Apple will change how third-party apps seek user consent for personal data used in targeted advertising.
Germany’s Federal Cartel Office found Apple’s rules potentially gave its own apps more favourable treatment.
Apple has four months to implement the changes, which will be monitored for seven years.
Apple To Redesign Consent Prompts After German Antitrust Probe
Germany’s competition authority has closed its years-long investigation into Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework after the company agreed to change its consent rules
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Apple will change rules governing how third-party app developers seek permission to use personal data for targeted advertising on iPhones and iPads, after reaching commitments with Germany’s competition authority, according to a Reuters report.
The Federal Cartel Office said Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework gave Apple’s own apps more favourable consent prompts than those shown by third-party developers. The authority said this could potentially breach competition rules, bringing a years-long investigation to a close.
Under the commitments, Apple has four months from the date it receives the decision to implement the changes. The commitments will remain in place for seven years and will be monitored by a trustee.
Apple To Redesign Consent Prompts
As part of the changes, consent pop-ups shown to users by third-party apps will have to be redesigned. The prompts must remove language and symbols that could discourage users from giving consent.
The consent requests will also have to be made more visually and linguistically neutral, according to the German authority. This is intended to give third-party developers a more even footing when asking users to allow data use.
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Third-party app publishers will also get greater flexibility to combine Apple’s mandatory tracking consent request with their own separate data-protection consent prompts.
Apple said the changes would apply in almost all European Union countries. The company also said it had already adapted the text and design of the consent prompt at the request of the German authority.
Apple’s Tracking Rules Face Wider Scrutiny
The changes matter to third-party developers because access to accurate user data can help them deliver more targeted advertising. Such ads can generate more revenue than broader advertising campaigns, according to the news agency.
Facebook parent Meta Platforms is among the developers seeking access to data that can help improve targeted advertising on devices.
Apple’s ATT framework has also faced regulatory action elsewhere in Europe. France fined Apple €150 million, while Italy imposed a €98.6 million fine, over the framework.
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The German case adds to the regulatory pressure on Apple over how its privacy rules affect third-party developers and competition in the digital advertising market.