Meta is introducing a new “Ad-Free Mode” for its UK users, and the key to unlocking it is a monthly subscription. This new feature for Facebook and Instagram allows users to switch off all advertising, but access is gated behind a recurring payment, transforming a user setting into a premium service.
To activate Ad-Free Mode, users will need to pay £3.99 per month on mobile or £2.99 per month on the web. Once unlocked, the feature will apply across a user’s linked accounts, providing a seamless, commercially-uninterrupted experience.
The creation of this paid feature has been sanctioned by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The regulator had mandated that users must have a way to opt out of ad targeting. It accepts this subscription-based “mode” as a valid method for providing that choice, thereby satisfying UK law.
However, the key to unlock this mode is not available in the EU, where regulators have declared it an illegal paywall. The European Commission fined Meta €200m over the scheme, arguing that privacy-enhancing features should be accessible to all, not just to those who can afford the key.
For UK users, Ad-Free Mode is now an attainable, albeit paid-for, reality. Meta has successfully converted a legal obligation into a new product, betting that the desire for a cleaner feed will persuade a significant number of users to purchase the key.