Apple to modify app tracking consent screens in EU after antitrust pressure

Key facts

• Apple will offer an alternative consent screen for apps distributed in the EU.
• The new consent screens will be full-page, not pop-ups.
• The word "track" will be removed from the consent screens.
• Choice buttons will change from "Allow" and "Ask App Not to Track" to "Allow" and "Reject".
• Developers can provide a link for additional information on data usage.
• Apple will allow app developers to re-prompt EU users one year after their previous choice.

Apple has agreed to modify its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) consent screens for apps distributed in the European Union as a result of a multi-year antitrust probe by Germany’s federal competition regulator and other authorities. The changes aim to make the prompts less alarming to users, who often decline tracking, which impacts ad-supported businesses like Meta while benefiting Apple's own services.

The new agreements do not eliminate the need for apps to request user consent for tracking across other apps or websites. Instead, they allow app developers in the EU to present an alternative consent screen with modified formatting, language, and the option to link to additional information explaining the data request. These changes include displaying the prompts as full-page screens rather than pop-ups, removing the word "track," and altering the choice buttons to "Allow" and "Reject" instead of "Allow" and "Ask App Not to Track."

Apple stated that due to legal requirements, this alternative version of the prompt will be available only to apps distributed in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Romania. The company also said it will now permit app developers to re-prompt their EU users one year after their initial choice on the ATT consent screen. Apple has argued that these consent screens protect consumer privacy, despite allowing its own apps to display personalized ads using data from its ecosystem.