BERLIN, GERMANY — Apple is set to change the way app developers seek user consent for personalised advertising on iPhones and iPads after Germany’s competition authority raised concerns about the company’s treatment of third-party applications.
The Federal Cartel Office, Germany’s competition regulator, said Monday that Apple had offered binding commitments to address concerns surrounding its App Tracking Transparency framework, bringing a long-running competition investigation to an end.
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency system requires third-party app providers to obtain additional permission from users before carrying out certain forms of cross-company data use. The German regulator said Apple’s own services were not subject to the rules in the same way, creating concerns that Apple’s applications could receive more favourable treatment than competing products.
Under the commitments agreed with the regulator, Apple will make consent requests for its own services and third-party applications more closely aligned. The company will also give third-party app developers greater flexibility in combining consent requests where appropriate.
The changes are significant because personal data plays an important role in the digital advertising industry. Information about users’ activities can be used to deliver personalised advertisements, measure campaign performance and help advertisers reach specific audiences.
Germany’s competition authority stressed that Apple is entitled to establish privacy protections that go beyond minimum legal requirements. However, it said additional rules imposed within Apple’s ecosystem must not place competing services at a disadvantage.
The regulator’s concerns focused on the difference between the consent experience presented to Apple’s own services and the one faced by third-party developers.
The authority said Apple would also remove potentially discouraging symbols and wording from its predefined consent requests for third-party providers, making the process more neutral for users.
The dispute highlights the growing tension between privacy protection and competition in the technology industry. Apple has consistently presented its tracking restrictions as measures designed to give users greater control over their personal information.
However, advertising companies and some app developers have argued that Apple’s policies can affect their ability to collect data and compete effectively in the digital advertising market.
The German investigation is part of a wider regulatory focus on Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework. Competition authorities in other European countries have also examined aspects of Apple’s approach to user consent and data tracking.
The Federal Cartel Office said the commitments would address its competition concerns sufficiently to allow the proceedings to be closed.
For iPhone and iPad users, the changes are expected to affect how consent requests are presented when applications seek permission for certain types of data use. The regulator has emphasised that users should still be able to make informed decisions about whether they want their data used for personalised advertising.
For developers and advertisers, however, the changes could provide a more consistent framework for requesting consent and using data across Apple’s ecosystem.
The development represents another regulatory challenge for Apple as authorities around the world increasingly scrutinise the power of major technology companies and the rules governing their digital platforms.
While Apple will continue to maintain its broader privacy framework, the German case demonstrates that privacy measures can also face competition scrutiny when they are applied differently to a platform owner’s services and those of its rivals.
The latest agreement therefore marks an important shift in Apple’s app tracking policies, with regulators seeking to ensure that stronger privacy protections do not come at the expense of fair competition.
