Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other Meta apps on Stepper — setup, usage, removal and data deletion guide
Last updated October 16, 2026
This guide covers the Meta apps on Stepper: Facebook (Pages), Messenger, Meta Lead Ads, Meta Ads, Instagram and WhatsApp. It explains how to connect each one, what Stepper asks Meta for and why, what each trigger and action does, how to remove the integration, and how to have your data deleted.
Stepper is a workflow-automation platform made by Paperform. These six apps connect through one Meta app called Stepper. When you connect, Meta shows that name on the sign-in and permission screens. On Instagram’s screens, it shows as Stepper - IG.
Meta Conversions works differently. It does not use the Stepper Meta app. See Meta Conversions at the end.
Before you start
You need:
- A Stepper account. Sign up for free if you do not have one.
- For Facebook, Messenger and Meta Lead Ads: a Facebook account with access to the Facebook Page you want to automate. To send messages, manage posts or read leads, you need full control (or the matching task access) on that Page.
- For Meta Ads: a Facebook account with access to the ad account you want to manage, usually through a Meta business portfolio.
- For Instagram: an Instagram professional account (Business or Creator). Personal accounts cannot connect.
- For WhatsApp: a Facebook account, and a phone number that can receive a verification code. You can create the Meta business portfolio and WhatsApp Business account while you connect.
Adding an app
You connect a Meta app to Stepper by creating a connection. A connection is a saved, authorized link to your account. You only need to do this once per app; every step of that app in every workflow can reuse it.
Option 1: from the Connections page
- Log in to Stepper and open Connections from the left sidebar, or go to app.stepper.io/flows/connections.
- Click New Connection.
- In the Choose an App dialog, search for the app (for example Facebook or WhatsApp) and select it.
- A Meta sign-in window opens. What you see next depends on the app:
- Facebook, Messenger, Meta Lead Ads, Meta Ads: sign in with Facebook. Choose the Pages, business portfolios and ad accounts that Stepper may use. Review the permissions (listed below) and confirm.
- Instagram: sign in to the Instagram professional account you want to connect. Review the permissions and click Allow.
- WhatsApp: sign in with Facebook. Follow Meta’s steps to choose or create a business portfolio and a WhatsApp Business account, and to add and verify a phone number. Then confirm.
- You are returned to Stepper. The new connection appears in your list, for example
Facebook (Your Name),Instagram (yourusername)orWhatsApp (Your Business).
Option 2: while building a workflow
- Open a workflow in the Stepper editor and click Add a trigger or Add a step.
- Pick the Meta app and the trigger or action you want.
- In the step’s settings panel, choose an existing connection, or choose to create a new one. Creating a new one runs the same sign-in steps as above.
Permissions Stepper asks for
Stepper asks only for the permissions that app’s triggers and actions use. Each app asks separately, so you can connect one Meta app without granting what another needs.
