How to Switch from Dolphin Cloud to an Official Meta Ads Platform

You have decided to move away from Dolphin Cloud. Maybe you experienced a cascade ban event. Maybe the increasing ban rates have made the risk calculus untenable. Maybe you simply want to build your media buying operation on a foundation that Meta authorizes rather than one it actively detects.

Whatever the reason, this guide walks you through the complete migration process — from pre-migration audit through full cutover. The process is straightforward, but doing it methodically prevents mistakes and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

For context on why this migration matters, see our analysis of why Dolphin Cloud leads to Facebook Ads bans and our detailed comparison of Dolphin Cloud vs AdRow.

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Before You Start: What You Need to Know

What Transfers Automatically

Everything that lives on Meta's servers transfers automatically when you connect your ad accounts to a new management platform:

• All active, paused, and completed campaigns
• Ad sets and individual ads with their full history
• Campaign performance data and analytics
• Custom audiences and lookalike audiences
• Pixel data and conversion events
• Product catalogs
• Page connections and page post data
• Business manager structure

What You Need to Rebuild

These items are specific to Dolphin Cloud and do not transfer:

• RPA automation scripts (you will recreate these as AdRow automation rules)
• Browser profile configurations (no longer needed)
• Proxy setups (no longer needed)
• Dolphin Cloud-specific reporting templates (AdRow has its own reporting)

What You Lose (And Why It Is Worth It)

Moving to an API-based platform means giving up certain capabilities:

• Multi-platform browser access: Dolphin Cloud provides browser-level access to any platform. AdRow is Meta-only. If you manage Google Ads or TikTok Ads through Dolphin Cloud, you will need a separate solution for those.
• Account isolation: Anti-detect browsers provide per-account browser isolation. This is no longer needed because AdRow connects through the authorized API — there is nothing to isolate.
• Cookie-based session management: Some advanced users leverage Dolphin Cloud's cookie management for specific workflows. API-based management does not use cookies.

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Phase 1: Pre-Migration Audit (Day 1)

Before connecting anything to AdRow, inventory your current Dolphin Cloud setup. This audit takes 1-2 hours and prevents surprises during migration.

1Step 1: Account Inventory

Create a spreadsheet with the following columns for every ad account you manage through Dolphin Cloud:

2Step 2: Identify Healthy Accounts

Mark each account as one of:

• Green — Migrate immediately: Active, no restrictions, in good standing
• Yellow — Migrate with caution: Active but has had past warnings or temporary restrictions
• Red — Do not migrate yet: Currently restricted, under review, or flagged

Only Green accounts should be connected to AdRow in the first wave. Yellow accounts can be added after the initial migration is stable. Red accounts need to be resolved with Meta directly before they can connect to any API-based tool.

3Step 3: Document RPA Workflows

For each RPA script or automation workflow you have in Dolphin Cloud, document:

1. What it does: e.g., "Pauses ad sets when CPA exceeds $25"
2. Trigger condition: What causes it to execute
3. Action taken: What it does when triggered
4. Frequency: How often it checks or runs
5. Accounts affected: Which accounts use this workflow

This documentation becomes your blueprint for creating AdRow automation rules.

4Step 4: Note Reporting Requirements

List every report you regularly pull from Dolphin Cloud:

• Daily/weekly/monthly performance reports
• Cross-account aggregation reports
• Client-facing reports (if agency)
• Budget pacing reports

AdRow's reporting will handle these differently, so knowing your requirements upfront saves time during setup.

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Phase 2: AdRow Setup and Account Connection (Day 2-3)

1Step 1: Create Your AdRow Account

1. Go to adrow.ai and sign up for the 14-day free trial
2. Complete email verification
3. Set your timezone and default currency
4. Invite team members (if applicable) with appropriate roles

Pro Tip: Start with the Pro plan trial (EUR 199/month after trial) if you manage 5+ accounts. It includes full automation rules, team management with 6-level RBAC, and priority support during migration.

2Step 2: Connect Ad Accounts via OAuth

This is the core technical step, and it is simple:

1. In AdRow, navigate to Settings > Ad Accounts > Connect New Account
2. Click Connect with Meta
3. You will be redirected to Meta's login page — log in with the Meta account that has admin access to your ad accounts
4. Meta will show you a permissions screen — approve the requested permissions:
   • Manage your ads
   • Access ad account reporting
   • Manage your pages (if applicable)
5. Select which ad accounts to connect (you can select multiple at once)
6. Click Confirm
7. You will be redirected back to AdRow with your accounts connected

Time per account: 3-5 minutes for the first account, faster for subsequent accounts in the same business manager.

