Everything changed when Tim Cook tweeted, “We believe users should have the choice over the data that is being collected about them and how it’s used. Facebook can continue to track users across apps and websites as before; App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14 will just require that they ask for your permission first” with the release of iOS 14 update the new privacy feature for iOS users.
Earlier, Facebook had no idea about App Tracking Transparency, and they did not know that Facebook was tracking user’s data and showing ads according to that. But Apple completely changed it by adding the new App Tracking Transparency to restrict or opt-out app tracking on iOS devices.
Recently, the news has circulated online that the Apple iOS privacy changes will cost Facebook (Meta) $10 billion this year. Meta CFO David Wehner said they saw revenue impact with iOS changes in Q4 2021. According to them, Apple favors Google for app-based platforms like Facebook with its privacy policies. They also think that Google will pay the billion-dollar amount to Apple for making it the default search engine on iOS devices. Q4 was the first holiday season after Apple’s iOS changes, and the Apple iOS Privacy Changes affected small and big businesses.
Facebook yesterday reported $33.67 billion in revenue, and while higher than expected, earnings per share were shy of analyst expectations. Facebook, renamed to Meta, also offered lower guidance for the first quarter of 2022, saying it would be expecting around $27 to $29 billion in revenue, short of $30 billion expectations (via).
They also stated, “We estimate that approximately 2.8 billion people used at least one of our Family of Apps daily in December, and that approximately 3.6 billion people used at least once every month. Facebook’s daily active users were 1.93 billion, up 5% or 84 million compared to last year. DAUs represented approximately 66% of the 2.91 billion monthly active users. MAUs grew by 115 million or 4% compared to last year.”
What do you think about this incident? Do you think Apple did the great thing by adding the iOS Privacy Changes “App Tracking Transparency” for iPhone users? Feel free to share your feedback in the comment box.