Advertising prices explode due to iOS 14.5 anti-tracking measures

The arrival of the anti-tracking measures of iOS 14.5 causes a change in the price of advertising space in iOS, but also in Android. A study claims that the banners displayed by iPhones are becoming cheaper and the price of banners displayed on Android is increasing. Only 4% of iPhone users agreed to be stalked.

Advertising is good. If it brings interesting information, it brings value. That’s the point of tracking: if you are looking for a game and a store offers it less, you will have spent less. But it must remain measured. It shouldn’t spoil the experience (too much advertising is bad). And it shouldn’t be intrusive. Espionage, nobody likes it.

Google says it “protects your privacy” in Gmail, Drive and Photos

For several months (or even several years), certain initiatives have been taken to limit Internet users’ exposure to advertising. This goes through browsers like Brave, which reject cookies or hide the identity of Internet users. Or the anonymous identity desired by Google so that advertisers continue to benefit from a certain level of profile, without precisely determining the navigation path. Or finally, Apple’s anti-tracking measures implemented in iPhones with iOS 14.5.

These measures, which prevent sites and applications from accessing certain data necessary to create Internet user profiles, have been favorably received by users. But less by those who live off advertising. We have repeatedly mentioned the case of Facebook which asked its users to accept tracking under penalty of becoming chargeable. A blackmail that did not work, since a minority of users prefer not to be tracked down.

Ads on Android cost 30% more than on iOS

Advertisers aren’t happy either. Because profiles are less targeted, they are no longer willing to pay so much for an ad to display on an iPhone, whether on a website or an app. According to advertising agencies surveyed by the Wall Street Journal, the price is falling. This confirms another piece of information that advertisers now prefer to go Android over iOS. An influx that has an impact on the price of space. According to the New York daily, prices on Android are now 30% higher than on iOS.

While this sounds like good news for iOS users, our opinion is ultimately more nuanced. Why ? Because many services rely on advertising revenue. If the ads they display earn less, it jeopardizes their business model. How will Apple protect the ecosystem it claims to have created with the App Store? This is a question that will be difficult to answer.

Source: Wall Street Journal