Only 4% of iOS users in US are opting in to ad tracking, report says

Posted:
in iOS edited May 2021
An ongoing analysis of Apple's App Tracking Transparency tool claims 96% of users in the U.S. are opting out of the ad tracking feature which launched in April.

App Tracking Transparency


According to Flurry Analytics, which has been tracking daily opt-in and opt-out rates following the launch of iOS 14.5 late last month, roughly 4% of daily users in the U.S. are allowing apps access to their Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) tag. The figure is based on a sampling of 2.5 million daily mobile active users.

Rates increase when taking other countries into account, with some 11% of 5.3 million daily users opting in to ad tracking worldwide.

Daily rates are calculated by dividing the number of devices that opted in by the total number of devices that both opted in and out using ATT.

Interestingly, Flurry's data suggests people are actively opting out of tracking requests. The company found only 4% of iOS 14.5 users have the "Allow Apps to Request to Track" option in settings disabled. That figure drops to 2% in the U.S. Turning the "Allow Apps to Request to Track" selection off automatically restricts IDFA data access and precludes apps from asking permission track.

Integrated into the latest iOS, iPadOS and tvOS revisions, ATT is a new feature that requires developers to ask users before tracking their movement across other apps and the web. Touted by Apple as an important user privacy tool, critics say the requirement to obtain ad tracking permissions will dissuade users from participating and thus hurt businesses reliant on ad revenue.

Apple offers a set of secure ad attribution tools as a privacy-focused replacement to industry standard tracking methods. The systems, including the SKAdNetwork and Privacy Click Measurement, do not directly identify users and can therefore be integrated without express user permission.

Developers are still adjusting to the new guidelines and a report released shortly after the debut of iOS 14.5 revealed some 10,000 apps created the necessary user request prompts. By some estimates, the App Store boasts about two million titles.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,141member
    Gee. 

    Sounds like the people have spoken. 

    LOUDLY. 

    Thsnk you Apple for returning some semblance of power to the consumer and allowing us to “vote” on such an important matter. 

    Ridiculous that it’s even legal for companies to spy on us so invasively at all. 
    BeatsgregoriusmPetrolDaveradarthekatDAalsethbluefire1ramanpfaffdoozydozenMisterKitpscooter63
  • Reply 2 of 26
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,311member
    The 4% are probably ad developers for the companies the 96% don't want tracking us!
    baconstanglolliverwilliamlondonfrantisekradarthekatlkruppDAalsethbluefire1mike1pscooter63
  • Reply 3 of 26
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    Didn’t iKnockoff morons scream “nobody cares about privacy!!”
    lolliverradarthekatDogpersonviclauyycwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 26
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,312member
    I’d sure like to meet some of these 4 percenters. 
    muthuk_vanalingamlolliverBeatswatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 26
    bonobobbonobob Posts: 395member
    hexclock said:
    I’d sure like to meet some of these 4 percenters. 
    I'm one of them, on one of 3 devices.  I decided that I want to see when apps start asking, how they phrase their plea to track, and whether they keep asking.

    So far, only Dictionary (by dictionary.com) has asked, but it only provided its own prompt, to which I said No, and I did not get the request from iOS itself.  So the app does not show up in the list of apps that have asked to track.  So far, it has asked twice, for the first two times I opened it, but it hasn't asked since.  If it starts asking again, I will say yes and then go turn it off manually in the Settings app.
    urahararadarthekatDogpersonjrcpscooter63forgot usernamewatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 26
    spock1234spock1234 Posts: 163member
    I too have the ‘Ask to track’ turned on. Not because I mean to allow any tracking, but just to see which Apps ask to track me, and how. 
    radarthekatDogpersonDAalsethbluefire1bonobobmike1geekmeeviclauyycforgot usernamewatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 26
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 761member
    It would be interesting to know if one would allow some app that would like to support if thanks to my identifier will my data ends up in Facebook database anyway as I guess they will by trying to get data from anywhere and maybe exchanging them with other ad networks.
    Has anyone clue?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 26
    I'd like to see statistics by app. How many people support Facebook (that claimed they will earn more now)?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 26
    bala1234bala1234 Posts: 167member
    frantisek said:
    It would be interesting to know if one would allow some app that would like to support if thanks to my identifier will my data ends up in Facebook database anyway as I guess they will by trying to get data from anywhere and maybe exchanging them with other ad networks.
    Has anyone clue?

