Apple changes the way some apps ask users for permission to track them in Europe
The change doesn’t mean less privacy for users.
Pedestrians pass by an Apple store in Beijing, China. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images.
- Apple will offer some EU developers an alternate tracking consent pop-up in iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2.
- The same permission rules still apply, so Apple says the change does not reduce user privacy.
- The option covers apps in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania.
- Regulators and lawsuits have challenged Apple’s wording, saying it gave Apple’s own apps an advantage.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Apple will let developers use a new version of its tracking pop-up, with different wording and design, so their apps aren’t made to look more intrusive than Apple’s own apps.
The modifications will appear in iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2. Starting then, developers will have the option to use an alternate version of the App Tracking Transparency system prompt in the EU.
“The requirements for when you must seek permission to track users will remain the same,” Apple states in a press release.
The updated App Tracking Transparency prompt will be available for apps distributed in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania. Apple doesn’t say whether the changes will be implemented in other EU member states as well at a later time or date.
The App Tracking Transparency framework has been around since 2021 and requires app developers to get users’ consent to track their data across third-party apps and websites, for example, for personalized ads.
Ever since Apple launched this privacy feature, advertising networks have voiced complaints and concerns. They claimed that it would hurt small business owners because they would no longer be able to serve their target audience.
Furthermore, Apple handled stricter rules for third-party app developers than for its own apps and services. For example, Apple referred to “personalized ads” in its own pop-up, but developers were required to use the word “tracking,” thus giving Apple a competitive edge.
European competition authorities weren’t happy with this. The Italian market supervisor AGCM slapped Apple with a €98.6 million fine for failing to meet privacy legislation requirements.
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Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKIK) is currently investigating Apple’s tracking and advertising policies.
Earlier this month, a UK law firm filed a £2 billion class-action lawsuit with the Competition Appeal Tribunal over Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework, claiming that it hurts developers that rely on advertising revenue.
