Apple has announced it is delaying a major privacy feature in iOS until early next year, amid an ongoing outcry on the part of advertisers.
One of the main features of iOS 14 is its privacy features. In particular, Apple would require apps that track users for advertising purposes to display a prompt giving the user the option to accept or reject tracking.
Needless to say, the planned feature was not popular with Facebook or other advertisers, and they have been very vocal in pointing out how much they really, really want to continue tracking people. As a result, according to Reuters, Apple is planning on delaying the mandatory implementation until early next year, although developers can choose to use it sooner if they want.
“When enabled, a system prompt will give users the ability to allow or reject that tracking on an app-by-app basis,” Apple said in a statement. “We want to give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes, and as a result, the requirement to use this tracking permission will go into effect early next year.”
It’s a sad state of affairs when a company has to release a feature that specifically requires advertisers to inform the people they’re tracking and get their permission. It’s an even sadder state of affairs that those companies believe they have such a right to track people that they raise enough of a fuss that the company has to delay the feature to avoid more blowback.