On Thursday, Meta Platforms (META.O) announced that businesses buying a “boost” for their posts on the iOS versions of Facebook and Instagram will incur an extra 30% service charge. This fee is payable to the app store operator, Apple.
The social media giant announces that advertisers can promote their content on Instagram and Facebook using a browser. This allows them to avoid paying Apple’s service fees.
In 2022, Apple announced updated App Store guidelines. Meta stated that it would implement the changes in the US this month, with other markets following later in the year.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on whether the change would have a material impact.
“We are required to either comply with Apple’s guidelines, or remove boosted posts from our apps,” Meta stated.
“We do not want to remove the ability to boost posts, as this would hurt small businesses by making the feature less discoverable and potentially deprive them of a valuable way to promote their business.”
As a result of the change, Apple will now bill advertisers who boost posts on iOS instead of Meta. Additionally, advertisers will need to pay in advance rather than after the ads run.
Meta offers boosted posts as a product to businesses seeking to promote their content on apps like Facebook or Instagram. This eliminates the necessity for a campaign through Ads Manager. Ads Manager is Meta’s advertising tool for purchasing and creating ads.
“Boosting, which allows an individual or organization to pay to increase the reach of a post or profile, is a digital service – so of course In-App Purchase is required,” the company said in a press release. “This has always been the case and there are many examples of apps that do it successfully.”
Apple clarified that Meta customers can avoid Apple commissions by using a separate app. They can use “Meta Ads Manager,” to pay for their ad campaigns. This exemption applies to advertising campaign management apps.
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