Apple to Start Enforcing New App Privacy Notifications in Coming Weeks

Apple said the notices will become mandatory when its iOS 14.5 operating system becomes available in the coming weeks.

By Reuters | Updated: 8 April 2021 10:13 IST

Apple announced the move last June, but said in September that it would delay the change

Highlights

Apple is providing developers with alternative advertising tools
Facebook had said that it planned to show the pop-up notification
Facebook did not want Apple iPhone users to lose access to its apps

Apple said on Wednesday that in the coming weeks it will start enforcing a new privacy notification rule that digital advertising firms such as Facebook have warned will hurt their sales.

Apple said the notices will become mandatory when its iOS 14.5 operating system becomes available in the coming weeks, though it did not give a precise date.

The one-time notices will require an app developer to ask a user's permission before the app tracks activities “across other companies' apps and websites.” Digital advertising industry experts have said the warning could cause many users to decline permission.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Apple announced the move last June, but said in September that it would delay the change to give digital advertisers time to adjust. Some developers are already displaying the notice on a voluntary basis.

Apple has said that it is providing developers with alternative advertising tools ahead of the change. One tool provides a way for advertisers running app installation advertisements to see how many people installed an app after the ad campaign without divulging information on individual users. Another tool called private-click management gives advertisers a way to measure when a user clicks an ad inside an app and is taken to a web page, but without revealing data about the individual user.

Although the tools are intended to be used by software developers, Apple added information about them to one of its privacy guides for consumers on Wednesday.

Facebook had said in December that it planned to show the pop-up notification because it did not want Apple iPhone users to lose access to its apps.

© Thomson Reuters 2021

What is the best phone under Rs. 15,000 in India right now? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 27:54), we speak to OK Computer creators Neil Pagedar and Pooja Shetty. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.