Facebook's New App Prompt Will Encourage Users to Accept App and Website Tracking

In its ongoing feud with Apple regarding App Tracking Transparency, Facebook has announced that it will encourage users to allow tracking with "additional context" on a dedicated screen, according to an updated blog post.

facebook tracking notificationImage via Axios

iOS 14's App Tracking Transparency feature will require developers to receive a user's consent to track their activity across apps and websites and access their device's random advertising identifier. Users will be presented with a prompt with options to "Allow Tracking" or "Ask App not to Track" when opening apps, such as Facebook, that wish to track their activity.

If a user selects "Ask App not to Track," Apple will block the app's developer from accessing the user's advertising identifier. The developer is also required to respect the user's tracking preference in general, meaning that they cannot use other methods to track the user, or their app may face removal from the App Store.

After a series of heavy-handed public attacks on Apple in recent months, which have in part alleged that App Tracking Transparency will harm small businesses, Facebook now seems to have shifted its approach and will now be actively encouraging users to "Allow Tracking."

As we shared in December, we disagree with Apple's approach, but will be showing their prompt to ensure stability for the businesses and people who use our services. Apple's new prompt suggests there is a tradeoff between personalized advertising and privacy; when in fact, we can and do provide both. The Apple prompt also provides no context about the benefits of personalized ads.

Facebook will show users a screen in its app, before Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt is displayed, offering information about how the company uses personalized ads, which it says "supports small businesses and keep apps free." The company has warned that users who decline to be tracked "will still see ads, but they will be less relevant."

Agreeing to these prompts doesn't result in Facebook collecting new types of data. It just means that we can continue to give people better experiences. We feel that people deserve the additional context, and Apple has said that providing education is allowed.

Facebook is now believed to be preparing a lawsuit against Apple for the App Tracking Transparency feature, among other allegations, which the company says is anticompetitive.

Top Rated Comments

clayj Avatar
41 months ago
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

No.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Freeangel1 Avatar
41 months ago
I heard Facebook even tracks the web sites you visit well after leaving Facebook.
Downright EVIL.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robinp Avatar
41 months ago
What's the benefit of personalised ads? The best ad is the non-existent ad. There are no benefits to me in having any advertising, certainly not advertising that necessitates invasion of privacy.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
and 1989 others Avatar
41 months ago
People should bite the bullet and delete facebook. There are other ways to communicate with friends and family (dare I say using the phone feature, on our iphones). I got rid of all social media last May. Missed out on nothing, and still in contact with the friends that actually care.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eicca Avatar
41 months ago
Like that's ALL they do with your data.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
41 months ago
Yeah Zuckerberg, great idea.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...