Introduction

IN THIS ARTICLE YOU WILL LEARN:

1. The impact the new Apple iOS 14 update will have on your Facebook Ads
2. Issues iOS 14 can cause to the advertisers
3. How to prepare your Facebook Ads for the Apple iOS 14 update

BONUS:

• 5 Steps to Verify your Domain on Facebook

In early 2021, we need to be ready for huge changes to Facebook Ads because of the new Apple iOS 14 update. The digital world is currently wondering what is going on with the Apple iOS update notification popping up at the top of most Ads Managers right now. All of you may have seen this notification:

In early 2021, we expect that Apple requires all apps in the App Store to implement their AppTrackingTransparency framework. This will affect the ability of apps to receive conversion data from iOS users.

The impact the new Apple iOS 14 update will have on your Facebook Ads

Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency framework limits the information that can be exchanged with third parties such as Facebook, which may significantly impact ad creation, ad personalization, and performance reporting. The main impacts for this change are:

• Facebook Pixel Tracking: Additions to carts, purchases, leads, and custom conversions that are tracked by Facebook pixel won’t be accurate because some people have opted out of tracking.
• Audiences Building: iOS devices won’t give us any information on the customer visiting your website. This will mean that these people won’t be included in the lookalike and remarketing audience. Maybe we will be able to track part of their engagement, but only time can tell. 
• Retargeting: When people with iOS 14 devices visit your website, you possibly won’t be able to show them retargeting ads.
• App Installs: If you have an App you are advertising, App Installs or other App-related conversions won’t be optimized by Facebook for iOS devices .
• Ads optimization: Possible ads won’t be optimized as well as before, because pixel is not getting enough information from the people who have accepted tracking.
• Tremendously huge advertisers such as Google, YouTube, LinkedIn, SnapChat, Pinterest, and Tik Tok are going to be affected.

You won’t be able to track or optimize actions that are taken by iOS 14 users, but you will still be able to get sales, leads, and actions.

Now let’s look at specific Ad objectives that will be affected:

• App Installs when targeting iOS.
• Traffic Ads that are optimized toward Landing Page Views. If you are optimizing toward Link Clicks, your ads will not be affected.
• Catalog sales if they go to your website. Facebook Shops and Instagram Shopping that stay on the platform will still be able to receive tracking information.
• Conversion Ads that are optimized toward Standart Events or Customer Conversions.

Tracking of any Pixel activity with other objectives will also be affected.

Other objectives such as lead Generation that happen ON Facebook will still be tracked and reported correctly.

Issues iOS 14 can cause to the advertisers

The reality is that a large number of users did not care whether data collection and tracking are part of each app and therefore, did not care to disable it. However, given the option, many will be unlikely to grant permission for tracking. It becomes easier to say no.

Of course, you are still going to get Leads and Sales from iOS devices, you just won’t be able to see them all in the Ads Manager reports. As a result your cost per action may increase.

If you thought that IOS 14 is the only problem we are going to face, then take a look at what we expect in terms of optimization.

• Less conversion events to track and optimize
  Facebook is now scaling back the tracking events to a maximum of eight events per domain. This could cause challenges for advertisers who operate multiple different versions of their website according to their visitors’ country, location, and/or language.
• Delayed Reporting
  Real-time reporting will not be supported, and data may be delayed for up to 3 days. This will ultimately cause challenges in understanding the purchase consideration cycle of your customers, which may lead to premature decisions when to pull the plug on ads vs keeping them running.
  
• No support for breakdowns
  Delivery and action breakdowns, such as age, gender, region, and placement, will not be supported. This is a big deal and goes against Facebook’s narrative of creating for growth where creative dictates are targeted and not the other way around. If you cannot know who your ads are resonating with, it will be hard to make them better in the future. I think this may be an even bigger issue for Ecommerce ads that rely on volume. However, as I mentioned, there are many unknowns.
• Changes to account attribution
  The default for all new or active ad campaigns (other than iOS 14 app install campaigns) will be set to a 7-day click attribution window instead of a 7-day click window. Additionally, Facebook will remove 28-day click windows entirely. 
  
  Facebook will only be tracking the following conversion windows:
• 1-day click
• 7-day click (default)
• 1-day click and 1-day view
• 7-day click and 1-day view

How to prepare your Facebook Ads for the Apple iOS 14 update

1. Get your Domain Verified.
2. Analyze your purchases/leads and other events by breakdown to see if they originate from iOS devices.
3. Decide beforehand which Conversion Events you need to use if you have more than eight.
4. Focus on getting email addresses from your ads, so that you rely less on Pixel optimization for retargeting.

5 Steps to Verify your Domain on Facebook

1. Go to Business Settings and in the Domains Area, you will find the Brand Safety Section. This link should take you directly there: https://business.facebook.com/settings/owned-domains
2. Click on the blue “Add” button.

1. Enter the website address in the pop-up window and click Add Domain. You may need to refresh the screen to see the Domain in the list.