Report: Over 10,000 Apps Updated With App Tracking Transparency Support, Some Tricking Users Into Clicking ‘Allow’

BY Sanuj Bhatia

Published 30 Apr 2021

app figures app tracking

App Tracking Transparency finally made its way to iPhone via last week’s iOS 14.5 update. Apple finally enforced the feature on to the developers, which limits them from showing targeted ads to the user. A new report claims that over 10,000 app developers have already enabled the app tracking feature on their app.

A new report from the app analysis firm AppFigures claims that over 10,000 apps on the App Store have already been updated to support the new App Tracking Transparency feature. The report says that most of the apps that have enabled ATT support are games.

However, not all of them are following the guidelines properly. Some of the apps are asking users to click on ‘Allow,’ which basically enables them to track the user’s app usage, even though Apple says that developers can not lure users into clicking allow.

In case you are unclear what App Tracking Transparency is, read our explainer on what App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14.5 is and how it will protect your privacy.

AppFigures says that more than 20% of the apps that have enabled ATT support are games. Utilities category comes in second, but with only 6%. The report says that more than half of the users who were prompted with the option clicked on ‘Ask App Not to Track.’

However, some developers have breached Apple’s guidelines and are now asking users to click on ‘Allow.’ Moreover, not all of the apps explain how the data will be used if the user clicks on ‘Allow.’

Some of the games ask users to click on ‘Allow’ to ‘Keep supporting’ them. Whereas apps like Hulu have written a long description in the prompt to take advantage of the user who doesn’t read the description or doesn’t read it properly and click on allow.

Tech giants like Alibaba and Facebook have been worrying about the effects of App Tracking Transparency on their revenues. A report recently claimed that Alibaba has held an internal meeting to ‘explore alternative solutions’ to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency.

[Via AppFigures]