The IOS 14 effect for your Facebook ads

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It all started with the announcement of iOS 14 in June 2020. A number of different operating system updates were included in the aforementioned improvement, but one stands out the most in terms of digital marketing – App Tracking Transparency.

This feature in itself cannot be qualified as a major change to Apple's operating system. It is more of a pop-up that "asks" each user of a given app if they want to share their personal data and be "tracked" by the respective developer/company to receive personalized ads.

This new functionality is directly related to IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers), your rcs data mexico profile in the Apple ecosystem, and acts as an “opt-out” (if you don’t agree) or “opt-in” (if you agree) of creating such a profile. This in turn is nothing new. Older versions of iOS also have this feature, but you have to dig into your device’s settings to access it.

But Apple is certainly increasing the number of users who would not share their personal data. The move comes as a result of global regulations regarding the security of users using digital services.

A few words about what IOS 14.5 is
As we mentioned, at Apple, each user of their devices and software is identified through the so-called IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers). After the changes for iOS 14.5 users, this feature will now be a mandatory option – whether to save their data or not, for the purpose of personalized advertising.

As you might guess, most users won’t agree to share their personal information. In other words, tracking tools like the Facebook Pixel can’t optimize campaigns that are created because “events” (Facebook Pixel Events) can’t record a user’s actions on a site or app.

Location, email or address information remains “hidden” from the advertising platform. However, the restriction does not limit communication between the different platforms under the Facebook umbrella. In other words, users who have denied access to the Facebook application, but have not done so for Instagram, their information and interaction with ads and actions will be registered by Facebook Pixel Events.

Which part of the advertising funnel is being hit hardest by the change?
The most affected by the changes are the Audiences, which all advertisers use to remarket their clients' products or services. All users who are part of them and use the new option of IOS 14.5 become "untrackable" and are therefore not part of these created audiences. This is a prerequisite for weaker results at the most successful stage of the funnel.

In this vein, Lookalike audiences may also show weaker results or at least be more difficult to "feed" due to the limited data that Facebook Pixel manages to "collect".