Apple to change ad tracking rules after German probe

Investing.com -- Apple will modify rules for how app developers use personal data for targeted advertising on iPhones and iPads, Germany's competition authority said on Monday, ending a multi-year investigation.

The Federal Cartel Office determined that Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework provided its own apps with more favorable consent prompts compared to third-party developers, potentially violating competition rules.

Apple has four months to implement the changes after the decision is served. The commitments will run for seven years and will be monitored by a trustee.

The changes require consent pop-ups for third-party apps to be redesigned to remove discouraging language and symbols, and made visually and linguistically neutral.

Third-party app publishers will gain more flexibility to combine Apple's required consent request with separate data-protection consent prompts.

Apple said the changes would apply in almost all European Union countries and that it had adapted the text and design of the consent prompt at the authority's request.

Developers of third-party apps, including Facebook parent Meta Platforms, seek accurate user data to display targeted advertisements on devices. These generate more revenue than broader campaigns.

France and Italy have previously fined Apple €150 million and €98.6 million, respectively, over the ATT framework.

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