Apple highlights benefits of App Tracking Transparency in hilarious but powerful video

How to use widgets on your iPhone Home screen
How to use widgets on your iPhone Home screen (Image credit: Joseph Keller / iMore)

Pastedgraphic

Pastedgraphic (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Apple has released a new video highlighting the benefits of App Tracking Transparency.
  • On average apps six trackers from companies that collect and track your data.
  • Apple's ATT changes let users opt-out of this tracking.

Apple has today released a new 'Privacy. That's iPhone' video touting the benefits of App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14.

The video follows a coffee shop customer as they pay for coffee, going about their day followed by ever more people all wanting a sneak peek into their life. As the user slowly turns to ATT, all the people following him in the video vanish, revealing how making the switch can reduce tracking.

Apple says that on average apps have six trackers from other companies with the sole purpose of collecting data, tracking people and their personal info. This is often pieced together by companies who use it for targeted advertising, and the industry is worth more than $200 billion per year. The new advert is meant to show how ATT can help users take control of their personal information.

The App Tracking Transparency measures introduced in iOS 14.5 don't change advertising but do give users the option to opt-out if they don't want to, a move many people seem to be making according to polls and surveys.

Research conducted by iMore in April indicates that only 2% of users survey plan to opt-in to tracking through the new feature. More than 70% said they would be opting out, with around 22% stating that it would depend which app was asking for permission before making a decision.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9