Key Takeaways
- Meta is launching an ad-free subscription service for European users in response to backlash and EU regulations. The service will give users the choice to opt out of targeted ads.
- The cost of the ad-free subscription varies depending on the device. It will be €9.99/month for desktop users and €12.99/month for Android and iOS users due to fees charged by Apple and Google.
- Users who purchase the ad-free plan on their desktop can access the subscription on all their Meta accounts, saving them money compared to purchasing on mobile devices. The subscription will be available in November 2023.
Most Instagram and Facebook users have grown accustomed to scrolling through dozens of irrelevant and sometimes oddly specific ads to view their friends’ content, but that may not be the case much longer for some European Meta users. Meta recently announced that it would launch a paid, ad-free subscription service for all Meta users residing in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland.
This change leaves a lot of users with questions. Here is everything we know about the new subscription service Meta will launch this month.
After receiving major backlash from the European Union in January 2023, resulting in a €377 million fine for the tech giant, Meta has since adapted their applications to suit EU regulations. These major adaptions have all led to the recent launch of their ad-free subscription service.
This most recent announcement comes to keep in line with the European Union’s Digital Marketers Act legislation. The legislation requires companies to give users the option to give consent before being tracked for advertising reasons, something Meta previously wasn’t doing.
As a way of complying with this rule while also sustaining its ad-supported business model, Meta is now releasing an ad-free subscription service for users who don’t want targeted ads showing up on their feeds while also putting some more cash in the company’s pocket.
How much will the ad-free subscription cost?
Austin Distel on Unsplash
The price depends on where you purchase the subscription. If you purchase the ad-free plan for your desktop, then the plan will cost €9.99/month. If you purchase on your Android or IOS device, the plan will cost €12.99/month. Presumably, this is because Apple and Google charge fees, and Meta is passing those fees along to the user instead of taking a hit on its profit.
If I buy the plan on my desktop, will the subscription carry over to my phone?
Yes! It’s confusing at first, but no matter where you sign up for your subscription, it will automatically link to all your meta accounts, allowing you to view ad-free content on every device. Essentially, if you have access to a desktop and are interested in signing up for the ad-free plan, you’re better off signing up there, as you’ll save some money.
When will the ad-free subscription be available?
The subscription will be available for users in November 2023. Meta didn’t announce a specific date.
“In November, we will be offering people who use Facebook or Instagram and reside in these regions the choice to continue using these personalised services for free with ads, or subscribe to stop seeing ads.”
Meta’s statement said that it believes “in an ad-supported internet, which gives people access to personalized products and services regardless of their economic status.” Staying true to its beliefs, Meta will still allow users to use its services for free with ads.
However, it’s important to note that Meta mentioned in its statement, “Beginning March 1, 2024, an additional fee of €6/month on the web and €8/month on iOS and Android will apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center.” So, for now, the subscription will cover accounts on all platforms, but the cost will rise in the future for users with more than one account.
What countries will get the new subscription?
The below countries can access Meta’s new subscription:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden.
It’s unknown at the moment whether Meta plans to expand this service into any other regions. Currently, the only regions able to subscribe to an ad-free plan are those listed above, but if it’s successful in those countries, it’s possible that Meta could roll it out in other regions.
Launched in early 2023, Meta Verified allows Facebook and Instagram users to pay for a blue tick mark next to their name. Yes, the same tick mark most celebrities with major followings typically have. This subscription service was launched as a way for users to protect their accounts and promote their businesses. Meta Verified costs $14.99/month (€14/month). It gives users the blue tick mark and provides extra account support and protection from impersonators.
While Meta Verified offers several unique account privacy features for users, it doesn’t offer an ad-free subscription. Currently, those subscribed to Meta Verified must also pay for an ad-free account if they live in one of the supported countries.
Users can sign up for the ad-free subscription via their Facebook or Instagram accounts. Here’s what you need to sign up:
- Go to account settings
- Click subscribe on the ad-free plan under the subscriptions tab (once it’s available)
If I choose not to subscribe, will I receive more ads than I now get?
Meta says that nothing will change about your current account if you choose to keep your account as is, meaning you don’t subscribe to the ad-free plan. In other words, you’ll see exactly the same amount of ads you’ve always seen.
Paid subscriptions seem to be the trend among many social media platforms in the past couple of years. Snapchat hopped onto the trend early in the Summer of 2022 when they released Snapchat+, which allows premium users to pay $4/month to see where they rank on their friends’ best friends list, boost their stories, pin friends as their top best friends, and further customize their settings.
More notably, Twitter, famously bought by Elon Musk, who now rebranded the platform to “X,” released three different tiers of subscriptions meant to improve a user’s experience. The tiers include Basic, Premium, and Premium Plus. X’s latest release, the Premium+ tier, allows users to pay $16/month for an ad-free experience and the ability to edit or undo their posts.
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Other major apps, such as TikTok, have yet to announce any ad-free subscription plans, although it wouldn’t be shocking if they followed suit.
For Meta’s part, it claims to want its websites to remain a free ad-based revenue domain, but we’ll see how long that lasts, especially if its first two subscription offerings succeed.
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