Apple alters anti-tracking device after pressure from Germany, EU

Apple is making changes to its iPhone app-tracking prompt in European countries following criticism from competition regulators and pushback from the advertising industry, bringing an investigation by Germany's Federal Cartel Office to an end.

The prompt allows users to stop apps from collecting their activity across other services for advertising purposes. The advertising industry has opposed it, while Apple points to users' right to privacy.

The German cartel office had expressed concern that Apple was imposing more stringent requirements on third-party app providers than on its own services.

Under Germany's data laws for large digital companies, a company cannot "treat its own offerings better than those of its competitors. This is precisely where our competition concerns arose," cartel office President Andreas Mundt said in a statement.

The changes include removing the word "tracking" from the selection page. App operators will also be able to ask users again after a year for permission to track their activity across other apps and websites. 

The wording of the options will also change. Until now, the first option reads "Ask App Not to Track" and the second is "Allow." In future, there will simply be a choice between "Allow" and "Reject."

The new version of the prompt will only be shown to users who are currently in the European Union, regardless of their country of origin.

Regulators had doubts

Last year, Apple warned it could be forced to drop the iPhone app-tracking prompt in Germany and other EU countries due to competition investigations.

The tech giant now said it had worked with Germany's cartel office, other national competition authorities and the European Commission to develop changes that settled the various proceedings jointly.

In February 2025, the German cartel office reached a preliminary assessment that the design of the function could breach abuse rules. The authority notably pointed out the requirements applied only to other app providers and not to Apple itself. 

Apple said its own apps did not collect data in other providers' apps. At the time, the cartel office charged that the rules did not prevent the company from combining data from the App Store, Apple ID or connected devices and using these for advertising purposes.

The office has now said Apple will make the prompt windows for its own services and third-party apps far more similar. The prompt windows would be designed to be neutral in content, language and appearance. App publishers and content providers would also get more room to explain what personalized advertising meant for their model.

Exception for Poland

France's competition authority imposed a fine of €150 million ($174 million) over the function in March 2025. Italy's competition authority, the AGCM, also found a competition breach in the app-tracking prompt and fined Apple €98.6 million in December.

Apple said the changes would initially be implemented in most European countries. Poland would follow a different timetable, however, as the company was continuing to work with the competition authority there.