Bitly QR Code Preview Page Advertising

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Bitly has introduced "preview pages" for QR code and Bitly links, which may contain advertising, before users are directed to the destination link. Users must subscribe to a paid plan in order to remove the preview page.

Background

Bitly is a platform that manages links and shortens URLs. Users have often praised Bitly for its convenience and significant amount of features that allow Bitly links (links shortened with Bitly) to be properly managed, shortened, and/or branded.

Incident

Bitly's Terms of Service change announcement email, explaining the upcoming "Preview Pages"

In early 2025, Bitly changed its terms of service (ToS) to implement "Destination Previews," or more commonly referred to as "preview pages," that appear before the user is directed to the destination of a QR code or Bitly link. These pages, explained in an email sent to users, allow the user to preview the content of the page before visiting the website. However, if the user who shared the Bitly link is currently using a free plan, advertisements will appear on the preview page of their link, which can only be disabled with a subscription to a paid plan.

Bitly has claimed that the advertising is necessary to "continue delivering free plans at no cost to our users." This claim suggests that the advertisements are required for users to continue to have the option to use Bitly on a free plan.

Consumer response

While the extra click required to view content may potentially frustrate some users, the main grievance of the new feature was the advertising that may appear on the preview page. Many frustrated users have claimed that Bitly has lost the convenience it was once known for, and has begun using tactics that force the user to pay a sum of money to bring it back.

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