For 10 accounts: Approximately 15-30 minutes total.

3Step 3: Verify Account Data

After connecting, verify that AdRow shows the correct data for each account:

• Account names and IDs match your inventory
• Active campaigns are visible with correct status
• Reporting data matches what you see in Ads Manager
• Pixel data is accessible
• Audience lists are visible

If any data is missing, disconnect and reconnect the account. In rare cases, you may need to adjust the permissions granted during OAuth.

4Step 4: Set Up Team Access

If you have team members, configure their access now:

Each team member gets their own login with individual permissions. No more sharing browser profiles.

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Phase 3: Automation Rule Migration (Day 3-5)

This is where you replace your Dolphin Cloud RPA scripts with AdRow's automation rules engine. The conceptual shift is simple: RPA scripts simulate clicking buttons in a browser; AdRow rules execute API calls directly.

Understanding the Mapping

Step-by-Step Rule Creation

For each RPA workflow you documented in Phase 1:

1. Navigate to Automation > Create Rule
2. Name the rule descriptively (e.g., "Pause high-CPA ad sets — Account X")
3. Select the scope: Which accounts, campaigns, or ad sets this rule applies to
4. Set the condition: Choose the metric, operator, and threshold
5. Set the action: What happens when the condition is met
6. Set the frequency: How often the rule evaluates (every 15 minutes, hourly, etc.)
7. Set notifications: Whether to send a Telegram alert when the rule triggers
8. Save and activate

Pro Tip: Start rules in "notify only" mode for the first week. This means the rule evaluates conditions and sends you a Telegram notification about what it would do, without actually taking action. This lets you verify the rule logic before it automates real changes.

Common Migration Patterns

Budget protection rules (replace Dolphin Cloud's spend monitors):

• Rule: If daily spend on campaign exceeds $X, pause campaign
• Rule: If account-level spend exceeds $X, pause all campaigns in account

Performance optimization rules (replace manual Dolphin Cloud checks):

• Rule: If ad set CPA > $X for 3 consecutive days, pause ad set
• Rule: If ad set ROAS < X for 7 days, reduce budget by 25%
• Rule: If ad set ROAS > X for 3 days, increase budget by 20%

Alert rules (replace Dolphin Cloud monitoring):

• Rule: If campaign delivery changes to "Not Delivering", send Telegram alert
• Rule: If daily spend suddenly drops > 50%, send Telegram alert
• Rule: If account payment fails, send Telegram alert

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Phase 4: Parallel Running Period (Day 5-19)

This is the most important phase. Run both Dolphin Cloud and AdRow simultaneously for two weeks to verify everything works correctly before cutting over.

What to Do During Parallel Running

Week 1: Observe and Compare

• Check AdRow dashboard daily — verify data matches Ads Manager
• Compare AdRow automation rule triggers with your Dolphin Cloud RPA actions
• Verify Telegram alerts are arriving correctly
• Check that all team members can access their assigned accounts
• Confirm reporting data in AdRow matches your established baselines

Week 2: Shift Operations

• Start making campaign changes through AdRow instead of Dolphin Cloud
• Use AdRow's bulk operations for budget adjustments across accounts
• Launch any new campaigns through AdRow
• Switch automation rules from "notify only" to "active" (one at a time)
• Verify that active rules execute correctly by checking results in Ads Manager

What Not to Do During Parallel Running

• Do not modify the same campaign from both platforms simultaneously — pick one platform per campaign to avoid conflicts
• Do not delete or archive Dolphin Cloud profiles yet — keep them as a safety net
• Do not cancel your Dolphin Cloud subscription during this period
• Do not rush to activate all automation rules at once — stagger them over several days

Troubleshooting During Parallel Running

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Phase 5: Full Cutover (Day 19-21)

Once the parallel running period confirms that AdRow handles all your operations correctly, it is time to cut over.

