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Apple Now Rejecting App Updates That Defy iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency Rules
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My guess is that the "ask not to track" wording is acknowledging the reality that, well, they can't require or force Facebook to not track you outside of the app. That is, they can deny access to the IDFA - but if you used Facebook prior to 14.5, it's a certainty / a given that Facebook will just continue to use the IDFA that they recorded from you prior to 14.5 or they'll just some find some other way they can fingerprint / track / monetize you.
In the UK, Apple are required to install backdoor mechanisms to spy on users if the government demands it. And it's illegal for Apple to say anything about the order.
Your spy-friendly UK government legislation, since 2016.
Well I know apple is a big company and makes a lot of money, but this really is sticking up for the little guy and giving its customers what we want.
Apple has begun rejecting app updates that do not comply with the App Tracking Transparency rules that the company is enforcing starting with iOS 14.5, according to a new report from Forbes.
Apps must ask for permission to access the advertising identifier or IDFA of a user's iPhone in order to track them across apps for ad targeting purposes, a rule that apps will need to comply with when iOS 14.5 launches. The rule also prevents apps from using other workaround methods for tracking users, which is getting some developers into trouble already.
Several apps have been rejected so far, with Forbes listing Heetch, Radish Fiction, InnoGames, and more. Developers seeing app rejections are getting the following message: "Your app uses algorithmically converted device and usage data to create a unique identifier in order to track the user," with the message also listing the data that's being collected.
Mobile marketing analyst Eric Seufert said that an SDK from mobile measurement company Adjust is at fault because of the data that it collects for device fingerprinting. Adjust, which is installed in more than 50,000 apps, says that it "maximizes the impact" of mobile marketing.
Apple is blocking apps that are using fingerprinting techniques to collect data for the purpose of building a profile of a user that allows the user to be tracked even without an advertising identifier. Data collection uses metrics like software version, time since last update, time since last restart, charge level, battery status, and more to identify individual users.
It is Apple's position that if a customer has declined the usage of the IDFA for ad tracking, that user has also declined other tracking methods. Apple's App Store rules say that app developers cannot collect data from a device for the purpose of identifying it, and developers are responsible for all tracking code in their apps, including any third-party SDKs they're using.
Adjust has now updated its SDK to remove code that accesses data like CPU type, phone memory, charging status, and battery level, so apps that were rejected for using Adjust may be able to have their updates greenlit after installing the new Adjust SDK.
There's still no word on when Apple plans to release iOS 14.5, but we've had six betas so far and the software is set to be available to the public sometime in the spring. With the App Tracking Transparency rules starting to be enforced for updates, it is possible that Apple is preparing for the software's launch, so we could perhaps see it debut in the near future.
Article Link: Apple Now Rejecting App Updates That Defy iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency Rules
I updated my app and the pop up shows even if you are on lower than 14.5. I am on 14.4.1 and pop up works. I didn’t see many apps in my category updated. Mine is one of the only ones. Wonder when will they update their apps.
That’s the greatest trick he’s ever played, the trickster: is convincing everyone he doesn’t exist.
This!
could be the best Apple commercial part 2 ever done. First: hi just like to say I got an iPod and it help me meet this girl! (Remember Jobs saying that at wwdc).
Well that's simply not true and if it was, what do you suggest? I hardly believe that Google's Android is a better choice. Please back up your outrageous statement with trustworthy sources. Where can I find info on this?
No, because it’s beta you’re not allowed to submit apps to the App Store using these SDKs yet.
Not really.
My guess is that Apple rolled out IDFA in the past to help developers support their free apps with advertising revenue. They didn't expect an entire industry to grow out of it, or for advertising companies like Facebook to end up building entire businesses around it.
As it is, Apple isn't scrapping the feature altogether, merely giving users a choice as to whether they would like to be tracked by the developer or not.
I wouldn't use the word "ironic". "Fitting" would be a more apt word. Fitting that the company who created this monster in the first place would be the one to end it. I can think of no other company more suited to being the one to land the killing blow than Apple.
The advertising industry existed before the IDFA (they were using UUIDs initially). It will exist after it. The part of the industry that is probably ripe for a die-off is the measurement platforms, since Postbacks eliminate the need for third party measurement on iOS, though the SKAdNetwork postback are both woefully insufficient for creative testing and optimization, and simply don't return results a good portion of the time.
(The timer is also a great way for some publishers to straight up defraud ad networks that still bill on CPI)