Apple has agreed to change how app developers request users’ permission to collect personal data for targeted advertising on iPhones and iPads, following a ruling by Germany’s competition authority.
The Federal Cartel Office said on Monday that Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework gave the company’s own apps more favourable consent prompts than those available to third-party developers, potentially violating competition rules.
Under the commitments, Apple will redesign consent pop-ups for third-party apps to remove language and symbols that could discourage users from granting permission. The prompts must also be presented in a visually and linguistically neutral manner.
Third-party developers will further be allowed to combine Apple’s mandatory consent request with their own data-protection notices, giving them greater flexibility in seeking users’ approval.
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Apple has four months to implement the changes once the decision is formally served. The commitments will remain in place for seven years and will be monitored by an independent trustee.
Apple said the changes would apply across almost all European Union countries and that it had already modified the wording and design of its consent prompts at the regulator’s request.
The App Tracking Transparency system has been criticised by some developers, including Facebook parent Meta, because access to user data is important for delivering targeted advertising, which generally generates higher revenue than broader advertising campaigns.
