Germany forces Apple to neutralize iPhone tracking prompts

Apple has agreed to rewrite its tracking consent system after Germany’s competition regulator concluded that App Tracking Transparency gave Apple’s own services a more lenient standard than third party apps. The Bundeskartellamt found this to be a clear case of self preferencing, where Apple both sets the rules and competes under them. Under the new commitments, tracking prompts shown to developers must be visually and linguistically neutral, removing discouraging wording and symbols that pushed users toward refusal. Developers will also be allowed to merge Apple’s mandatory tracking request with their own privacy prompt, eliminating the double hurdle that Apple’s apps could avoid. Apple has four months to implement the changes, and an independent trustee will monitor compliance for seven years across almost the entire EU. The case aligns with broader European scrutiny of Apple’s ecosystem, including DMA gatekeeper rulings and fines from France and Italy. For users, the change will be subtle, but for Apple it marks another concession in a market where regulators increasingly treat privacy and competition as intertwined issues.

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