Apple has announced new changes with IOS 14 that will impact how Facebook tracks conversion event data. This impact all businesses advertising leveraging mobile apps, as well as those that optimize, target, and report on website conversion events from the Facebook pixel.

Apple will prompt all apps in the app store in accordance with their AppTracking Transparency Framework. The policy will prohibit certain data collection and sharing unless people opt into tracking on IOS 14 via the prompt.

How to prepare for the change

If you or your client deliver ads for conversion events that occur on a business's website:

• The pixel may only optimize for a maximum of 8 conversion events for each domain. This is important to note if you have campaigns that are tracking multiple events over the limited 8 events. Ensure that you are tracking the most important events for the business. Facebook will configure the conversion events that are most relevant to the business based on account activity.
• You can manage these events in Events Manager. Remember that when you create your ad set you will choose only one of the 8 potential conversion events that are set up within your pixel.
• In advance of this significant change, consider what changes need to be made to your current campaigns to ensure that it aligns with your measurement strategy.

How This Impacts Reporting

Under the new Apple policy, businesses will be limited in their ability to track performance of IOS 14 app install campaigns on Facebook. For IOS 14 app install campaigns, reporting will rely on data from Apple's SKAdNetwork API.

Other limitations include:

• Delayed Reporting: Real-time reporting will not be supported, data could be delayed for up to 3 days. On install campaigns, conversion events will be reported based on the time that they are sent to Facebook by the SKAdNetwork API. Web based conversion events will reported based on the time they occur and not the time it was associated with an ad impression.
• Breakdowns Support: On both app and web conversions, delivery and action breakdowns, such as age, gender, region, and placement will not be supported.
• Attribution Setting Changes: The attribution window settings will be set at the ad set level, rather than the account level. This ensures that the conversions measured are the same events used to inform campaign optimization.
• Attribution Window: 28-day click-through, 280day view-through, and 7-day view-through attribution windows will not be supported for active campaigns.

Supported Facebook Attribution Window iOS 14 Release

• 1-day click
• 7-day click (default)
• 1-day click and 1-day view
• 7-day click and 1-day view

In order to prepare for this drastic change in how conversions are attributed Facebook recommends taking the following steps to prepare:

• Leverage Comparing Windows feature to analyze how conversions attributed to their ads compared across multiple attribution windows. This will help acclimate your ability to read and understand the impact on a shorter attribution window.
• You could also export any historical data you need. This data will still be available via the Ads Insights API even after the changes go into effect.
• All automated rules will change to 7-day click attribution. When this occurs update the attribution window for your automated rules to a 7-day click attribution window now to help avoid unexpected changes to your automated rules post iOS release.

We are here to help

If you are unsure how this will impact your ad account reach out today.