| Permission | Why Stepper needs it |
|---|---|
public_profile | Labels your connection with your name |
pages_show_list | Lists the Pages you manage, so you can pick one in a step |
pages_read_engagement | Get Page Details, Find Page Posts, Find Post Comments |
pages_read_user_content | Reads posts, comments and recommendations other people leave on your Page, for the New Comment, New Page Mention and New Recommendation triggers |
pages_manage_posts | Create Page Post, Create Photo Post, Update Page Post, Delete Page Post |
publish_video | Create Video Post |
pages_manage_engagement | Create Comment, Reply to Comment, Delete Comment |
read_insights | Get Page Insights |
pages_manage_metadata | Subscribes your Page to Meta’s event notifications, so the triggers fire instantly |
Messenger
| Permission | Why Stepper needs it |
|---|---|
pages_show_list | Lists the Pages you manage, so you can pick one in a step |
business_management | Lists Pages your business portfolios own, so they appear in that list too |
pages_messaging | Sends messages, reactions, attachments and templates from your Page, and reads its conversations |
pages_read_engagement | Reads Page details used by the Messenger steps |
pages_manage_metadata | Subscribes your Page to Messenger events, so the triggers fire instantly |
Meta Lead Ads
| Permission | Why Stepper needs it |
|---|---|
pages_show_list | Lists the Pages you manage, so you can pick one |
pages_manage_ads | Lists the lead forms on your Page |
leads_retrieval | Reads each new lead’s answers for the New Lead trigger |
pages_manage_metadata | Subscribes your Page to new-lead events, so the trigger fires instantly |
Meta Ads
| Permission | Why Stepper needs it |
|---|---|
ads_read | Find Campaigns, Find Ad Sets, Find Ads, Find Custom Audiences, Get Insights, and the New Campaign, New Ad Set, New Ad and New Custom Audience triggers |
ads_management | Create and update campaigns, ad sets, ads and ad creatives; create custom audiences and add or remove people |
business_management | Lists the ad accounts your business portfolios own, so you can pick one |
pages_show_list | Lists your Pages, so you can pick the Page an ad runs from |
| Permission | Why Stepper needs it |
|---|---|
instagram_business_basic | Get User Profile, Find Media, Get Media, the New Media trigger, and labelling your connection with your username |
instagram_business_content_publish | Create Media Container, Get Container Status, Publish Media |
instagram_business_manage_comments | Find Comments, Reply to Comment, Hide Comment, Delete Comment, Set Media Comments Enabled, and the New Comment trigger |
instagram_business_manage_messages | Send DM, Send Private Reply, Find Conversations, and the New Direct Message trigger |
| Permission | Why Stepper needs it |
|---|---|
whatsapp_business_management | Reads your WhatsApp Business account and phone number, creates and lists message templates, and subscribes the account to message events |
whatsapp_business_messaging | Sends text, media, location, template and reaction messages, marks messages as read, and receives incoming messages and status updates |
What Stepper stores
- The connection. Stepper stores the access tokens Meta issues for your connection encrypted, server-side, and uses them only to run the steps in your workflows. With the connection it keeps the name it shows in your list. For WhatsApp it also keeps your WhatsApp Business account ID and phone number ID.
- Run history. When a workflow runs, Stepper saves the trigger data and each step’s input and output in that workflow’s run history, so you can see what happened. For example: a new comment, a received message, or a lead’s answers. Finished runs are deleted automatically 30 days after they run.
- Samples. When you load samples in the editor, Stepper saves them in the workflow so you can map their fields into later steps.
Stepper reads or changes data in your Meta accounts only when a workflow you built runs a step, or when you load samples or dropdown options in the editor.
Using the apps
Every step needs a connection for its app. Choose it in the step’s settings panel. All steps act on the account, Page or business that connection gives access to.
Most Meta triggers are instant: Meta notifies Stepper when the event happens, and Stepper starts a run straight away. The Meta Ads triggers and Instagram New Media are polling triggers: Stepper checks your account on a schedule and starts a run for each new item it finds.
To use a trigger: create a workflow, click Add a trigger, choose the app and the trigger, pick your connection and the Page or account, then load samples so you can map their fields into later steps.
Every Meta app also has a Make HTTP Request action. It calls any endpoint of that app’s API with your connection’s authorization.
