Meta’s Ad-Free Subscription Package Restricts Capacity To Run Ads in Its Apps

Here’s a little detail that E.U. users may have missed when signing up for Meta’s new ad-free subscription option.

As per Meta’s documentation, not only will you no longer see ads in your own feed as a result of paying €9.99 per month, but you also won’t be able to run ads, or boost posts for yourself, or your business, depending on your subscription.

Which is causing some headaches for those with linked Pages in the app.

As highlighted by Meta ads expert Jon Loomer, this is actually spelled out in the official terms.

As per Meta:

“If you subscribe, the following are no longer available to you because it would require using your information for ads:

• Running ads and boosting posts for an Instagram account
• Running ads and boosting posts for your Facebook profile (for example, boosting your own Marketplace listings)
• Running ads for a Facebook Page, if the Page is linked to an Instagram account that has a subscription to use Meta Products without ads
• Participating in partnership ads on Instagram or Facebook
• Monetizing with Ads on Reels and In-stream ads”

To be clear, you will still be able to run ads for a linked Facebook Page that you manage, so long as you don’t also have an Instagram account that’s signed up for the ad-free option connected to both.

So it’s not entire blackout, but if you’re signed up, there will be restrictions.

As Meta notes, these ad options also require a level of personal data usage, and thus, they aren’t available to you if you choose to opt out of data sharing. So you can avoid personalized ads entirely, and pay for your Facebook and IG experience. But if you also want to run ads, you’ll probably need to cancel your subscription.

Which is probably how Meta wants it, as it can likely make more money over time by showing people ads, as opposed to what it’ll rake in from subscription payments.  

Really, the whole ad-free offering is a means to side-step the latest E.U. rules related to data permissions and usage, with Meta essentially looking to keep its existing business model in-tact, and in operation, by enabling users to opt out of personalized ads, if they choose. They just have to pay a price to do so.

Meta’s fully aware that the vast majority of people won’t pay, which is fine, as it’ll then be able to just keep running ads, like it always has, while also facilitating a more beneficial opt-out, in line with these new laws.

Which is likely why it’s also okay with these ad restrictions being another part of the process, because that’ll work to push more people away from signing up for its ad-free package.

Meta does note that people who’ve signed up to the program can still run some ad types:

“If you subscribe, you can still boost posts or run ads for a Page, if that Facebook Page isn’t linked to an Instagram account that has a subscription to use Meta Products without ads”

So there are still some options available, maybe unlinking the offending IG page if you really want to run ads.

But it’s going to be an annoyance for some, which could well be by design.

Either way, it’s another reminder that while Meta is offering an ad-free option, it doesn’t really want people to take it up.

It’d prefer to just keep showing you ads, but if you really want it…