- Product browsing adds a scrollable product carousel to your ad after someone taps it. It is now on in live ads unless you opted out via Meta’s notice before 28 October.
- You can still turn it off per ad, in Advantage+ creative and destination settings. One report says it came back on when an ad was duplicated.
- Threads is now a default placement in all campaigns. Reports say full exclusion was removed in August; you can only lower Threads bids with a placement value rule.
- Both switches change where your money goes without changing your budget. Audit, then decide on purpose.
Checked 28 October 2026. Product browsing details come from Meta’s advertiser notice as reported by trade press. The Threads placement change and the 90% bid reduction limit are reported by agencies and not confirmed in a Meta newsroom post. Check your own Ads Manager: menu names and options vary by account.
01Switch 1: product browsing
Product browsing lets people who tap your ad scroll through more of your catalogue inside Facebook or Instagram before going to your site. Meta tested it on new ads first; from 28 October it applies to existing ads too, citing a 3% average conversion gain from its own experiment, without defining the metric or the comparison.12
Animation. The carousel appears after a tap; the switches flip without you.
| Route | When | Caveat |
|---|---|---|
| “Opt out” button in Meta’s notice | Before 28 October only | Notice did not say whether it covered one account, several, or a whole portfolio |
| Per-ad toggle in Advantage+ creative & destination settings | Any time | One practitioner reports it switched back on after duplicating the ad |
| API field | None referenced | Unlike 2025’s Dynamic Media default, no opt-out field is mentioned |
02Switch 2: Threads placement
Threads ads went global in April 2025 as a default for new campaigns, with an opt-out under manual placements. Agencies now report that Meta announced on 19 October a default inclusion in all campaigns worldwide, completed the week of 26 October, and that since August full exclusion is gone: a placement value rule can cut Threads bids by up to 90%, not to zero.34
Lower CPMs, reportedly
Agencies cite Threads CPMs 20–40% below Instagram feed. Cheap reach is still reach you did not plan.
Conversation, not shopping
Threads is a text-first, discovery feed. Direct-response ads built for Reels may convert worse there.
Check the breakdown
In Ads Manager, break results down by placement. If Threads is spending and not converting, act.
Bid down, not out
If reports hold, use a placement value rule to reduce Threads bids rather than expecting an exclusion box.
03Why defaults matter now
These are the latest in a run of on-by-default changes: AI creative enhancements, dynamic media, static-to-video, Advantage+ audiences. Each one is small. Together they decide what your ad looks like, where it runs and what you are responsible for. From 20 November, Meta’s new terms make you solely responsible for what its AI changes, including features switched on by default.
A default is a decision someone else made for you. Reviewing it is how you take the decision back.
Which of this month’s defaults have you reviewed?
Flip each switch to “Reviewed” once you have looked at it in your own account. The audit keeps score and lists what is left.
Runs in your browser; nothing is saved. Flip a switch only after you have checked it in Ads Manager.
04Decide, don’t drift
Test product browsing on purpose
Leave it on for catalogue-heavy ads and off for single-offer ads, then compare cost per purchase after a week.
Give Threads its own creative
If you keep it, test text-led or conversational creative there instead of repurposed Reels.
Set a monthly defaults check
Meta adds and re-enables features. Repeat this audit on the first working day of each month.
Document what you chose
Note each switch and why. It is useful for your team and, from 20 November, for the terms you are agreeing to.
Related: the October Meta AI defaults audit and why Meta ads cost 14% more.
Common questions
What is Meta product browsing in ads?
Product browsing adds a scrollable set of products from your catalogue that people see after tapping your Facebook or Instagram ad. From 28 October 2026 Meta switched it on in existing ads unless advertisers opted out beforehand. It can be turned off per ad in Advantage+ creative and destination settings.
Can I opt out of Threads ads placement?
Agencies report that since August 2026 advertisers cannot fully exclude Threads; they can only reduce Threads bids by up to 90% using a placement value rule. Threads became a default placement in all campaigns the week of 26 October 2026. Meta has not confirmed these details in a newsroom post.
Does product browsing improve results?
Meta cites a 3% average conversion gain from its own experiment but has not defined the metric or method. Test it: keep it on for some ads and off for others, and compare cost per purchase.
Why does product browsing turn back on?
One practitioner reported that the setting switched back on after duplicating an ad that had it off. Check the setting on any duplicated or newly created ads.
Method & sources
Checked October 28, 2026. Product browsing details are from Meta’s advertiser notice as reported; the Threads placement change is from agency reports and should be confirmed in your account.
- PPC Land, “Meta will turn on product browsing in existing ads on October 28”. ppc.land
- Relevant Audience, “Meta product browsing turns on 28 Oct: how to opt out”. relevantaudience.com
- Common Thread Collective, “Meta is making Threads ads the default placement for all advertisers this week”. commonthreadco.com
- TechCrunch, “Meta’s Threads opens up ads to global advertisers” (April 2025). techcrunch.com