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Apple is adjusting the App Tracking Transparency framework for apps distributed in the European Union. From iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, developers may opt for an alternative consent prompt that looks different and uses different wording from the standard version that was previously mandatory. The change comes after regulators in several EU countries concluded that Apple was favouring its own apps by using less discouraging language in those apps than developers were permitted to use.
The adjustments take effect on 16 September 2026 and are mandatory for apps distributed in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Romania. In August 2026, Apple agreed with the German Bundeskartellamt on eight concrete changes to the framework. An independent monitor will oversee compliance for the next seven years.
The App Tracking Transparency framework consists of a system prompt that apps must display before they are permitted to track users for advertising purposes. Until now, the layout and text of that prompt were largely fixed by Apple, with little room for developers to make changes.
The new alternative prompt for the EU differs on several points. The graphic element at the top changes from orange to blue. The prompt expands to a full page. The word 'track' is removed from the default text. The choice button 'Ask App Not to Track' is replaced by 'Decline'. Developers are also permitted to apply formatting such as bold text, italics and bullet points. Finally, an option for an additional information page is introduced, accessible via a text button labelled 'Additional Information'.
In addition, developers in the EU are permitted to ask users for consent again after one year, even if that user had previously declined. Under the current situation, this was not straightforwardly allowed.
Apple introduced the ATT framework in April 2021 with iOS 14.5. Since then, users could indicate on a per-app basis whether they wished to be tracked for advertising purposes. Social media platforms lost an estimated nearly ten billion dollars in revenue in the months following the rollout, as large groups of users refused consent, significantly curtailing the reach of personalised advertising.
Regulators quickly turned their attention to another issue: the conditions were not equal for everyone. In its own apps, such as Apple News and the App Store, Apple used wording that pointed less explicitly to tracking than the text that third-party developers were required to use. The Bundeskartellamt launched an investigation into this practice in the summer of 2022. Andreas Mundt, president of the German competition authority, stated that Apple was giving itself an advantage over other providers.
France fined Apple 150 million euros in March 2025. Italy imposed a fine of 98.6 million euros later that year. The European Commission had already designated Apple as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act for iOS, the App Store and Safari in September 2023, and for iPadOS in April 2024.
For third-party app developers who depend on advertising revenue, the equalisation of the prompt is significant. According to regulators, the old layout and wording resulted in lower opt-in rates for third-party apps than for Apple's own apps, although the precise effect of the new prompt on actual consent rates cannot be predicted in advance.
Apple itself has a substantial financial interest in advertising services. In the third fiscal quarter of 2026, the company's services revenue amounted to 30.7 billion dollars, an increase of 12 percent compared with a year earlier. Advertising and cloud services were cited as the primary growth drivers. The gross margin on the services segment stands at around 75.6 percent. In that quarter, Europe accounted for 29.4 billion dollars of Apple's total quarterly revenue.
The adjustment currently applies only to the five EU countries mentioned. In the United Kingdom, which is not covered by the EU agreements, a collective lawsuit against Apple is underway over similar concerns. Separate investigations are still ongoing in Poland.
The enforced adjustment illustrates how national competition authorities and the Digital Markets Act can jointly exert pressure on platform rules that determine the playing field for developers. For founders and developers building advertising-driven apps, a more level prompt theoretically offers greater scope to improve opt-in rates, although the effect will depend on how users respond to the new design and wording. For policymakers in Brussels and the member states, the case confirms that sector-specific enforcement through the DMA framework delivers tangible results, even if it takes years of investigation and legal proceedings before an enforceable outcome is reached.
This article draws in part on the following sources.
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