- Some iOS 14 users have started to see prompts asking for permission to be tracked by apps, which is a policy change that Apple announced earlier this year.
- The new privacy feature will be launched early next year, but Apple may be testing the dialogs as some users of iOS 14.4 beta have already started seeing them.
- Many developers are dissatisfied with the new policy, especially Facebook.
Apple is fulfilling its commitment to protect user privacy by requiring developers to ask users for permission to track users for advertising on applications and websites owned by other companies. Prompts were expected to start appearing early next year, but some Apple device users noticed the dialog after installing the first iOS 14.4 beta last week, suggesting that the launch has already started.
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An iPad owner on MacRumors The forums took a screenshot when his iPad with iOS 14.4 beta 1 asked if he wanted the NBA app to track his online activity. “Your data will be used to provide you with a better, personalized ad experience,” said the prompt. The user had two options: Ask the app not to track or To allow.
Apple said first that this privacy feature would be available along with iOS 14 at launch, but after protests from developers, Apple postponed the launch, explaining that it wanted to “give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes, and as a result, the requirement to use this tracking permission will take effect early next year. ”This would indicate that the prompts that some users are seeing are a test or a limited implementation.
Facebook has been the loudest detractor of the policy, claiming that “it will have a detrimental impact on many small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat and on the free internet that we all depend on more than ever”. The company even launched a full-page ad in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Wall Street Newspaper to set off a policy that says “it will change the Internet as we know it – for the worse”.
Apple responded to the criticisms with a statement of its own on Wednesday, December 16:
We believe that this is a simple matter of defending our users. Users must know when their data is being collected and shared by other applications and websites – and they must have the option of allowing it or not. Application tracking transparency in iOS 14 does not require Facebook to change its approach to tracking users and creating targeted advertising, it just requires them to give users a choice.
If Facebook refuses to allow notices to be shown in its apps, the app can be removed from the App Store. Facebook is unlikely to allow this to happen, so it seems unlikely that anything will come out of your campaign.
Jacob started covering video games and technology in college as a hobby, but it quickly became clear to him that this was what he wanted to do for a living. He currently resides in New York writing for BGR. His previously published work can be found on TechHive, VentureBeat and Game Rant.