Invites

1. Your game triggers the invite prompt. At an appropriate moment in the game (after completing a level, achieving a high score, or when the player explicitly taps an “Invite Friends” button), your game calls the invite API.
2. The player selects friends. Facebook displays a native friend selector where the player can choose one or more friends to invite. The player can see which friends already play the game and which do not.
3. The invite is sent. The selected friends receive the invitation through Facebook’s notification system, Messenger, or both, depending on the context and platform settings.
4. The recipient taps the invite. When the invited friend taps on the invitation, the invitation opens your game directly. The game can detect that the player arrived via an invite and customize their experience accordingly.
5. Both players benefit. Optionally, your game can reward both the inviter and the invitee — for example, bonus coins, extra lives, or an exclusive item — to incentivize the invite behavior.

FBInstant.inviteAsync({
  image: base64EncodedImage,
  text: 'Can you beat my score? Come play WordBlitz!',
}).then(function() {
  // Invite was sent successfully
  console.log('Invite sent!');
}).catch(function(error) {
  // Invite was not sent (player cancelled or an error occurred)
  console.log('Invite not sent:', error.code);
});

const entryPointData = FBInstant.getEntryPointData();
if (entryPointData && entryPointData.source === 'invite') {
  // Player arrived via invite
  const inviterName = entryPointData.inviter_name;
  const bonusReward = entryPointData.reward;
  showWelcomeMessage(inviterName, bonusReward);
}

const entryPoint = FBInstant.getEntryPointAsync();
// Possible values include 'notification', 'feed', etc.

• Make it personal. Reference the inviter’s experience: “I just scored 5,000 points in WordBlitz — think you can beat me?”
• Create curiosity. Give the recipient a reason to want to see what the game is about: “I found a secret level in PuzzleQuest — you have to see this!”
• Include a challenge. Competitive framing is highly motivating: “I dare you to beat my time on Level 12!”
• Keep it short. The invite text is displayed in a compact notification or message. Long text will be truncated. Aim for one compelling sentence.

• Show gameplay or a result — a screenshot of the game, a score badge, or an achievement graphic.
• Include the inviter’s context — show their score, level, or achievement to make the invite feel personal.
• Use vibrant colors and clear visuals — the image appears small in notifications and messages, so simplicity and contrast are important.
• Match your game’s visual style — the image should look like it came from your game, not like a generic ad.
• Generate images dynamically — use a canvas element in your game to create custom invite images that include the inviter’s name, score, or achievement.

• Invites sent: The total number of invites sent by your players. This tells you how often players are using the invite feature.
• Invite open rate: The percentage of sent invites that are opened (tapped) by recipients. This measures how compelling your invite message and image are.
• Invite conversion rate: The percentage of invite openers who play at least one session. This measures how well your game’s first impression converts invited players.
• Inviter activity: How many unique players are sending invites, and how many invites each player sends. A small number of high-volume inviters may drive most of your invite volume.
• Retention of invited players: Compare Day 1, Day 7, and Day 28 retention of invite-acquired players versus other acquisition channels.

// When an invite is sent
FBInstant.inviteAsync({
  image: inviteImage,
  text: inviteText,
  data: {
    source: 'invite',
    inviter_id: FBInstant.player.getID(),
    inviter_name: FBInstant.player.getName(),
    timestamp: Date.now(),
  },
}).then(function() {
  // Log the invite event to your analytics
  logEvent('invite_sent', {
    inviter_id: FBInstant.player.getID(),
    context: 'post_level_complete',
  });
});

• After completing a level or stage — the player feels accomplished and wants to share.
• After achieving a new high score — the player is excited and wants to challenge friends.
• After unlocking a new character, item, or feature — the player wants to show off.
• After winning a tournament or match — competitive victories are naturally shareable.
• When the player runs out of lives or attempts — inviting a friend can be tied to earning extra lives, providing a natural incentive.

• During the tutorial or first session — the player has not yet developed enough attachment to the game.
• During active gameplay — interrupting the flow is annoying and will be dismissed.
• Immediately after a loss or failure — the player is frustrated, not in a sharing mood.
• Too frequently — if you prompt invites every time the player finishes a level, it becomes annoying and players will start ignoring the prompt entirely.

• Dual reward: Give both the inviter and the invitee a reward when the invited player plays their first session. This rewards both players, which increases participation. Example: “Invite a friend and you both get 100 bonus coins!”
• Progressive rewards: Increase the reward for each additional friend the player invites. Example: “Invite 1 friend: 50 coins. Invite 3 friends: 200 coins. Invite 5 friends: 500 coins.”
• Exclusive items: Offer items that can only be obtained through invites. This creates a social signaling effect where other players see the exclusive item and want to earn it too.
• Gameplay advantages: Offer extra lives, energy refills, or bonus turns for successful invites. This ties the incentive directly to continued gameplay.

• Do not make rewards so valuable that players feel compelled to spam invites to strangers or create fake accounts.
• Do not gate critical gameplay progression behind invites. Players who do not have friends on the platform should still be able to enjoy the full game.
• Do not reward invites that are sent — only reward invites that are accepted (that is, the invited friend actually plays). This prevents low-quality spam.

• Place an “Invite Friends” button in an easily accessible location (main menu, social tab, or game over screen) so players can invite friends whenever they want.
• When prompting invites, use a non-intrusive UI element (a banner, a button, or a subtle animation) rather than a full-screen modal that blocks gameplay.
• Show the player how many friends they have already invited and how many have accepted, creating a sense of progress and achievement.
• If you offer rewards for invites, clearly display the reward before the player opens the invite dialog.

• Platform rate limits: Facebook may limit the number of invites a single player can send within a given time period to prevent spam. Design your invite flow to work within these limits.
• Player opt-out: Recipients can choose to stop receiving game invites. If a friend has opted out, they will not receive the invitation, and your game will not be notified.
• Cross-platform delivery: Invites are delivered through Facebook’s notification and messaging systems. The exact delivery mechanism and timing may vary based on the recipient’s platform (iOS, Android, and web) and notification settings.
• No guaranteed delivery: Not all invites will be delivered or seen. Notification filtering, user settings, and platform policies can affect delivery.
• Image and text requirements: The invite image must be a base64-encoded string, and the text must comply with Facebook’s content policies. Invites with inappropriate content may be blocked.