The Apple update is essential in understanding how Facebook and Instagram ads will work moving forward. Facebook no longer has unlimited access to Apple users browsing history, when they frequent apps from the app store. Apple users will receive a pop-up window when opening an app, that allows the user to choose “Allow the app to track my browsing history” or “Don’t allow the app to track my browsing history”. It’s clear that most people will choose the latter option which will, in turn, affect Facebook’s availability to accurately target ads based on users' interests.

This may seem like a great change in ensuring users' privacy, but it means ads will be less user-specific and far more generic. This will make marketing for small businesses more challenging and far less effective. Although this update may seem like the end of the world (kinda but not really), it’s important to understand how it will change digital ad targeting and prepare us to alter the way we advertise.

The true impact is still unclear but what we know for sure is that it will cause: 

Delayed Reporting: This means the data will only be reported based on the time the conversion occurs NOT when the ad was seen.

Data breakdown: Users will no longer be able to break down the data by age, gender, location, etc.

Targeting audience sizes: Expected to drastically decrease as most users are likely to opt out.

Attribution window: This means when someone clicks the ad, the conversion will only be noted for 7-days as opposed to 28-days.

Conversion event limitations: Essentially Facebook will only allow 8 events to be tracked on the site. For example, a "purchase" is one event and an "add-to-cart" is another event. Before, this amount was unlimited.

Facebook has already launched a few new features that will help aid with the lack of specific targeting available because of the Apple update. This includes: video editing directly through Facebook, shop directly through Facebook, automated ads and appointment management options. Facebook is adaptable and they are sure to combat these changes. How exactly we don’t know, but they always have something up their sleeve.