The eight changes Apple is making to App Tracking Transparency in Europe

Apple has agreed to comply with revised App Tracking Transparency rules in the EU following an investigation by the German antitrust regulator, according to reports. The company will make eight changes to address concerns about how its existing prompt appears to users. Developers often collect extensive personal data, with app tracking being a key example where app interests are used to deliver personalized ads.

Apple's ATT feature allows users to control whether their data is used in this way. The Federal Cartel Office (FCO) welcomed the feature from a data protection standpoint but expressed concerns that its prompt made app tracking seem more intrusive than it actually is. To address this, Apple will modify the prompt by removing the word "track."

The company stated its commitment to keeping ATT available for EU users, with privacy campaigners and iPhone users also expressing support for the initiative. Apple clarified that its own apps do not display the ATT prompt because they do not utilize personal data collected from other apps for targeted advertising or ad effectiveness measurement.

The prompt is shown to third-party apps in the same manner – if they do not collect this data, they do not need to display the prompt. This arrangement appears to benefit all parties involved, as iPhone users maintain control over their data-sharing choices, now presented with a clearer prompt that balances personalized ads and privacy.

The investigation also examined allegations about Apple's ad sales business, with the company denying that it uses its own apps to gather data for personalized ads or to gauge ad effectiveness.