What you need to know
- Apple has begun to ask iOS 15 users to allow the App Store and other apps to offer personalized ads.
- An unskippable message appears when people enter the App Store.
Apple has begun to ask iOS 15 users for their permission to show personalized ads, with the App Store and Apple News listed as apps that will benefit if they say yes.
The request, which cannot be skipped, appears when people open the App Store on devices running iOS 15. The message began to appear to users today and doesn't appear to be limited by geography.
Apple is throwing this screen at people when they open the App Store on iOS 15 and that’s a thing that now happens.
At least Apple is asking, I guess. pic.twitter.com/woXNdteqBRApple is throwing this screen at people when they open the App Store on iOS 15 and that’s a thing that now happens.
At least Apple is asking, I guess. pic.twitter.com/woXNdteqBR— Oliver Haslam (@OliverJHaslam) September 2, 2021September 2, 2021
Personalised ads in Apple apps such as the App Store and Apple News help you discover apps, products and services that are relevant to you. We protect your privacy by using device-generated identifiers and not linking advertising information to your Apple ID.Turning on Personalised Ads increases the relevance of ads shown by letting us use data like account information, app and content purchases, and, where available, the types of News stories you read.
Apple goes on to point out that it "does not track you or share your personal information with any third parties."
Apple already requires that all apps in the App Store make a similar request before they can provide personalized ads of their own, something that has caused quite the kerfuffle. Facebook and ad agencies were keen to suggest that preventing users from being tracked from app to app without their permission would break small businesses around the world — although whether that has happened to date is unclear. Research does suggest a drop in ad spending, however.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on today's App Store message.
An iMore poll from April suggested that just 2% of users would allow apps to track them in order to provide personalized ads. It remains to be seen how that number changes in this instance given the fact it's Apple asking for permission.
Privacy is sometimes seen as the best iPhone feature by some. Recent CSAM announcements have caused some concerns that Apple's privacy stance isn't as strong as it once was, however.
