Facebook's right to be worried – only 2% of iOS users say they'll allow cross-app tracking

By Oliver Haslam
published

Facebook
Facebook (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Only 2% of people say they intend to let ad companies track them from app to app.
  • More than 71% say they will block ATT requests.

Apple released iOS 14.5 earlier this week and with it, we saw the arrival of a feature that's been in the headlines for months. App Tracking Transparency (ATT) will allow users to choose whether apps, developers, and ad companies can track them from one app to another. Facebook has been particularly vocal about the impact it could have – and an iMore poll suggests that it was right to be worried about its business model.

According to a Twitter poll, just 2% of the almost 850 respondents say that they will allow themselves to be tracked when an app asks their permission. On the opposite end of the scale, we have almost 72% of people saying that they will tap the "Ask App not to Track" button.

Notably, almost a quarter of those who responded say that they will make their decision on an app-by-app basis. 4% said that they needed more information to be able to decide what action they would take.

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Users also have the option to prevent apps from even being able to ask permission to track them, with some people replying to our tweet to say that they've gone that route instead.

The addition of ATT is another example of the way Apple continues to grow iOS 14 since its release towards the end of last year. This is perhaps the biggest change we've seen to iOS without a whole new version number. Facebook and other ad companies are clearly less than pleased with its arrival.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

3 Comments
  • 2%? Seriously?
    I'll have to see it or anything remotely close to it happening to believe it. Talk about unscientific polls...
    And the punchline is that FB doesn't need the tracking in the first place. They make enough from their ads which, BTW, they overcharge for by lying about to advertisers, so even less need for actual tracking. But they're that psychotically greedy.
  • um they make the money by giving user data to advertisers so that advertisers can give them the more and more ads. So with no user data, there is much less ads
  • Umm, but you agree and consent to Facebook giving your user data to advertisers when you install the app and agree to the TOS. What’s the problem? Just don’t use the app. Get a browser that is completely sandboxed and doesn’t share anything and use the mobile website. Shame on Apple for allowing apps to access your data in the first place. I am looking at YOU Steve Jobs!