Apple Insists User Uptake of Tracking Changes Depends on Developer Persuasion

Apple has said that the number of people opting into data gathering will depend firmly on how app developers put across the message to users.

New restrictions from the technology giants mean that apps now have to request access from users via a pop-up notification, in order to gather their data for personalised advertising.

Facebook has said the rules could harm its customers. Some mobile advertising analysts believe fewer than one in three users will opt-in, which could diminish the effectiveness and profitability of ad targeting.

Bumble is one of the brands that is expecting a large majority of its community to prevent themselves from being tracked. In its first IPO filing, the female-first social app estimated over 80% of users would opt-out of sharing their unique ID.

However, Erik Neuenschwander, Apple’s user privacy chief, said that rates are likely to be thoroughly dependent on how effectively developers can convince users to accept before showing the prompt, as well as the language used in their reasoning.

According to Reuters, he explained: “What we have found through all the other permissions that have been coming into iOS over the years, is that (communication) is the major contribution the developer can make to making sure the user gets an informed choice.”

In previous years, when Apple introduced new permission pop-ups for items like microphone access, the rates varied with whether users perceived value in granting permission.

The new changes only come into fruition on an app when the developers either sell data to third-parties for targeting ads, or buy third-party data to mix with their own to target ads.

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