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New Page Post | A new post is published on your Page |
| New Comment | Someone comments on a post on your Page |
| New Page Mention | Your Page is mentioned in a post |
| New Recommendation | Someone recommends (reviews) your Page |
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Create Page Post | Publishes a text or link post to your Page |
| Create Photo Post | Publishes a photo to your Page from an image URL |
| Create Video Post | Uploads a video to your Page from a public URL |
| Update Page Post | Changes the message of a Page post |
| Delete Page Post | Deletes a Page post |
| Create Comment | Comments on a Page post |
| Reply to Comment | Replies to a comment on a Page post |
| Delete Comment | Deletes a comment on a Page post |
| Find Page Posts | Finds posts on your Page |
| Find Post Comments | Finds comments on a Page post |
| Get Page Details | Looks up details for your Page |
| Get Page Insights | Gets insight metrics for your Page |
Messenger
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New Message | Someone sends your Page a message |
| New Message Reaction | Someone reacts to a message in a conversation with your Page |
| New Postback | Someone taps a button your Page sent |
| Message Read | A person reads a message your Page sent |
| Message Echo | Your Page sends a message, from Stepper or anywhere else |
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send Message | Sends a text message from your Page |
| Send Attachment | Sends an image, video, audio clip or file |
| Upload Attachment | Uploads a file once so you can send it many times |
| Send Button Template | Sends a message with buttons |
| Send Generic Template | Sends a card or carousel message |
| Send Private Reply | Replies in Messenger to a comment on your Page’s post |
| Send Sender Action | Shows “seen” or the typing indicator |
| React to Message / Remove Reaction | Adds or removes an emoji reaction |
| Find Conversations / Find Conversation | Finds your Page’s conversations, or the one with a person |
| Find Messages / Get Message | Reads messages in a conversation, or one message by ID |
| Get User Profile | Gets the name and profile picture of a person who messaged your Page |
Meta lets a Page send free-form messages to a person only within 24 hours of that person’s last message.
Meta Lead Ads
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New Lead | Someone submits a lead form on a Facebook or Instagram lead ad. Pick the Page and, if you want, one form |
Meta Ads
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New Campaign / New Ad Set / New Ad | A new campaign, ad set or ad appears in the ad account |
| New Custom Audience | A new custom audience appears in the ad account |
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Create Campaign / Update Campaign | Creates or changes a campaign |
| Create Ad Set / Update Ad Set | Creates or changes an ad set in a campaign |
| Create Ad Creative | Creates an ad creative |
| Create Ad / Update Ad | Creates or changes an ad in an ad set |
| Find Campaigns / Find Ad Sets / Find Ads | Finds campaigns, ad sets or ads |
| Get Insights | Gets performance metrics for an account, campaign, ad set or ad |
| Create Custom Audience / Find Custom Audiences | Creates or finds custom audiences |
| Add Users to Custom Audience / Remove Users from Custom Audience | Adds or removes people. Stepper hashes their details before it sends them to Meta, as Meta requires |
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New Comment | Someone comments on your media, or @mentions your account in a comment |
| New Direct Message | Someone sends your account a direct message |
| New Media | You publish a new post or reel |
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Create Media Container / Get Container Status / Publish Media | Prepares an image, video, reel, story or carousel, checks it is ready, then publishes it |
| Find Media / Get Media | Finds your posts, or gets one by ID |
| Find Comments | Finds comments on a post |
| Reply to Comment / Hide Comment / Delete Comment | Replies to, hides or deletes a comment |
| Set Media Comments Enabled | Turns comments on or off for a post |
| Send DM | Sends a direct message |
| Send Private Reply | Replies by direct message to a comment |
| Find Conversations | Finds your direct message conversations |
| Get User Profile | Gets your account’s profile |
Instagram lets you send direct messages to a person only within 24 hours of that person’s last message.
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New Message | Someone sends your WhatsApp number a message |
| Message Status Updated | A message you sent is sent, delivered, read or fails |
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send Text Message | Sends a text message |
| Send Media Message | Sends an image, video, audio clip, document or sticker |
| Send Location Message | Sends a location |
| Send Template Message | Sends an approved message template |
| Send Reaction | Reacts to a message with an emoji |
| Mark Message As Read | Marks a received message as read |
| Create Message Template | Submits a new message template to Meta for approval |
| Find Message Templates | Lists your message templates and their status |
Outside the 24 hours after a person’s last message, WhatsApp only lets you send approved template messages.
