Apple-Commissioned Report Says App Tracking Transparency Hasn't Significantly Benefitted Company

Apple is unlikely to have seen a significant financial benefit from App Tracking Transparency since the privacy feature launched last year, according to Kinshuk Jerath, Professor of Business in the Marketing Division at Columbia Business School.

generic tracking prompt orange
In an Apple-commissioned report, Jerath said claims that billions of advertising dollars moved from companies like Meta to Apple due to the introduction of App Tracking Transparency are "speculative" and "lack supporting evidence."

Jerath provided three reasons for his opinion:

  • Apple's Search Ads business is a small part of the overall mobile advertising market
  • Growth in Apple's Search Ads business predated the introduction of App Tracking Transparency and is likely driven in part by other factors, such as continued overall growth of mobile ads and app install ads and the expansion of the Search Ads business to China in July 2021
  • Apple provides a prompt during the iOS setup process that enables users to turn off Personalized Ads on their device

In October 2021, the Financial Times reported that App Tracking Transparency had resulted in a "windfall" for Apple's advertising business. The report claimed that Apple's share of the mobile app advertising market tripled in the six months after the feature was introduced. Apple said the feature was designed to protect users and not to advantage the company.

Apple did not provide any internal figures to support the report's findings.

Popular Stories

Golden Apple Logo

Every Apple Secret That Leaked Wednesday

Thursday August 14, 2025 4:13 am PDT by
Apple made a major slip Wednesday when it accidentally included hardware identifiers in software code linking to numerous unannounced products. The leaked information provided MacRumors with concrete evidence of Apple's hardware development across multiple product categories. Here's everything that was confirmed through the code discoveries: New HomePod mini with updated chip – New...
iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Chassis Offers First Look at All-Aluminum Body

Thursday August 14, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
An alleged iPhone 17 Pro production leak may provide a first look at the device's milled all-aluminum chassis, which this year includes the camera bump – in contrast to last year's iPhone 16 Pro model that features a glass camera module attached to an all-glass back panel. Originally shared by leaker Majin Bu, the image below could be of a moulding, but it still lines up with rumors that...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Saturday August 16, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report this week, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform will blend elements of tvOS and watchOS. For...
Apple TV 2025 Thumb 2

New Apple TV Coming Later This Year With A17 Pro Chip

Wednesday August 13, 2025 5:29 pm PDT by
Rumors suggest that Apple is working on an updated version of the Apple TV that's slated for launch later this year. Information about the upcoming device that was found in Apple code indicates that it will be equipped with the A17 Pro chip. There have been multiple rumors about a new Apple TV coming in 2025 with a new A-series processor, but it hasn't been clear which chip Apple would use...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max's Internal Design With Metal Battery Allegedly Leaks

Friday August 15, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Alleged images of the iPhone 17 Pro Max's internal design have surfaced, offering a potential look inside the device before it is announced by Apple next month. The images were shared by the account "yeux1122" this week, in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver. The account aggregates Apple rumors and leaks, so it is likely not the original source of the images, and it is unclear if they...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Pro to Start at $1,049 With Doubled Base Storage

Wednesday August 13, 2025 1:45 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro will have a starting price that is $50 more than the iPhone 16 Pro but it will come with a minimum 256GB of storage, doubling the base capacity compared to last year's model. The information comes from Chinese leaker Instant Digital, posting on Weibo. The account, which has 1.5 million followers, has now made the claim three separate times in recent weeks....
iPhone 17 Pro Feature Dual

When Will Apple Announce the iPhone 17 Event?

Tuesday August 12, 2025 12:46 pm PDT by
It is now mid-August, meaning that Apple's annual iPhone event is just around the corner. This year, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17, the all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Here are some of the key rumors for those devices:iPhone 17: Same design as iPhone 16, but with an A19 chip, a larger 6.3-inch display, an upgraded 24-megapixel front camera, ...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.6.1 is Coming Today

Thursday August 14, 2025 7:29 am PDT by
In case you missed it — this is the post for people who mainly only read headlines — Apple has announced that it will be releasing iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 later today. Apple shared this information in a press release on its Newsroom website. The software updates will re-enable the Blood Oxygen feature on Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models sold in the United States....
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Reportedly Set to Receive 'Significant Redesign' Next Year

Friday August 15, 2025 1:31 pm PDT by
At least one new Apple Watch model launching next year will feature a "significant redesign," according to Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes. In a paywalled report this week, citing supply chain insiders, DigiTimes claimed that a high-end 2026 Apple Watch model will feature "exterior design" changes, including but not limited to "eight sensors arranged in a ring pattern visible...

Top Rated Comments

HiVolt Avatar
43 months ago


Apple did not provide any internal figures to support the report's findings.
Hahaha, that's too funny. So here's a report, without any evidence.

Just like that other report about the success of third party apps on the App Store.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
43 months ago
"All this AD money doesn't actually benefit us!"
"Can you show us some data to support that?"
"No"

Super convincing Apple.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BootsWalking Avatar
43 months ago
Regardless of the fact Apple commissioned the study and so the findings are hard to consider impartial, I would agree that Apple likely did not directly or unfairly benefit financially from their app transparency initiative. They however did benefit by engendering goodwill and trust from the initiative, thus earning them additional sales and customers. But that's how business is supposed to work - do good by your customers and they'll reward you in kind.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mousse Avatar
43 months ago

Just like the Microsoft commissioned report said dual-monitors increase productivity 50%.
If you do a lot of spreadsheet, then a 2nd monitor increases productivity several folds. Honest to gawd, ever since I went dual monitor a few years ago, I've been able to handle complex spreadsheet quickly and without a lot of hunting and scrolling.
Dual monitor is also nice when you do simple spreadsheets, because you can use then 2nd monitor for important stuff like MR.?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GMShadow Avatar
43 months ago

The report claimed that Apple's share of the mobile app advertising market tripled in the six months after the feature was introduced
I mean, you can go from .01% to .03% and triple your share.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skyscraperfan Avatar
43 months ago
Apple makes money through ads? That is quite shocking news to me. If the start with this sh.., they might soon have to find a compromise between revenue and user privacy. They should not make a single Cent from ads.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)