Apple on Monday released iOS 14.5 bringing its long-awaited App Tracking Transparency feature, which requires apps to get a user’s permission to track or access their device’s advertising identifier.
With iOS 14.5, apps such as Facebook, which uses personal advertising identifiers to serve targeted ads to their users, are now required to get the user’s permission before tracking their data across apps or websites owned by other companies for advertising or sharing their data with data brokers.
The new feature is a massive risk to the likes of data-hungry advertising services like Facebook, which use collected data to force targeted ads down the throats of its users. In fact, the social media giant ran adverts in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Washington Post in December claiming the App Tracking Transparency feature “will change the internet as we know it,” claiming the move will hurt small businesses using Facebook to serve targeted advertising campaigns.
Now, users will see a pop-up when accessing an app that wants to use the device’s advertising identifier asking whether the user consents. Apple says: “App Tracking Transparency requires apps to get the user’s permission before tracking their data across apps or websites owned by other companies for advertising, or sharing their data with data brokers. Apps can prompt users for permission, and in Settings, users will be able to see which apps have requested permission to track so they can make changes to their choice at any time.”
iOS 14.5 is out now: Here’s everything you need to know
App Tracking Transparency is just one of the many new features with iOS 14.5 including, new emoji characters, Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch, AirPlay 2 support for Apple Fitness+, support for AirTag, updates to the Music app, lyrics sharing, and more.
