Apple will ask iPhone and iPad users for their permission to show personalized ads within its own apps in iOS and iPadOS 15.
A new popup appears when opening the App Store for the first time after installing one of Apple’s latest betas. It says personalized ads “help you discover apps, products and services that are relevant to you.”
When Apple rolled out iOS 14 last year, it added a feature that allows users to block tracking across third-party apps. This makes it more difficult for advertisers to find out what you’re into and then tailor their ads to you.
When iOS 15 rolls out this fall, Apple will impose similar restrictions on itself, and you’ll be able to choose whether the company’s own apps can take note of your interests so that they can show you personalized ads.
Personalized ads popup in iOS 15
“Personalized ads in Apple apps such as the App Store and Apple News help you discover apps, products and services that are relevant to you,” reads the new popup. “We protect your privacy by using device-generated identifiers and not linking advertising information to your Apple ID.”
“Turning on Personalised Ads increases the relevance of ads shown by letting us use data like account information, app and content purchases, and, where available, the types of News stories you read,” it continues. It also insists Apple won’t share your data with third parties.
You can then choose to allow personalized ads — and the data collection required to power them — or block them. Blocking them won’t remove or reduce the number of ads you see; it just means that when they do appear, they will be completely random and not tailored to you.
Avoiding another App Store lawsuit?
Some speculate Apple made this change, which was not present in earlier iOS or iPadOS 15 betas, in an effort to avoid another App Store lawsuit. By imposing these restrictions on third-party developers and not itself, Apple could be seen as having an advantage and being unfair to other app-makers.
