Meta, Apple are squabbling again over advertisers

By Jon Swartz

In-app fees for boosted posts are the point of contention this time around

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. and nemesis Apple Inc. are it again.

The warring tech giants exchanged unpleasantries Thursday after Meta (META) published instructions advising advertisers how to avoid paying a 30% service charge related to Apple's (AAPL) iOS.

The workaround applies to "boosted posts," which let advertisers boost their content on Instagram and Facebook via a browser without paying service charges, Meta said.

Apple announced in 2022 that boosts in social-media apps would be subject to a 30% fee for in-app iOS purchases.

Meta said Thursday it will start charging a 30% fee to advertisers for boosted posts to offset Apple's fees. However, Meta noted advertisers can avoid that fee by boosting posts via browser rather than an iOS mobile app.

"We are required to either comply with Apple's guidelines, or remove boosted posts from our apps," Meta said in a blog post on Thursday. "We do not want to remove the ability to boost posts, as this would hurt small businesses by making the feature less discoverable and potentially deprive them of a valuable way to promote their business."

Meta said it will start implementing the changes this month in the U.S., and other markets later this year.

"Boosting, which allows an individual or organization to pay to increase the reach of a post or profile, is a digital service - so of course In-App Purchase is required," Apple said in a statement. "This has always been the case and there are many examples of apps that do it successfully."

-Jon Swartz

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02-15-24 1740ET

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