Beginning this month, Instagram and Facebook users on iOS will have to pay an additional 30% commission fee, Apple’s standard fee for in-app purchases. Initially, this change will affect US residents, although international users will eventually bear the brunt of it too. However, Meta, the parent company of these online platforms, has offered a strategy to avoid these extra costs.
Dilemma Faced by Meta
Meta announced in a blog post on Thursday, they are faced with a tough choice; either eliminate the content promotion feature from its apps or abide by Apple’s rules. The company stated, “We do not want to deprive the opportunity to promote publications,” consequently promising advertisers an easy way to avoid additional promotion charges.
The content promotion feature, known as “boost,” allows both individual and commercial users to promote their content on apps like Facebook and Instagram, without having to run an ad campaign through Ads Manager. The latter is Meta’s advertising tool that allows brands to purchase and create advertisements.
Meta’s Solution
To circumvent the extra expenses proliferated by this new policy, Meta proposes users should merely quit the iOS app and promote their content on Instagram and Facebook through a web browser, like Safari or Chrome, hence avoiding Apple’s commission fee.
Given these latest changes, advertisers promoting content on the iOS platform will receive invoices from Apple, not Meta, and will be required to pay for the service upfront rather than post-ad exposure as previously was the case.
