Facebook’s Response To Apple’s iOS 14 Updates

Paid Social

Posted by: Olivia

With the upcoming privacy changes in iOS14, Facebook has made plans to accommodate advertisers and their Facebook ads. The following information is derived from Facebook’s Web Advertising Guidance for Apple’s Mobile Operating System Changes webinar and compiled by the team here at Metric Labs.

Background

In June 2020,  Apple announced three new app policies that are expected to take full effect in 2021:

  • Data Nutrition Label:
    All apps must submit information about their app’s data collection practices via Apple’s App Store Connect.
  • Tracking Transparency Prompt:
    App Store apps, including Facebook, must ask users for permissions to track them across third-party apps and websites through Apple’s App Tracking Transparency Framework.
  • Tracking via App/Browser APIs:
    Facebook and other platforms will need to use a new framework that restricts, aggregates, and delays event reporting.

Essentially, changes will be made to increase user privacy by requiring an opt-in, as well as limiting/delaying reporting and tracking.

The iOS update will ask users to allow for apps to track them across websites. Apple’s PCM (Private Click Measurement, a new protocol created for web attribution) will restrict the amount of data that can be shared across businesses and platforms.

In response to PCM, Facebook has created AEM (Aggregated Event Measurement) that limits the transmission of user data while still supporting critical advertiser use-cases. It will not solve for all of the impacts of Apple’s protocol and advertisers will lose functionality. It will, however:

  • Support App-Web attribution.
  • Enable flexibility for other platform privacy propositions.

What does this mean?

iOS14 policies impact data sharing that uses the Facebook Pixel and/or Conversions API. If a user opts in to having their data shared and tracked, we will be able to use their data (nearly) as usual. If they opt out, AEM will restrict their data further for us. Regardless, to accommodate for less overall data, Facebook is making changes across the system.

Effects

There will be changes in business tool set up, targeting, delivery, and management:

Business Tool Set Up:

  • 8 Event Limitation 
    • Means that businesses and advertisers will need to prioritise their top 8 events (e.g. add to cart, viewed a page, purchased, etc)  for customers who opt-in.
    • If a customer opts out, there will only be one event tracked/returned based on prioritisation after an ad click.
    • Campaigns optimising to more than 8 events per domain will be paused.
    • Will have a bigger impact on larger businesses.
    • Custom audiences sizes will decrease and previous purchasers may appear in current lists.
  • Event Configuration
    • Wave multiple tracked events. May require domain verification.

Optimisation and Targeting:

  • Conversion window changes.
  • Reduction in website custom audience sizes.

Measurement:

  • No 28 Day Attribution and Limited View Through
    • Clients will see fewer reported conversions .
    • Click throughs will only be available for 1 day or 7 days (partial) and view throughs will be limited to 1 day (partial).
  • No Conversion Event Breakdowns
    • For reported conversions, breakdowns will no longer exist.

Delays

Due to the delay of data, when an advertiser selects a new event (of their 8), or changes the configuration, they will be prevented from optimising to that event for 3 days. After the 24hr attribution window and 24-48 hr random delay, the advertiser can run campaigns, and optimise to new events. This will impact data reporting and collection.

Action List – What needs to be done:

  1. Client to: Verify your domain in Facebook Business Manager. (Instructions below)
  2. Agency to: Prioritise a maximum of 8 events (using the Facebook pixel) per domain (Instructions below). 
  3. Agency to: Anticipate changes to attribution windows and update automated rules if necessary. We have updated attribution optimisation to 7 days click or 1 day View.
  4. Agency to: Prepare to identify campaign optimisation strategies that may require testing (i.e. alternative audience options, different bidding strategies, etc.).

How to verify your domain on Facebook

  • Step 1: Go to Business settings in Facebook Business Manager
  • Step 2: Click in Brand Safety
  • Step 3:  Select Domains 
  • Step 4: Click Add if your domain isn’t verified yet
  • Step 5: Copy and paste your domain here and click Add domain
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