Apple agrees app tracking changes in German antitrust case
Published: 17/08/2026
| EURACTIV
Apple has agreed to redesign its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompts across the EU to resolve a competition investigation initiated in 2022 by the German competition authority. The regulator found that the previous design breached competition rules by favouring Apple's own services over third-party applications.
Under the legally binding seven-year commitments, Apple will align third-party consent prompts with its internal prompts by adopting neutral language, removing discouraging symbols, shifting highlight colours from orange to blue, and omitting the word "tracking". Developers will gain additional space to explain the commercial necessity of data use for targeted advertising and may prompt users for consent annually.
The regulator emphasised that the objective is to secure free and informed user choices rather than increase consent rates. German advertising groups had previously opposed the settlement. The agreement follows broader European scrutiny, including multi-million euro fines levied against Apple in France and Italy for abuse of market dominance regarding its tracking prompts.
Meanwhile, in other Apple news, reports have emerged that the iPhone maker is developing camera-equipped AirPods designed to capture surrounding objects and answer user questions, according to code findings and reports.
Software details indicate the earbuds will notify users if hair or obstructions block the camera.
Competitor devices, such as smart glasses by Meta and Rokid, as well as the Looki pendant, offer similar real-world intelligence capabilities. Apple plans to launch the device in September alongside operating system updates and the updated Siri voice assistant.
Training Announcement: Freevacy offers a range of independent data protection qualifications from IAPP and BCS. Our certified courses are available at foundation and practitioner levels and cover multiple legal jurisdictions, data protection operations management, and the implementation of complex privacy solutions in technical environments. Find out more.
What is this page?
You are reading a summary article on the Privacy Newsfeed, a free resource for DPOs and other professionals with privacy or data protection responsibilities helping them stay informed of industry news all in one place. The information here is a brief snippet relating to a single piece of original content or several articles about a common topic or thread. The main contributor is listed in the top left-hand corner, just beneath the article title.
The Privacy Newsfeed monitors over 300 global publications, of which more than 3,250 summary articles have been posted to the online archive dating back to the beginning of 2020. A weekly roundup is available by email every Friday.