Cutover Checklist

Work through this checklist methodically:

Pre-cutover verification:

• All Green accounts are connected and showing correct data in AdRow
• All automation rules are active and have executed correctly during parallel running
• All team members have verified their access and are comfortable with AdRow
• Reporting in AdRow covers all your regular report requirements
• Telegram alerts are configured and tested for all critical conditions

Cutover actions:

• Stop all Dolphin Cloud RPA scripts
• Close all Dolphin Cloud browser profiles (do not delete yet)
• Confirm all campaign management is happening through AdRow
• Cancel proxy subscriptions associated with Dolphin Cloud profiles
• Document the cutover date for your records

Post-cutover verification (24-48 hours):

• Verify all campaigns are still running correctly
• Check that automation rules continue to fire appropriately
• Confirm no unexpected changes occurred to campaigns after stopping Dolphin Cloud
• Verify reporting data continuity

Decommissioning Dolphin Cloud

After 48 hours of successful operation on AdRow only:

1. Delete Dolphin Cloud browser profiles: Remove all profiles associated with the migrated accounts
2. Cancel proxy subscriptions: You no longer need residential or mobile proxies for Meta Ads management
3. Cancel Dolphin Cloud subscription: End your subscription (check for annual billing terms)
4. Document: Record the migration completion date and any notes for future reference

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Migration Timeline Summary

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Post-Migration Optimization

Once you are fully on AdRow, take advantage of features that were not available with Dolphin Cloud:

Cross-Account Analytics

AdRow's unified dashboard lets you compare performance across all accounts in a single view. Use this to:

• Identify which accounts and campaigns deliver the best ROAS
• Spot underperforming accounts that need attention
• Aggregate spend and revenue data for business-level reporting

Advanced Automation Rules

Now that your rules run on the API level, you can create more sophisticated automation:

• Chain multiple conditions (e.g., "If CPA > $20 AND daily spend > $100, reduce budget by 30%")
• Schedule rules for specific time windows
• Set rules that apply across multiple accounts simultaneously

Bulk Campaign Launcher

Use AdRow's bulk launcher to deploy campaigns across multiple accounts simultaneously — something that required sequential, per-profile execution in Dolphin Cloud. This is particularly valuable for:

• Launching seasonal campaigns across all accounts
• Rolling out new ad creative to multiple accounts
• Testing new audiences across accounts in parallel

Team Collaboration

With 6-level RBAC, you can now:

• Give clients viewer access to their account data without sharing browser profiles
• Let junior media buyers create campaigns that require manager approval
• Maintain audit trails of who made what changes and when

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Handling Edge Cases

Accounts on Multiple Platforms

If you used Dolphin Cloud for both Meta and other platforms (Google, TikTok), you will need separate solutions:

• Meta: AdRow (API-based, zero ban risk)
• Google Ads: Google's own API tools, or Google-specific management platforms
• TikTok: TikTok's own Business Center, or TikTok-specific tools

This is the one trade-off of moving to an official API platform — it is platform-specific. But the compliance and stability benefits for Meta advertising specifically are substantial.

Previously Restricted Accounts

If some of your accounts were restricted due to Dolphin Cloud-related detections:

1. Do not attempt to connect these to AdRow while restricted
2. Appeal restrictions directly through Meta's support channels
3. If the appeal succeeds, wait 48 hours before connecting to AdRow
4. If the appeal fails, the account may need to be abandoned

Large Operations (50+ Accounts)

For operations with many accounts:

• Consider AdRow's Enterprise plan (EUR 499/month) for higher API rate limits
• Migrate in batches of 10-15 accounts rather than all at once
• Assign a dedicated team member to manage each batch's parallel running period
• Allow 4-5 weeks total migration time instead of 3

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Conclusion

Migrating from Dolphin Cloud to an official Meta API platform like AdRow is not technically complex. The hardest part is the decision to make the switch — the actual execution is methodical and low-risk.

The key principles are:

1. Audit before you move: Know exactly what you have in Dolphin Cloud
2. Connect via OAuth: The standard, Meta-approved method takes minutes per account
3. Recreate your automation: Map RPA scripts to API-based rules
4. Run in parallel: Two weeks of dual operation gives you confidence
5. Cut over cleanly: A methodical checklist prevents mistakes

Your campaign data stays on Meta's servers throughout the entire process. Nothing is lost. The only thing that changes is how you access and manage that data — from a browser that pretends to be something it is not, to an API connection that Meta explicitly authorizes.

Start your migration today with AdRow's 14-day free trial. The trial period aligns perfectly with the parallel running phase of this migration guide.