Perhaps some people somewhere thought there are users who would gladly accept to be tracked. And perhaps that’s why there was lots of noise before the new iOS and iPadOS feature went live. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, and there’s data to back this up.
Flurry.com has shared insights on how users worldwide have interacted with Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT), and it shows that a huge percentage of iPhone and iPad users have opted not to be tracked. Surprise surprise.
Apple’s approach with ATT is in line with Steve Jobs’ ideas on giving users the power to consent to the sharing of their personal data. On iOS 14.5, Apple is giving users the choice of whether or not apps can access the device’s random advertising identifier, which is normally used to track user activity across different apps and websites the user accesses. This comes disabled by default, and users get to decide if they consent to be tracked, and by which apps in particular.
Companies like Facebook have suggested that Apple isn’t doing this for privacy, and given Facebook is a big advertiser, it has been implied by analysts that Apple’s bol move would thoroughly hurt their business model. With only between 2% and 5% of users consenting to tracking since the rollout of ATT, it is now clear that many advertisers are going to have to find better ways of serving ads.
Facebook has been trying to convince users to allow tracking to help the company keep the platform free. Which is just crazy fear-mongering. Let’s wait and see how the numbers look like in months to come, and how this shift by Apple will change the whole advertising industry.
