Reported Meta upload setting could attach new media to multiple active ads

What changed

One upload may have a wider scope

Bram Van der Hallen reports that Meta’s latest media-upload interface can preselect “Related media”, which would add a newly uploaded image to every listed active ad. Related media has been documented as potentially enabled by default since at least April, while this report concerns the observed behaviour of the newer upload interface in one account.

That distinction matters. The account observation is not Meta documentation of a universal new default, and it does not establish that every upload will alter every active ad. It does identify a potentially high-impact selection whose state and affected-ad list should be checked before confirmation.

Make the intended scope explicit

Treat an upload as a possible live-ad edit whenever Related media appears. Before submission, inspect whether the option is selected, review the complete list of affected ads and decide whether broad attachment is intended. Deselecting the option is appropriate when that scope is not wanted.

A useful operational test would use a non-critical asset or controlled environment where available. Record the account, date, visible selection state and listed ads before submission, then verify the resulting associations. The aim is to understand the account’s behaviour without exposing a large set of live campaigns to an unplanned change.

Add the check to creative handover for everyone who uploads media. If an unexpected association occurs, preserve the relevant context before making further edits, then review each affected ad. Evidence from one account should guide inspection elsewhere, not create an assumption that all interfaces share the same default.

Why it matters for advertisers

A preselected multi-ad attachment option can turn a routine asset upload into a broad live-campaign change. A simple scope check can prevent unintended creative associations across active ads.