This will mean that apps will need to ask users for their permission to access the ad-tracking ID on iPads and iPhones. However, this has been delayed as it was meant to be part of Apple’s latest iOS 14 update which was set to be released in autumn 2020.
Apple has disclosed that these changes have been postponed to the beginning of 2021 in order to give websites and app developers the chance to modify their services to fit this.
However, Facebook warned that the tech giant’s new privacy measure would make one of its advertising tools “ineffective” on iOS 14 and that “it may not make sense to offer it on iOS 14”. Apple has essentially forced Facebook to no longer collect ad-tracking IDs of its users on iOS 14.
The anti-tracking feature, which uses a truly unique code for every operating iPhone, makes it compulsory for users to grant permission to apps and websites to be able to access information on their data which is basically used to figure out their online behavior.
This comes at a terrible time for app developers who are already dealing with a COVID-induced recession. The revenue of free apps will be affected immensely as the opportunities for the tracking, collection and sharing of data will be limited to such a huge extent because users will most likely prefer to maintain their privacy.