Apple has agreed to change how app tracking consent requests are shown to iPhone and iPad users in Europe after pressure from competition regulators.
The changes focus on Apple’s App Tracking Transparency system, also known as ATT. The feature requires apps to ask users for permission before linking their activity across apps, websites, or services from different companies for advertising and measurement purposes.
European competition authorities raised concerns that Apple’s existing system could give its own services an advantage over third-party apps. Regulators questioned whether the wording and design of Apple’s consent requests made users more likely to reject tracking by outside developers.
Apple has maintained that App Tracking Transparency is designed to protect user privacy and give people more control over their personal information. However, the company has agreed to change the wording, appearance, and presentation of the permission screen in Europe.
With the updated system, developers will have access to an alternative App Tracking Transparency prompt. It will use more neutral language and formatting and can provide users with an option to view additional information about why an app wants permission to use their data.
Developers will also have more space to explain how personalized advertising or measurement supports their apps and services. This could be especially important for free apps that depend heavily on advertising revenue.
Another important change is that apps in the European Union will be able to ask users for tracking permission again one year after their previous decision. This applies whether the user previously accepted or rejected the request, although users who completely disable tracking requests in their device settings will not receive these prompts.
The alternative system will begin with iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2. Apple says developers distributing apps across the European Union will be able to use the new version. In Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Romania, the alternative prompt will be the required version because of local legal requirements.
The basic privacy rule is not disappearing. Apps will still need permission before they can link user or device information with data collected by other companies for targeted advertising, advertising measurement, or similar tracking activities.
The move is another example of growing regulatory pressure on major technology companies in Europe. Authorities are increasingly examining whether platform owners such as Apple use control over their operating systems and app ecosystems in ways that could disadvantage competitors.
For app developers and advertising businesses, the changes could make the consent process more balanced and provide more opportunities to explain why they are requesting access to user data. For users, the final decision will still remain in their hands.
Apple’s changes show how European competition rules are continuing to influence the way major digital platforms operate. Developers may gain more flexibility, but privacy controls and user permission will remain an important part of Apple’s app ecosystem.
