Apple’s new App Tracking Transparency feature has finally rolled out for iPhone and iPad users via the iOS 14.5 update. The new features prevent companies like Facebook, Google or other apps that use your personal data for serving targeted advertisements. The new feature is a big deal as it directly impacts the business models of giants like Facebook, Google and other apps that rely on advertisement revenue.
While this feature was unveiled last year at WWDC, it finally made its way to users earlier this week. Apple has switched to IDFA (“Identifier of Advertising”) replacing the previous Unique Device Identifier that was used by websites and apps to track for targeted ads. Now, Apple is giving more control to iPhone/iPad users who want to limit ad tracking on certain apps or all apps they use on personal devices.
How To Stop App Tracking in iOS 14.5
In order to use the App Tracking Transparency feature, you need to first update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 14.5. You can update your OS by going to Settings > General > Software update. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the latest update, you can head to Settings > Privacy > Tracking.
You can now disable “Allow Apps To Request to Track” if you don’t want any of your installed apps to track you. However, if you wish to grant certain apps to track you, you will need to leave the feature on. Each time you download a new app, you will get a pop-up notification asking whether you want to give it permission to track your activity across other companies. You can also manage specific apps that can track you from the Privacy menu if you want more control on which apps should be allowed to track you.