Meta will soon launch a subscription plan in the UK that will allow Facebook and Instagram users to remove ads from both platforms. The company will offer separate subscriptions for the web and apps, Bloomberg reports.
To remove ads from the web versions of social networks, users will have to pay £2.99 per month. For iOS and Android apps, the subscription cost is higher at £3.99, which Meta explains as the subscription fee charged by Apple and Google in their stores.
Meta introduced a similar, albeit more expensive, subscription for EU users in 2023. However, the company was fined $232 million after regulators concluded that the model violated digital antitrust rules and did not provide users with real freedom of choice. Despite the changes, the European Commission said in July that they were not enough or Meta risked new daily fines.
The launch of subscriptions in the UK demonstrates Meta's desire to reconcile EU requirements for online privacy with the need to maintain advertising revenues, which in 2024 provided 97% of the company's revenue.
Once the subscription is launched, users over 18 will receive a message offering to sign up for a monthly subscription to remove ads from Facebook and Instagram. At the same time, they will be able to continue using the services with ads.