Click on “Continue.” After this, an 8-digit code will be sent to your email or phone within five minutes. If you don’t receive the code, simply hit the “Re-send Code” button at the bottom of your screen.
- Enter the code in the field provided and click on “Continue.”
Once you’ve entered the code, you should see a message on your screen notifying you that “you’re all set,” and you can proceed to sign in.
Method 2: Ask Your Friends for Help
What if you can no longer access the email address or phone number linked to your account? That’s when your Facebook friends can help you out. Facebook allows you to regain access to your account by sending unique codes to three of your friends. You’re then required to enter all three codes into your device.
Here are the specific steps needed:
- Click on the “Continue” button below the “login approval needed” message. This should take you to the “Choose an option” page, where you’re required to select the method you’d like to use to confirm your identity.
- Select the “Ask your friends for help” option and then hit “Continue.” A new page will open with a list of five of your friends randomly selected by Facebook.
- At this point, you need to contact three of the five friends listed and request them to visit “facebook.com/recover” using a browser of their choice. Once on that page, ask them to click on “Help [Your Name]” and then follow the on-screen prompts to receive the 4-digit code you need to access your account.
- Once you’ve received all three codes from your friends, click “Continue.”
- Enter the codes in the fields provided, double-check for errors, and then click on “Continue.”
You’ll be taken to the “You’re all set” page with a message saying you can now access your account. All you need to do is click on the “Continue” button at the bottom of that page. Afterward, you can log in immediately without entering your account credentials.
Login Approval Needed Stuck in Loop
The verification code sent to users by Facebook to fix the “login approval needed” problem works 99% of the time. However, sometimes the problem persists. Users have reported being taken into a seemingly endless loop where they enter a series of codes only to be denied access to their accounts after every attempt.
This can be hugely frustrating, especially when you’ve even tried to ask for help from your Facebook friends. So, what’s the way out? There are two troubleshooting methods you might want to try.
First, try clearing cached files on your Facebook account. This is the information temporarily saved in your device’s memory about your account, including your login details. Clearing the cache removes your login information and other temporary files that may interfere with the file execution sequence needed to successfully sign in to your account.
Here’s how to clear the Facebook app cache:
- Open “Settings” on your device and navigate to “Apps and Notifications.”
- Select “See all apps.”
- Tap on “Facebook.”
- Select “Storage and cache.”
- Tap on clear cache.
Once you’ve cleared the cache, try to sign in afresh. If you’re using a PC, you might have to remove all cached files on the computer.
If this doesn’t work, you can try the “nuclear” option and delete Facebook. After this, head over to your favorite app store and install the latest version of the Facebook app.
Can It Be Bypassed?
As you read this, you may wonder whether there’s a way to bypass the “login approval needed” prompt message and gain access to your account without entering a verification code. Sadly, there isn’t. Facebook seems to have enforced stringent account security measures, making it almost impossible to bypass the login approval prompt message.
However, you can do something to avoid ever having to deal with this issue – enabling two-factor authentication on your account. This is an extra layer of protection over your account that works by asking for a unique login code each time someone tries to sign in on a new device.
When setting up two-factor authentication, you can choose to receive the code in the form of a text message, but you can also generate login codes using a third-party authentication app. If you don’t fancy any of these methods, you can opt for a security key, a physical device that needs to be linked to your device using Bluetooth or a USB cable.
Here’s how to enable two-factor authentication on your Facebook account:
- Open Facebook on a browser
- Click on your avatar in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings & Privacy.”
- Click on “Settings.”
- Select “Security and login” from the menu on the left side of your screen.
- Scroll down to “Two-factor authentication” and click on the “edit” button on the far right.
You’ll then be requested to select the authentication method you’d prefer: a text message, third-party authentication app, or security key.
Once two-factor authentication has been enabled on your account, the system will automatically trigger your chosen authentication method whenever a login attempt on an unrecognized device is made. The “login approval needed” prompt message won’t appear.
Login Approval Needed Facebook Help Center
If none of the methods we’ve discussed so far can help you fix the “login approval needed” problem, you might want to try recovering your message via the Facebook Help Center.
Here’s how to go about it:
- Open your browser and visit the Find your account page.
- Enter your email address or phone number, and then hit the search button to initiate the recovery process.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to reset your password.
Alternatively, you can try recovering your account from a friend’s or family’s account.
Here’s how:
- Navigate to the profile of the account you’d like to recover.
- Click on the three small dots below the cover photo.
- Select “Find support or report profile” from the dropdown menu.
- Go to “Something else” from the pop-up menu.
- Click on “Recover this account” and follow the on-screen instructions.
It Doesn’t Have to Be So Frustrating
Facebook’s login approval is a security feature designed to enhance the safety and security of accounts. However, it doesn’t always work as intended. Sometimes you may get locked out of your account even when trying to sign in from a device you’ve used previously.
Luckily, there are several ways to fix the problem. You can ask for a verification code via phone or email or ask for help from three of your Facebook friends. If these methods don’t work, you can try clearing the Facebook app cache or visit the Facebook Help Center.
Have you encountered the “login approval needed” problem while signing into your Facebook account? How did you fix it?
Let us know in the comments section below.