Apple to Revamp App Tracking Transparency in Europe: Major Advertising Tracking Changes Await

Apple to Revamp Its App Tracking Transparency Interface in Europe

Apple is set to make significant alterations to the interface of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature across Europe. Following pressure from Germany’s competition authority, Apple has agreed to redesign its tracking permission prompt that appears when apps employing the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) are launched for the first time. This prompt, which seeks user consent for tracking their activities for advertising personalization, has been criticized by advertisers as being biased against them. A more neutral presentation will soon be implemented.

According to Numerama, Apple has committed to the following redesigns to settle the ongoing disputes with the Bundeskartellamt. These updates will be rolled out within the next four months as part of an upcoming iOS update and are required to be maintained for at least seven years. Apple hopes that these changes, set to be implemented across the entire European Union, will appease regulators in various countries.

• The prompt will shift to a full-screen display instead of a small dialog box.

• The graphic at the top of the window will change from orange to blue to appear less intimidating.

• The term “track” will be removed from the ATT window and from Apple’s personalized advertising notifications.

• The buttons will now read “Enable” and “Disable” instead of the previous “Ask app not to track me”.

• Developers will now be able to format their text (bold, italic, bullet lists) and add a GDPR information page directly from the window to explain why tracking is necessary.

• An app can ask the question again one year after receiving a response, regardless of whether it was affirmative or negative.

Apple had previously faced a ruling in France for abusing its dominant position with the implementation of the ATT, especially concerning the requirement for double consent (a single click to refuse but a confirmation needed to accept). With these upcoming changes, “publishers will also gain the right to merge Apple’s mandated consent request with their own GDPR consent requests, thus directly addressing the issue of double consent.”