What you need to know
- App analytics firm Flurry has released new data around App Tracking Transparency.
- 96% of iPhone users in the United States have opted out of app tracking on iOS 14.5.
Apple's best that people want privacy has paid off in a big way.
According to new data from app analytics firm Flurry, only 4% of iPhone users in the United States have opted into app tracking since Apple released App Tracking Transparency as part of iOS 14.5. That number goes up a little when considering international users - 11% of users worldwide have allowed apps to track them.
Until now, apps have been able to rely on Apple's Identifier for Advertiser (IDFA) to track users for targeting and advertising purposes. With the launch of iOS 14.5 this week, mobile apps now have to ask users who have upgraded to iOS 14.5 for permission to gather tracking data. With opt-in rates expected to be low,Flurry Analytics, owned by Verizon Media, is used in over 1 million mobile applications, providing aggregated insights across 2 billion mobile devices per month. For this report, Flurry will be updating every weekday by 10am Pacific Standard Time the daily opt-in rate as well as the share of users that apps cannot ask to track ('restricted' status), both in the U.S. and worldwide, to keep you informed on the most industry-impacting iOS release to date.
App Tracking Transparency, which launched with iOS 14.5, is Apple's new privacy feature that requires apps to ask permission to track you. Users can also turn off tracking for all apps by default.
App Tracking Transparency requires apps to get the user's permission before tracking their data across apps or websites owned by other companies for advertising, or sharing their data with data brokers. Apps can prompt users for permission, and in Settings, users will be able to see which apps have requested permission to track so they can make changes to their choice at any time.
As more iPhone owners update to iOS 14.5, we'll begin to better understand the average amount of users who opt-in and opt-out of app tracking. These first numbers, however, tell a very clear story - the vast majority of people want their privacy.
