Apple Redirects Traffic From Safari to Apple News+ in macOS Big Sur and iOS 14

Apple is now automatically redirecting traffic from Safari to Apple News+ for subscribers in macOS Big Sur and iOS 14.

The move came as a shock to publishers who weren't informed of the change, reports AdAge.

The publishing executives, who requested anonymity to protect industry relationships, said they learned about the change Monday through social media and news reports. Two of them said they are evaluating whether to terminate their relationship with Apple News+ as a result of the change, but for now are taking a wait-and-see approach.


The new feature could result in a significant reduction in traffic for publishers, a loss in revenue from advertising and direct subscription sales, and skewed metrics. Apple claims the change will provide publishers with "increased engagement and revenue opportunities"; however, publishers say any revenue generated through Apple's ads are miniscule.

One source told AdAge:

“The math around this becomes really hard to justify,” this person added. “From a [revenue per thousand impressions] perspective, it is not like Apple is crushing it right now. But if there’s meaningful traffic loss, it will be a big deal.”

Currently, the "Open Web Links in News" toggle is enabled by default. Although this could change before macOS Big Sur and iOS 14 are released.


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