Datenschutz und Wettbewerb: Apple ändert Anti-Tracking-Abfrage in der EU

Apple has revised its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature for iPhones in Germany and other European countries, following criticism from competition watchdogs and backlash from the advertising industry. This change marks the end of a probe by the German Federal Cartel Authority (Bundeskartellamt) into the function. The ATT lets users prevent apps from tracking their activities across other services for advertising purposes.

Advertisers have resisted the change, but Apple cites users' right to privacy. Among the changes, the word "Tracking" no longer appears on the selection screen. Additionally, app operators get a chance to ask users again after a year if they want to allow their activity to be tracked by other apps and websites. Button options also change: instead of "App Tracking Disable" on the top button and "Allow" on the bottom, users will choose between "Allow" on the top and "Block" on the bottom.

The new version of the prompt will only be shown to users in the European Union, based on their current location rather than their home country. Competition watchdogs raised concerns in late autumn last year, warning Apple might have to abandon the ATT in Germany and other EU countries due to anti-competition investigation risks.

In February 2025, the Federal Cartel Authority estimated the design of the function could violate misuse regulations, noting it applied to other app providers but not Apple. Apple emphasizes its apps collect no data from competitors' apps, but the authority criticized the rules for allowing the company to combine and use data from the App Store, Apple ID, and connected devices for advertising purposes.

The Federal Cartel Authority stated Apple's prompt settings for its own offers and those of other providers were more similar, lacking "deterrent symbols and wording in the prompt provided by Apple for third-party developers." App developers and content providers also gain more space to explain the significance of personalized ads to their business model.

Poland is an exception: while most EU countries implement the changes soon, Apple is still working with the Polish competition authority.