Apple has agreed to make changes to its App Tracking Transparency feature in Germany, according to the country’s competition regulator.
Since the release of iOS 14.5 in April 2021, Apple has required apps to ask for permission before tracking a user’s activity across other apps and websites for personalized advertising. If a user selects the “Ask app not to track” option, the app cannot access the device’s advertising ID. Apple says the feature is designed to improve user privacy, but some advertisers have complained that it has a significant impact on their revenue.
In Germany, Apple agreed to remove “potentially discouraging symbols and wording” from the app tracking transparency prompt, the regulator said. Apps will also have “more latitude to explain to users the importance of personalized advertising for their offering and business model”, and “the freedom to combine the consent request required by Apple with the consent requests required by data protection law”.
Apple has four months from the date it is officially notified of the decision to implement the changes in Germany, and it will first test them with app developers, the regulator said. The changes will apply for seven years.
In recent years, Apple has faced similar regulatory pressure regarding the App Tracking Transparency feature in other EU countries, such as France, Italy, and Poland, as well as from the European Commission.
Apple has argued that App Tracking Transparency protects user privacy and complies with competition law in Germany. Nevertheless, it agreed to make the changes and the regulator declared that the procedure was thus completed.
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