Apple to change app data consent rules, German regulator says

Düsseldorf, Germany - On Monday, Germany’s competition authority announced Apple will alter app data consent rules, concluding a lengthy investigation. The Federal Cartel Office discovered Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework granted its own apps more advantageous consent prompts compared to third-party developers, potentially violating competition regulations.

Apple has four months to make these changes following the decision's delivery. These commitments will span seven years and be supervised by a trustee. Consent pop-ups for third-party apps must undergo redesign to eliminate discouraging language and symbols, and become visually and linguistically neutral. Third-party app publishers will also receive more flexibility to merge Apple’s mandatory consent request with individual data-protection consent prompts.

Apple declared the modifications would apply in virtually all European Union countries and that it had adjusted the text and design of the consent prompt at the agency's request. App developers of third-party apps, such as Facebook parent Meta Platforms, strive for accurate user data to display targeted ads on devices, yielding higher revenue than broader campaigns. Both France and Italy have already imposed fines of €150 million and €98.6 million, respectively, on Apple due to the ATT framework.