Apple Confirms The Plan To Delay iOS 14 Ad Anti-Tracking Feature

Apple confirmed to TechCrunch today that it will postpone the release of iOS 14’s anti-tracking feature. Back when iOS 14 was first introdu...

Apple confirmed to TechCrunch today that it will postpone the release of iOS 14’s anti-tracking feature.

Back when iOS 14 was first introduced, Apple said that it will begin to require apps to obtain customer consent before using IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) to track users' behavior and preferences between the app and the website for ad targeting.

App developers and advertising networks such as Facebook have expressed opposition to the feature, and Facebook warned advertisers on its platform that the new feature may cause the latter’s revenue to drop by more than 50%.

Some app developers said that they have little time to prepare for Apple's changes. Apple announced this change in June but it did not provide a way to target ads without using IDFA.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple confirmed that the change will be delayed to "early next year."

We believe technology should protect users’ fundamental right to privacy, and that means giving users tools to understand which apps and websites may be sharing their data with other companies for advertising or advertising measurement purposes, as well as the tools to revoke permission for this tracking. When enabled, a system prompt will give users the ability to allow or reject that tracking on an app-by-app basis. We want to give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes, and as a result, the requirement to use this tracking permission will go into effect early next year.

The change of plan was reported by The Information, which also highlights others' views on the matter.