Preparing for Messenger Updates in Europe - FAQs

Why is Facebook making these changes?

These changes are designed to align our messaging services with upcoming privacy rules in Europe.

When do we expect these changes to roll out?

We expect these changes to roll out beginning on December 16.

Which countries are impacted by these changes?

All of the 30 European Economic Area (EEA) countries, which includes the 27 EU member states, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and the UK.

When do we expect these features to become available again?

We’re looking into ways to continue to support developers, partners, and businesses who use these features in the Messenger API. We’ll share more updates as information becomes available.

How will these changes impact messaging experiences?

There will be several API features that will no longer be available. You can find this list of features on our developer documentation page

How will these changes impact people in Europe who message global businesses who use the Messenger API?

Users will receive in-product notices when interacting with a business via the Messenger API and using features that are not supported.

What mitigations can we recommend?

You can review the recommended mitigations on our developer documentation page

How can we detect if a Page (or user) will be affected?

Please check the developer documentation page to see how you can check if a Page or user is affected.

Can I still run ads that click to Messenger and Instagram messaging in Europe or targeting people in Europe?

Ads that click to Messenger and Instagram messaging will remain available in eligible ad objectives by selecting a messaging app as the destination at the ad set level. However, the ability to optimize campaigns for Conversations or Leads will no longer be available, and experiences that rely on templates via API will no longer be available. You will have the ability to optimize ads that click to Messenger and Instagram messaging for Link Clicks, which will optimize delivery for clicks of the “Send Message” CTA. If your business objective is to generate leads, lead ads will continue to be available via the leads objective.

Do these product changes impact ads that click to WhatsApp?

No.

How will the changes impact ads targeting and measurement?

As a result of these changes, some targeting capabilities will not be available for advertisers in Europe and campaigns delivering to Europe. Advertisers will no longer be able to create Engagement Custom Audiences based on people who have messaged a Page or Instagram business profile (or lookalike audiences based on these custom audiences). Messaging-related metrics will remain available for completed campaigns, but will not be available for campaigns not completed before November 16.

How will the changes impact campaign performance?

Campaign performance may change as a result of these updates. For advertisers running campaigns in ads that Click to Messenger or Instagram optimized for Conversations or Leads, switching to other available optimizations may lead to a decline in performance.

If I report an issue on Messenger, will you still be able to review it for violations of your community standards?

Yes, the ability to report issues on Messenger will not change.

Am I compliant with EEA privacy rules when using Messenger to interact with my customers?

We encourage partners that use our services to reach their own decisions on how to best comply with the law.