Apple to change app data consent rules, says German regulator

Germany's Federal Cartel Office has announced that Apple will change its rules regarding how app developers can utilize personal data for targeted advertising on iPhones and iPads. This decision comes after a year-long investigation, which found that Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework provided its own apps with more advantageous consent prompts than those of third-party developers, potentially violating competition rules.

Apple has been given four months to implement these changes following the ruling. The alterations will be monitored over a seven-year period and overseen by a trustee. As part of the commitments, the consent prompts for third-party apps must be redesigned to eliminate discouraging language and symbols, and made more visually and linguistically neutral. Additionally, third-party app publishers will receive greater flexibility to merge Apple's required consent request with separate data-protection consent prompts.

Apple has confirmed that these changes will apply in most EU countries and has adapted the text and design of the consent prompt at the competition authority's request. Developers of third-party apps, such as Facebook parent Meta Platforms, strive for accurate user data to display targeted adverts on devices, generating more revenue than broader campaigns. France and Italy have already imposed fines of €150 million and €98.6 million, respectively, on Apple for its ATT framework.