Facebook Advertising Is About To Change When iOS 14 Tracking Update Occurs

A new update to iOS for Apple iPhone users includes a new tracking prompt that is set to disrupt Facebook Ads targeting.

Facebooks Feud With iOS 14

Apple is set to include a new prompt with in-depth information on every app you download. The idea is to make users aware of what control the app has on your data before you make the decision on installing it or not.

Users will also receive a permission opt-in to allow tracking, take a look at the image below to see how it will appear (this prompt has been named "Apple's App Tracking Transparency"):

Although the ability to share or not share this data within Facebook is available, it has been a little hard to find. This latest change from Apple will now put the choice right in front of the users which is causing many to anticipate most users will simply opt out.

If you are familiar with how Facebook ads work you'll understand how this can cause issues when it comes to reporting/tracking actions or purchases from ads, remarking campaigns, and other functions.

Facebook Has Outlined What To Expect

The changes in the next iOS update will affect Ads Manger, Ads Reporting, and the Ads Insights API. Here is a short list of what to expect:

28-day attribution of any kind will no longer be supported. Historical data for them will only be available via the API.
7-day click attribution will still exist.
7-day view-through attribution will also be gone.

Facebook will be making up for the lost data by using statistical models, certain windows will only include partial reporting.

Offsite conversion events will also be impacted: delivery vs. action breakdowns will not be available, and conversions that occurred will not be reported when the ad impression happened but rather simply when they actually occur.

Users will still be able to target based on demographic and geographic segments however they will no longer be able to see the breakdown by each of those factors.

Aggregated Event Measurement

Facebook will be creating "Aggregated Event Measurement" in an attempt to minimize the impact of data loss.

The 8 Conversion Limit

Advertisers will be limited to 8 conversion events tracked per domain which can be pixel based events or custom conversions. This change will happen automatically.

Domain-Based Pixel Ownership

Previously pixels were created and then assigned to ad accounts, now you will need to tie them to verified domains if you'd like to use custom conversions or measure events.

Recommended Next Steps

Prepare for the view-through attribution data to disappear. Download your historic data for both windows (28-day and 7-day) and also 28-day clickthrough. Compare 28-day click conversions with 7-day click conversions to understand how your reported conversions will be impacted if you use that 28-day window currently.
If you use rules tied to that 28-day attribution, update them now to minimize any impact on your spend or results.
Verify your domain with Facebook as soon as possible to ensure your pixel data is as seamless as possible.
Remember that this impacts only iOS14 users, and the adoption rate of opt-outs is not yet known. You will need to watch your own data and results carefully to better understand the impact.

We will continue to update you on the changes as more information becomes available.

In the meantime...