    Its possible that the app has a facebook tracker on it.
    Even if they don't, it still doesn't mean the trackers on the app will not be used to advertise to you on facebook. It quite likely will be through a network of data brokers....

    edited May 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 26
    PezaPeza Posts: 198member
    Gee. 

    Sounds like the people have spoken. 

    LOUDLY. 

    Thsnk you Apple for returning some semblance of power to the consumer and allowing us to “vote” on such an important matter. 

    Ridiculous that it’s even legal for companies to spy on us so invasively at all. 
    Whilst I certainly agree it’s a good feature, I do believe it’s set to not allow ads to track you by default, so most people won’t change it and leave it, probably don’t know what it is even. Hence the high numbers reported. I believe I’m right in saying it’s set to not track by default?
    muthuk_vanalingamDAalsethbonobob
  • Reply 11 of 26
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,755member
    Does this include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any social media apps? I suspect it does not.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 26
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,311member
    Is there a deadline by which all IOS apps must be updated to allow users to opt out of ad tracking?
    edited May 2021 MisterKitwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 26
    r002092r002092 Posts: 3member
    Peza said:
    Gee. 

    Sounds like the people have spoken. 

    LOUDLY. 

    Thsnk you Apple for returning some semblance of power to the consumer and allowing us to “vote” on such an important matter. 

    Ridiculous that it’s even legal for companies to spy on us so invasively at all. 
    Whilst I certainly agree it’s a good feature, I do believe it’s set to not allow ads to track you by default, so most people won’t change it and leave it, probably don’t know what it is even. Hence the high numbers reported. I believe I’m right in saying it’s set to not track by default?
    Only if you already had Ad Limiting enabled - new users its set to ask by default.
    Pezawatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 26
    KillBillOGKillBillOG Posts: 32member
    It’s not “ad tracking” we’re turning off… it’s “us” being tracked that we’re turning off. What’s the bet we’ll get bullied by Facebook and Google  by them ramming a random deluge of junk ads like many news sites do… 
    mknelsonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 26
    gargravarrgargravarr Posts: 61member
    It’s not “ad tracking” we’re turning off… it’s “us” being tracked that we’re turning off. What’s the bet we’ll get bullied by Facebook and Google  by them ramming a random deluge of junk ads like many news sites do… 
    Fakebook can't bully you if you don't use it, I imagine. Never have, never will.  Google I do use, so that might be different.
    Beatswatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 26
    kurai_kagekurai_kage Posts: 115member
    Remember, apps need to be updated before they will begin asking.  So you may not see apps ask immediately even though you have the feature enabled.  
    mknelsonspock1234Beatswatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 26
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    dewme said:
    Does this include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any social media apps? I suspect it does not.
    It does if they are tracking. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 26
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Bricks are piling up in Zuck’s commode 
    spock1234elijahgBeatswatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 26
    602warren602warren Posts: 73member
    hexclock said:
    I’d sure like to meet some of these 4 percenters. 
    I said yes - on AppleTV. But have said no on all other devices. I figure if I'm being forced to watch commercials, then they may as well be commercials for things Im interested in.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 26
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,147member
    Interesting. I've left it on to allow requests.

    I have so far allowed one (CBC news) to track - support journalism.

    I've only had two other requests so far, both declined. One was interested - there are no ads in the game, but you can link to Facebook. So, hell no!
    steven n.forgot usernameNikon8watto_cobra
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