Apple has to change how it asks iPhone and iPad users for data permission. Germany’s Federal Cartel Office ruled that Apple’s consent pop-ups favor its own apps.
The regulator, the Bundeskartellamt, flagged two screens. One is the App Tracking Transparency prompt. The other is the Personalized Ads prompt. The two look different and push users in different directions.
The tracking prompt asks users to let outside apps follow their data. Its design steers people toward saying no. It shows a warning hand icon. It uses the phrase “app tracking.” The ads prompt is gentler. It steers people toward saying yes.
Apple rolled out App Tracking Transparency with iOS 14.5. The shift reportedly cost social media apps nearly $10 billion. Most cross-app tracking became opt-in.
Apple is a designated “gatekeeper” under the EU’s Digital Markets Act. That label brings extra scrutiny. The rules require a fair playing field. The German regulator says the prompts do not deliver one.
The Bundeskartellamt spelled out the problems. The warning symbol is one issue. The wording is another. “App tracking” sounds worse than “personalized advertising.” Apple also gives its own prompts more space to explain the benefits. The order of the buttons matters too.
Apple now has four months to fix the design. The discouraging language must go. The warning hand icon should disappear. Third-party prompts should look closer to Apple’s own.
The move fits a wider push in Europe. Regulators already ordered Google to open Android and Search to rivals. The EU wants big tech to compete on equal terms. It made Google open its app store to rivals. The bloc’s AI Act set its own rules for AI systems too.
Small design choices carry real weight. A symbol, a word, or a button’s position can shift behavior at huge scale. For app developers, the stakes are high. Their businesses run on user consent.
Apple has not said how it will respond. It has four months to act. If it misses the deadline, fines could follow.
Related: Google Play Opens to Rival App Stores on July 22 and The EU AI Act One Year On.
Source: The Verge
