# What is Meta Andromeda?

> Andromeda is the system Meta uses to pick which ads could be shown to each person, before ranking. What it does and why it rewards creative variety.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-10-20
- **Category**: Meta
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/meta-andromeda

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Andromeda is the system Meta uses to choose which ads could be shown to a person, before its ranking models pick the winner. Meta calls this stage retrieval. It narrows tens of millions of possible ads down to a few thousand for each person.

## Where it sits

Meta picks ads in stages. Two matter here:

1. **Retrieval (Andromeda):** from every eligible ad, pick a shortlist that might suit this person.
2. **Ranking:** score the shortlist and pick the ads to show.

An ad that retrieval leaves off the shortlist is not ranked for that person.

## What Meta says it changed

Meta's engineering team announced Andromeda on 2 December 2024. It reported:

- a 10,000 times increase in model capacity for personalisation
- a 6% improvement in recall in the retrieval stage
- an 8% ads quality improvement on selected segments

These are Meta's own figures. Read them in [Meta's engineering post](https://engineering.fb.com/2024/12/02/production-engineering/meta-andromeda-advantage-automation-next-gen-personalized-ads-retrieval-engine/).

## Why it matters for your ads

Meta expects the number of ad creatives to grow a lot, including ads made with its own AI tools, and built Andromeda to handle that volume. What follows for advertisers:

- **Creative is part of the match.** Meta says Andromeda helps it pick the right creative for each person.
- **A range of creatives gives it more to choose from.** Meta tells advertisers to build different types of creative. A new angle, a new face or a new format is more different than a new colour.
- **Combine ad sets.** Meta advises this so fewer ad sets reach enough results to learn.

## FAQ

### Is Andromeda the same as Advantage+?

No. Advantage+ is Meta's set of automated ad tools. Andromeda is the retrieval system that picks which ads to consider, and Meta says it supports Advantage+ automation.

### Do I need to change anything?

Meta advises combining ad sets and building a range of creatives. See [what the Andromeda update changed](/guides/meta-andromeda-update) for the steps.

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