Apple Updates Are In The News...Again

Remember the big hubbub around Apple’s iOS 14.5 update not too long ago?

Apple to the news cycle:

Apple recently confirmed that it will roll out iOS 14.5 to users as soon as next week, the week of April 26, 2021. At this time, it will start requiring third-party App Store apps to obtain tracking permission from users through its AppTrackingTransparency framework. 

Here are some of the changes expected with the release of iOS 14.5:

• Apple users will likely gradually adopt the new update over the course of several weeks to several months. This means that iOS event reporting on Facebook isn’t expected to be immediately impacted. 
• Facebook for Business will begin rolling out advertiser experiences and measurement protocols, including Apple’s SKAdNetwork API (SKAN) and Facebook’s Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM).
• Facebook and Instagram will opt out all iOS 14.5 devices from any app tracking automatically. 

What You Can Do You Minimize Negative Impact From iOS 14.5 Changes

• Stay calm! Facebook ad performance fluctuations are very likely—so keep an eye on your accounts and don’t be surprised if CPAs increase or your performance drops. 
• Check your ad sets. Ad sets that are optimizing for an event that’s not configured for AEM will be paused automatically. 
• Make sure you have selected a domain for tracking, or those ads will also be paused. 
• Prepare yourself for the possibility that your audience sizes may decrease.
• Start introducing ad sets based on list-based custom audiences rather than pixel audiences as part of your mix. 
• Arm yourself with additional resources to make the tracking change more seamless. For example, this free app helps advertisers overcome iOS 14 changes.