{"id":39690,"date":"2021-04-30T10:51:28","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T14:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=39690"},"modified":"2021-04-30T10:51:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T14:51:28","slug":"apptracking-transparency-in-ios-ipados-tvos-14-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/apptracking-transparency-in-ios-ipados-tvos-14-5\/39690\/","title":{"rendered":"App Tracking Transparency on Apple devices"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you\u2019ve downloaded the latest Candy Ninja: Battle Royale<\/em> to while away a couple of hours on your iPhone or iPad, but the first thing you see when you open the app is a prompt: \u201cAllow \u201cCandy Ninja\u201d to track your activity across other companies\u2019 apps and websites?\u201d What exactly does that mean? What\u2019s the risk? What are the benefits? And why didn\u2019t your friend get that notification on their iPhone?<\/p>\n

What is App Tracking Transparency?<\/h2>\n

Apple is always saying<\/a> how much it values user privacy and data confidentiality. Within that paradigm, in January 2021, the developers of iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS promised that version 14.5 and later of these systems would support App Tracking Transparency<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For users, that means any app that uses device identifiers<\/a> for advertising purposes, which Apple calls identifiers for advertisers<\/em> (IDFA), must clearly explain why it does so and explicitly ask the user\u2019s permission. That permission request looks like this:<\/p>\n

\"Tracking<\/a>

Tracking requests in iOS 14.5: \u201cAllow App to track your activity across other companies\u2019 apps and websites?\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

According to Apple, the request should clarify the relationship between app developers and device owners. If a hypothetical flashlight app or social network client collects information about your actions and passes it on to advertisers, allowing them to link it to you, you should not only know, but also be able to opt out.<\/p>\n

Opting out does not affect app performance, so there\u2019s no downside in rejecting tracking requests. On the other hand, even if tracking is disabled, you\u2019ll still see ads; they just won\u2019t be personalized.<\/p>\n

Responding to app tracking requests in iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS<\/h2>\n

To stop advertising networks<\/a> from tracking you through iOS, iPadOS, or tvOS apps, select the Ask App Not to Track<\/em> option each time you see the prompt.<\/p>\n

If for some reason you prefer personalized ads or want to support developers in that way, choose Allow<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Getting rid of app tracking requests altogether<\/h2>\n

If you don\u2019t want to be bothered by tracking requests, you can turn them off completely. That is, opt out of tracking in all apps once and for all. It\u2019s easy to do:<\/p>\n