Apple agrees to tweak how iPhone apps ask for consent to track
Apple has agreed to redesign the privacy prompts that third-party app developers display to users when requesting permission to use personal data for targeted advertising. The changes were announced by Germany’s Federal Cartel Office, which said the binding commitments will apply across the European Union and bring an end to an investigation that began in 2022. The authority had previously raised concerns that Apple’s design of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompts could disadvantage third-party developers and advertisers while giving Apple’s own services comparatively favorable treatment. Apple introduced the consent pop-ups in 2021 as part of its effort to give iPhone and iPad users greater control over how apps collect and use their information. However, the feature quickly drew criticism from advertising companies and other businesses that depend on user tracking to deliver personalized advertisements.
Under the new commitments, Apple will make the prompts shown by third-party apps more closely resemble those used for its own applications, while removing elements that could potentially discourage users from granting consent. The German competition authority said the redesigned prompts will be more neutral, including removing the word “tracking” and changing certain visual elements, such as an orange highlight color to blue. The updated system will also provide developers with greater flexibility to explain why they want to use user data for advertising purposes.
Developers will be given more space to explain the commercial importance of data use and will be permitted to request consent from users once every year. However, Germany’s competition authority stressed that the purpose of the changes is not to increase the number of users agreeing to personalized advertising, but to ensure that people can make a genuinely free and informed decision. This position is unlikely to fully satisfy the advertising industry, which had previously urged regulators to reject Apple’s proposed changes. Apple itself had even threatened to remove the “Ask App Not to Track” feature entirely from Europe in response to regulatory and industry pressure. The company now says the new commitments will allow it to continue providing the privacy feature while keeping control of personal data in the hands of users rather than advertising technology companies and data brokers. The commitments will remain in place for seven years, marking a significant development in Europe’s ongoing scrutiny of Apple’s privacy policies and competitive practices. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency system has faced regulatory pressure beyond Germany as European authorities continue examining whether the company’s privacy framework gives Apple an unfair competitive advantage.
In 2025, regulators in France and Italy imposed multi-million-euro fines after concluding that Apple’s approach to app tracking violated competition rules and amounted to an abuse of its dominant position. The latest German agreement therefore represents more than a simple redesign of privacy pop-ups; it highlights the growing tension between user privacy, digital advertising and competition law. While Apple maintains that its policies are designed to protect consumers and give them greater control over their personal information, regulators are increasingly focused on ensuring that privacy protections are applied fairly to both Apple and competing businesses. The redesigned prompts are intended to strike a balance between those interests, allowing users to make informed choices while giving third-party developers a more equal opportunity to explain their data practices.
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