Apple Rolling Out Fix for Greyed Out App Tracking Transparency Toggle

Apple appears to be ironing out a bug that meant some iOS 14.5 users were unable to adjust the "Allow Apps to Request to Track" setting that was rolled out as part of Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature.

In iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5, ATT requires that apps ask for permission before tracking your activity across other companies' apps and websites for targeted advertising purposes.

On iPhone and iPad, users can manage tracking permissions on an app-by-app basis in the Settings app under Privacy -> Tracking, where a new "Allow Apps to Request to Track" switch resides. The setting is off by default.

On devices with the "Allow Apps to Request to Track" setting turned off, all apps that request to track are denied permission by default and cannot access the device's random advertising identifier, known as the IDFA.

Apps are also not permitted to track your activity using other information that identifies you or your device, such as your email address, although this policy is not enforced at a technical level.

Apple says there are a few circumstances where the setting may be legitimately grayed out, but a significant minority of users had still found that they were unable to adjust the setting despite meeting Apple's criteria for full access.

A May 3 update from Apple had been expected to fix the problem, but reports from users unable to control the feature persisted after the update was installed. Based on the latest reports from social media, however, Apple appears to be resolving the issue.

Shortly after ATT was launched, an early analysis suggested that 96% of iOS users did not plan to allow tracking for any app.

Apple recently shared a video with more details about its new App Tracking Transparency requirement for those interested in learning more.