Apple changes App Tracking Transparency after German investigation

Following an investigation, Apple has agreed to make changes to its App Tracking Transparency feature, which governs advertising tracking on iPhone.

Launched by Apple in 2021, App Tracking Transparency sent shockwaves through the online advertising industry. To target adverts effectively, the apps and websites displaying them can rely on tracking users. Apple’s ATT feature, however, put the brakes on this practice. Introduced to give users more control over their data, it requires an iPhone app to obtain the user’s explicit consent before tracking them across multiple apps and websites for advertising-targeting purposes.

Changes to Apple App Tracking Transparency in the EU

Apple must now alter this privacy feature following an investigation by Germany’s regulator. The change will not affect how ATT works, but is intended to place third-party apps and Apple’s own advertising-supported apps on an equal footing.

According to 9to5Mac, the amendment will apply throughout the EU. The new iOS message shown when a third-party app requests permission to track a user for advertising purposes will be “visually and linguistically neutral”, which should be less discouraging for users.

Apple calls the ATT change minor

In other words, App Tracking Transparency itself will remain in place. However, changes to the wording and appearance of the iOS interface when a consent request is presented could encourage more users to grant that permission. Apple, for its part, says the adjustment will be minor.

“At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right, and we created the App Tracking Transparency feature to give users a simple way to control whether apps are allowed to track their activity across other companies’ apps and websites. While we believe the current ATT prompt provides a clear, easy-to-understand and effective way for users to remain in control of their data - a view shared by German data protection authorities - we have agreed to make changes to the text and formatting of this prompt at the request of the FCO (editor’s note: the German regulator),” the Cupertino company said in a statement relayed by 9to5Mac.

Advertising tracking and control of user data

“These commitments ensure that we can continue offering this important privacy tool in Europe and keep control of users’ data in the hands of users, rather than ad-tech companies or data brokers,” Apple also explained. In any case, the change comes as Apple is increasingly turning to advertising to monetise its services.