Apple is Delaying iOS 14’s Advertising Privacy Feature to Early Next Year

Apple told some developers that it will delay its advertising privacy feature in iOS 14 to early next year. The feature requires apps to seek user permission before IDFA can track their behavior and preferences across websites and apps. This was merely implemented to ad targeting purposes that Facebook heavily criticized in the past weeks.

Apple Delays Ad Privacy Feature in iOS 14 to Early Next Year, Giving Developers Some Time to Cope up WIth the Change

Facebook and other major ad networks bashed Apple against the new privacy feature openly. Facebook warned advertisers on its platforms that if the change is implemented, it could potentially cause a more than 50 percent drop in Audience Network publisher revenue due to loss of ad personalization.

It is expected by ad publishers and Facebook that users will not share their IDFA’s for ad targeting purposes. Hence, they will decline consent for ad-blocking purposes baked into iOS 14. Apple has been asking game developers how the change will impact their businesses. This is due to the fact that free-to-play games usually rely on ad targeting. It was noted that their response will determine what Apple decides pertaining to the privacy feature.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple has now confirmed that it is delaying ad privacy feature in iOS to early next year. Here’s what the company said:

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.

Mobile app developers told The Information that they had little time to prepare for the update. In addition, they also stated that Apple did not provide them with any additional information on how ads can be targetted without using IDFA. Since Apple has delayed the privacy change in iOS 14 to early next year, iPhone and iPad users who opt to upgrade will not see a prompt to decline their device’s IDFA with third-party apps.

We will share more details on the story as soon as there is more word. What do you think about Apple’s privacy changes in iOS 14?

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