Some Facebook games no longer ask permission to access your profile information

You probably don’t think much of Facebook games asking for permission to access your basic information (birthday, friends list, profile picture, and other public details tied to your account), but that little dialog box (like the one pictured above) can turn off potential players from trying a new game. When you’re a giant publisher like Zynga or Electronic Arts who deals with an audience of millions, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to open your app.

This is why Zynga, Kixeye, and EA have worked a deal with Facebook to allow users to start playing their games without having to agree to any dialog boxes. For select games, like Zynga’s Indiana Jones Adventure World, a “play now” button allows the app to access some basic profile information without having to request permission, according to Inside Social Games, which also reported that these games see increased installs and lower opt-out rates. The move could reduce so-called “friction,” or the loss of players because there is an obstacle in their way.

This new functionality is currently available to a small amount of Facebook users, though the “play now” button should begin appearing for more players soon. If a game needs to access more detailed information, like an e-mail address or a birth date, it’ll still have to ask for permission, but it can do so after the initial installation.

You can find more information about this new policy at Facebook’s Help Center.