Categories: Facebook Ads

How Apple’s iOS 14 Affects Facebook Lead Ads

With Facebook advertisers worried about the affect the recent iOS updates will have, Facebook Lead ads are still a powerful way of generating leads, but your retargeting campaigns won’t be as effective.

Here’s the good news and the not so good news, given the iOS 14 privacy update:

The Good News

Facebook Lead Ads are still (IMO) one of the best ways to generate leads via social media. Given that the lead conversion happens within the Facebook or Instagram app, the lead still gets tracked.

Conversely, if you are sending traffic to a landing page on your website, with the intention of generating a lead via a contact form, most of these on-website leads will not be tracked for people using iOS 14.

As per Facebook’s warning within Ads Manager:

“… results may not include conversions from people who have opted out of tracking on iOS 14. In some cases, statistical modeling may be used to account for some conversions.”

The Not So Good News

The bad news not so good news is that retargeting campaigns won’t be anywhere near as effective as they used to be. Previously, retargeting website visitors with Facebook & Instagram lead ads was an excellent way to generate more qualified leads. Given the privacy update, many/most iOS users won’t make it onto your retargeting list.

That doesn’t mean you should stop doing retargeting, it just means that you should exclude iOS 14 users from your retargeting lists. This means you’ll still retarget *most* people on Android and Desktop devices.

How to Exclude iOS Devices from Retargeting Campaigns

You can exclude Apple iOS devices at the Ad Set level by clicking on the Exclude option, then add:

Behaviours > Mobile Device Users > All Mobile Devices by Operating System > Facebook access (mobile): Apple (iOS) devices

One more quick tip: given the reduced ability to retarget people on iOS 14, you may want to ask more qualifying questions in your lead form.

For more details on the affects the iOS14 update will have, see Facebook’s help doc.

Luke Moulton
Luke is the founder of LeadSync and, as a Digital Marketer, has been helping businesses run lead generation campaigns since 2016.
Luke Moulton

Luke is the founder of LeadSync and, as a Digital Marketer, has been helping businesses run lead generation campaigns since 2016.

Share
Published by
Luke Moulton

Recent Posts

Why SaaS Companies Are Ditching Credit Card Requirements for Free Trials (And Why We Did Too)

The debate is settled. After years of A/B testing, industry studies, and real-world case studies,…

2 days ago

Facebook Lead Ads Integration Ultimate Guide 2025

Every month, over 3 billion people use Facebook and Instagram. Yet most businesses lose 71%…

5 days ago

How to Build Your Email List with Meta Lead Ads

Building an email list is the foundation of any successful digital marketing strategy. But if…

1 week ago

How to Send Facebook Leads to Email Instantly

If you're running Facebook lead ads, you already know the harsh reality: Facebook doesn't notify…

2 weeks ago

Lead Nurturing Emails: 12 Best Practices That Convert

What Are Lead Nurturing Emails and Why They Matter for Facebook Leads Lead nurturing emails…

2 weeks ago

Facebook Lead forms SMS Verification + Real-Time Lead Sync = Ultimate Lead Quality

You've spent thousands of dollars on Facebook Lead Ads. Your cost per lead looks great…

3 weeks ago