Bulletin: Meta ads app ownership verification

For:
Marketers
Last update:

Bulletin date

 April 7, 2022

What's new

 Important!

Beginning sometime in the first half of 2023, all app owners will be required to confirm ownership of any Android or iOS mobile app both for new and existing apps. If the app ownership has not been confirmed, advertisers will be unable to optimize their app ads for mobile app installs.

Beginning April 7, 2022, app owners of new apps added to Meta ads (formerly Facebook ads) will be required to confirm their ownership of the apps. This change applies to all Meta advertising platforms such as FB, IG, Messenger, FAN, etc, and to all operating systems.

If ownership isn’t confirmed, advertisers may experience loss of platform access or other app disruption, and won’t be able to:

  • Run Mobile App Install campaign objective
  • Optimize their app ads’ delivery for mobile app installs

What do I need to do?

Meta ads requires advertisers who add new apps or edit apps that were added after April 7, to confirm their app ownership. The first step is updating the
app-ads.txt file on the website domain listed within your app store listing. Then, go to the Meta for Developers App Dashboard, enter your app ID, and confirm your ownership.
Meta ads will verify that your app-ads.txt file exists at the domain URL provided and confirm app ownership.

FAQ
  • Can I still advertise an app if I haven’t authenticated it?
    The only way to continue advertising unauthenticated apps submitted after April 7, is to add the associated app store link and not optimize for app install. App authentication only restricts the usage of app install optimization, not advertising overall.
  • Do I have to republish my SDK on Play Store or App Store after adding the app-ads.txt?
    Yes, an app owner would have to update their app store listing on the Play Store (Android) and the App Store (iOS) after adding app-ads.txt to their developer website, as the app store listing would need to be updated to the new developer website. This is only required if a developer website was not previously listed on the app store listing. Note: This is not a requirement on App Store or Play Store. Approval of an app store listing approval takes about 1 week.

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