Facebook and Instagram Hope to Keep Apps ‘Free of Charge’ After iOS 14.5

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Facebook has announced that it’ll start showing an “educational screen” on its Instagram and Facebook apps for devices that run iOS 14.5 in order to keep both apps free of charge.

Recently, Apple released the iOS 14.5 update for the iPhone. This update brought many new features, including a way to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch while wearing a face mask.

Another big change was implementing a new App Tracking Transparency feature that allows users to choose whether or not they want to let apps track their activity for targeted advertising.

Right after this update, Facebook announced that it would start to show “educational screens” on both the Instagram and Facebook apps for iPhone, asking users to grant access to their activity.

Apple’s new terms and conditions allow apps to educate and show users how they’re using their information in order to incentivize them to grant them access.

Apple’s new policy also lets apps use other information users provide within the app to show targeted ads, even if they don’t give them access.

This version of iOS requires us to ask for permission to track some data from this device to improve your ads. Learn how we limit the use of this information if you don’t turn on this device setting.

Along with supporting businesses and showing you personalized ads, Facebook also mentions that granting access will help keep Facebook and Instagram “free of charge,” implying that the company might be willing (or forced) to charge a fee in the future to use these apps.

These new educational screens appear to be Facebook’s way to speak up for small businesses that need Facebook ads to reach potential customers. Ever since last year, the company has tried to fight Apple’s new App Tracking Transparency feature, claiming that Apple is “hurting small businesses and publishers who are already struggling in a pandemic.”

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