Why Apple’s iOS 14 update will impact Facebook Ads

If you’ve logged into Facebook Ads Manager over the past couple of months, you should have seen a notification about the Apple iOS 14 update.

It states that from early 2021, iOS14 users will be able to opt-out of data tracking across websites and third-party apps.

When it comes to running Facebook Ads, this significant change means that iOS users will no longer be automatically tracked across these applications and will need to manually opt-in to receive personalised ads.

It’s a bold move from Apple following the big splash Netflix’s documentary, The Social Dilemma, made in 2020.

Perhaps the most worrying factor is that these privacy changes will also impact the personalisation of Google, YouTube, Pinterest and all the other major ad networks.

As time goes by, there’s a good chance you’ll see a decrease in the success of your advertising campaigns. More specifically, Facebook is expecting the following effects:

• Conversion events to be limited to 8 per website domain.
• Real-time reporting will no longer be available for iOS devices.
• There might be a delay of up to 3 days before you can access Facebook Ad data.
• You’ll no longer be able to split audiences into age, location, gender and location for iOS 14 users who have opted out.
• The limitation of the Facebook Pixel will severely affect your ability to gain an accurate report on conversion rates.
• Custom audience sizes will be reduced.
• Users won’t be shown your retargeting ads if they visit your website using their iOS 14 devices.

Granted, this won’t impact those who opt-in, plus the Android and desktop users out there. However, with an estimated 52.5 million iPhones bought in the UK between 2011-2019 and a total mobile market share of 46.65% reported in September 2020, the potential impact on Facebook Ad performance could be monumental in the next couple of years.