Apple Shares Updated App Store Review Guidelines for App Tracking Transparency

Apple today published new App Store guideline updates for developers, tweaking many existing guidelines and adding a new rule pertaining to the App Tracking Transparency requirement in iOS 14.5.

app tracking transparency prompt ios 14
The new 5.1.2(i) rule related to App Tracking Transparency requires developers to ask for explicit permission before tracking user activity, something that Apple has been planning to implement since iOS 14's release. Apple last week said that its App Tracking rules would be enforced starting with the next iOS update, which will be iOS 14.5.

5.1.2(i): Added: "You must receive explicit permission from users via the App Tracking Transparency APIs to track their activity. Learn more about tracking."

Coinciding with the new rule around App Tracking Transparency, Apple today highlighted the SKAdNetwork 2.2 and Private Click Measurement APIs that are available to developers as alternatives to more invasive user tracking methods.

SKAdNetwork 2.2 allows developers to display and measure ad effectiveness while preserving user privacy, while Private Click Measurement, an iOS 14.5 feature, lets ad networks measure the effectiveness of advertisement clicks within iOS apps that navigate to a website, but in a privacy-focused way.

App Tracking Transparency will be enforced when iOS 14.5 is released, and Apple has said that it expects the new update to launch in the early spring.

Apple's ‌App Store‌ Guidelines update also clarifies several existing rules and includes minor wording changes and tweaks, with a full list of changes available on Apple's developer site.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

Glowtime Live Coverage Article 1

Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, and New AirPods!

Monday September 9, 2024 9:21 am PDT by
Apple's "It's Glowtime" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the iPhone 16 lineup and some updated Apple Watch and AirPods models unveiled, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog...
16 pro

Apple Announces iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max with Larger Displays, New Camera Control, and More

Monday September 9, 2024 11:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max—its latest flagship smartphones—featuring larger displays, an all-new Camera Control button, and the A18 Pro chip. The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch display—the biggest iPhone display ever. The borders around the display are the thinnest of any Apple device. The...
sonny iphone 16 pro colors

New iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Colors Revealed Ahead of Apple Event

Friday September 6, 2024 5:01 am PDT by
Apple is "shaking up its color palette" for its iPhone 16 lineup this year, according to well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. Early iPhone 16 Pro dummy models via Sonny Dickson According to Gurman, the iPhone 16 Pro models will come in a Gold Titanium to replace Blue Titanium, while the Black, White, and Natural Titanium options that debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro will remain...
iPhone 16 Pro Mock Article

How Much Will the iPhone 16 Cost?

Friday September 6, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 16 series is expected to launch on September 20 and will compete in a quickly evolving smartphone market, and with some notable upgrades rumored, the new models could see price changes compared to previous years. Successive iPhone models always come with new features and hardware upgrades, but Apple typically does not increase the retail prices as a result....
airpods max 2024 colors

Apple Updates AirPods Max With USB-C Port and New Colors

Monday September 9, 2024 10:36 am PDT by
Apple today announced that the AirPods Max are being updated with a USB-C charging port and new color options, including Midnight, Blue, Purple, Orange, and Starlight. In addition, Apple said the AirPods Max are gaining support for Personalized Spatial Audio with the upcoming iOS 18 software update. The updated AirPods Max will be available to pre-order for $549 starting today, and the...
sequoia

macOS Sequoia Release Likely to Be the Earliest in Years

Sunday September 8, 2024 2:14 am PDT by
macOS Sequoia will be one of the earliest new macOS launches in over a decade, likely releasing within as little as just a week. Internal Apple documentation obtained by MacRumors suggests that macOS 15.0 Sequoia will be officially released to the public by mid-September. The release dates of major macOS updates in recent years are listed below: OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) – October 22,...
Screenshot 2024 09 09 at 6

Apple Announces Thinner Apple Watch Series 10 With Bigger Screen Than Ultra

Monday September 9, 2024 10:11 am PDT by
Apple at its event today announced the Apple Watch Series 10, featuring a wide-angle OLED display that is larger than the Apple Watch Ultra, with the company describing it as the "biggest display and thinnest design ever." The Series 10 is 9.7mm thick, which is nearly 10% thinner than Series 9, and it weighs 20% less than the Stainless Steel Series 9. The Aluminum cases also weigh up to 10%...

Top Rated Comments

icanhazmac Avatar
47 months ago
Can't wait to say no! Thanks again Apple for this small step towards education and choice when it comes to tracking!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EmotionalSnow Avatar
47 months ago
Honestly, I am kinda hoping that Facebook intentionally ignores the user’s choice. Because then Apple would finally have a good reason to kick them off the App Store.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scottishwildcat Avatar
47 months ago

Honestly, I am kinda hoping that Facebook intentionally ignores the user’s choice. Because then Apple would finally have a good reason to kick them off the App Store.
Apple have had numerous good reasons to kick them off before, such as when they did this ('https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/30/18203551/apple-facebook-blocked-internal-ios-apps') and this ('https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/22/apple-facebook-onavo/'). But they never have, because they know it would be terrible for business.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Davidglenn Avatar
47 months ago
Great news, it must be option if I want to be tracked. Life should be about choices.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The_Gream Avatar
47 months ago

For many apps, People have the choice: be tracked and enjoy the app freely or pay.
Now people what to have the app free without giving anything back. It's kind of a robbery. It very clear on the UE pop-up what is done with their data. It's their choice they are tracked. They could pay 1$ but choose not tO.

Apple is all there about privacy. But this company has no moral... Not paying taxes, not respecting workers laws, treating Appstore employees as if they were thieves (even a watch "warehouse" where watches cost more than a car, more that a house is not treating their employees that way...). Using environment as a marketing, while they waste energy with the magsafe just for marketing, waste batteries resources for useless wireless devices...
I just want to say, I don’t always agree with Apple on some of the stuff they do, but they do a lot more for their employees and the people working in their supply chain than probably any other company in the world. Plus, they pay the taxes they are required to pay - there is a reason they have financial lawyers and supper smart accountants - stockholders would lose their **** if Apple didn’t make sure they paid only what they had to. Just because Apple is worth tons of money, everything they do gets shifted through a very fine tooth comb, and people who don’t seem to understand how the world works get all judgmental about stuff.
And this wasteful wireless charging that you seem to hate - sadly the consumers what it. BUT, to make it less wasteful Apple decided to use a magnetic system

consumer gets what consumer wants = money.
consumer DOESN’T get what consumer wants != money.

plus, that rant about how the people are treated - yeah it sucks for them right now - but their lives would be much worse without it. Also, if you want to go pointing fingers, then you need to be pointing at the massive consuming and wasteful Western culture that has been rampant since the post-second world war.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
InGen Avatar
47 months ago
Could someone clarify, does saying no inhibit an application from knowing what a phones ID is in the first place or does it only “prevent” them from using it for tracking purposes?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)