Troubleshooting
“Failed to authenticate” or a reconnect error. Meta no longer accepts the connection’s token. This happens if you removed Stepper in your Facebook or Instagram settings, changed your password, lost your role on the Page or ad account, or the token expired. Open Connections, delete the old connection, create a new one, and select it in your steps.
A Page, ad account or business does not appear in a dropdown. You did not select it when you connected. Create a new connection, and select that Page or account on Meta’s screen. You need a role on it in Meta.
A Facebook or Messenger trigger never fires. Check that the Page in the trigger is the one the event happens on, and that your connection still works. The trigger subscribes the Page to Meta’s events when you turn the workflow on, so turn the workflow off and on again after you reconnect.
Instagram will not connect. The account must be an Instagram professional account (Business or Creator). Switch it in the Instagram app under Settings → Account type and tools, then try again.
A Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp message fails to send. The 24-hour window above has probably closed. On WhatsApp, use Send Template Message with an approved template instead.
A step fails after you deleted a connection. Deleting a connection does not turn off the workflows that use it. Their steps fail until you edit each one and pick a different connection.
Still stuck? Contact support at paperform.com/help.
Removing an app
Remove the integration in two places to fully disconnect a Meta app from Stepper.
1. Delete the connection in Stepper
- Open Connections at app.stepper.io/flows/connections.
- Find the connection, open its menu, and choose Delete.
- Confirm. Stepper deletes the connection and the tokens and IDs stored with it.
What happens next: workflows that use this connection stay on, but their steps fail until you pick a different connection. To stop them, turn those workflows off or delete them. Run history is not deleted by this step. To delete it as well, see Deleting your data.
2. Remove Stepper from your Meta account
Facebook, Messenger, Meta Lead Ads and Meta Ads
- On Facebook, open Settings & privacy → Settings, or go to facebook.com/settings/?tab=business_tools.
- Under Your activity, open Business integrations.
- Find Stepper and click Remove. Confirm.
- In the Instagram app, open your profile, then the menu, then Settings and activity.
- Open Website permissions, then Apps and websites.
- On the Active tab, find Stepper - IG and tap Remove.
On the web, go straight to instagram.com/accounts/manage_access.
- In Meta Business Suite, open Settings, then Accounts → WhatsApp accounts, and select your WhatsApp Business account.
- Open the Partners tab.
- Find Stepper and remove it.
- You signed in with Facebook to connect WhatsApp, so also remove Stepper from your Facebook Business integrations, as above.
Meta then revokes Stepper’s access. Any step that still points at the old connection fails with a reconnect error until you connect again.
You can reconnect at any time by following Adding an app again.
Deleting your data
You can have Stepper delete everything it holds from your Meta accounts.
- Delete the workflows that use your Meta apps. This stops Stepper acting on new events.
- Delete your Meta connections in Stepper and remove Stepper from your Meta account, as in Removing an app. This deletes the stored tokens and IDs, and stops Stepper getting any new data.
- Finished runs are deleted automatically 30 days after they run. To delete them sooner, along with saved samples and anything else Stepper keeps from your Meta accounts, email [email protected] from your Stepper account’s email address, with the subject Stepper data deletion request. Say which Meta apps you connected.
- We confirm your request and delete the data within 30 days, then reply to tell you it is done.
For more on data requests, see How do I make a data or GDPR request?. How Paperform handles personal data is set out in the privacy policy.
Meta Conversions
Meta Conversions sends events from your workflows to Meta’s Conversions API. It does not use Facebook sign-in or the Stepper Meta app. You connect it with your Meta Pixel ID and an access token you generate in Meta Events Manager (Events Manager → your pixel → Settings → Conversions API → Generate access token).
- What Stepper stores: the Pixel ID and access token, encrypted, and the events in your run history.
- To remove it: delete the Meta Conversions connection in Stepper, as in step 1 above. To stop the token working anywhere, revoke it in Meta: open your business portfolio’s Settings → Users → System users, select the Conversions API system user, and revoke its token.
- To delete your data: follow Deleting your data.