Meta lashes out about Apple's new charge for social media boosts

Facebook's parent company Meta has spoken out against Apple's newly updated App Store rules that require apps to pay a cut of social media boost revenue.

The new App Store rule that says a social media app's selling of a "boost" for a post is an in-app purchase and so the developer must pay Apple 30%. Now Meta, which owns Instagram as well as Facebook, is leaning on its repeated argument that Apple is hurting small businesses with its choices.

"Apple continues to evolve its policies to grow their own business while undercutting others in the digital economy," said a Meta spokesperson in a statement to AppleInsider. "Apple previously said it didn't take a share of developer advertising revenue, and now apparently changed its mind."

"We remain committed to offering small businesses simple ways to run ads and grow their businesses on our apps," continued the spokesperson.

It's not clear why Meta believes that the Apple is solely responsible for the impact to small business. The only way it would hurt business owners is if Meta and other social media companies increase the price of the social media boost to offset the commission charge.

Commenting on the change in its guidelines, Apple has issued a statement saying that it is an extension of its longstanding policy.

"For many years now, the App Store guidelines have been clear that the sale of digital goods and services within an app must use in-app purchase," said Apple in a statement. "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."

"This has always been the case and there are many examples of apps that do it successfully," continued Apple.

The new charge on social media apps effectively advertising posts by boosting them, comes as Apple is also being criticized for how its new App Store ads are seemingly favoring gambling apps.

8 Comments

LeoMC 102 comments · 5 Years

About 2 years ago

Money to boost posts is money out of nothing so why would Meta have a problem sharing the revenue with the platform that offers acces to clients that are willing to pay for that "nothing"?
I know that 100% is better than 70% but I also know that 70% is better than 0%.

DAalseth 3033 comments · 6 Years

Meta and Zuckerberg are scum.
But in this case they are right. (There’s an old adage about stopped clocks that fits here.)

chadbag 2026 comments · 13 Years

DAalseth said:

Meta and Zuckerberg are scum.
But in this case they are right. (There’s an old adage about stopped clocks that fits here.)

How are Meta / Zuckerberg “right”? This seems a clear cut case of a digital service being sold in-app.

chadbag said:

DAalseth said:

Meta and Zuckerberg are scum.
But in this case they are right. (There’s an old adage about stopped clocks that fits here.)

How are Meta / Zuckerberg “right”? This seems a clear cut case of a digital service being sold in-app.

Exactly right, it is services sold in app, and they have no business demanding a cut from sales outside of Apple’s system. It’s not their app. It was wrong when they started it. Wrong is wrong, and this has always been wrong, unethical, abusive, whatever you want to call it. It will end up hurting them and us when the people screaming “monopoly” use this to force them to allow other stores on the platform. From day one I thought this was a very bad thing for Apple to do. A huge blunder. A massive mistake. Absolutely 100% unethical.

danox 3393 comments · 11 Years

Let Meta be a web site only, they have no rights to having any apps within the Apple ecosystems. Just like Adobe Flash.

Torrent’s and Porn are web only Meta and Spotify can join them.