The new iOS 14.5 that was released to iPhone 12 and other compatible devices comes with a bunch of new features and security updates. Among them “App Tracking Transparency” is one of the major highlights of the update.
App Tracking Transparency is an important feature and it may be the most significant privacy update added to iPhones in some time. You must enable the feature if you are concerned about your privacy on your phone. The App tracking transparency feature ensures that app developers take the user’s permission before tracking your activity outside of its own app. Users can always choose to allow or decline permission for the app to track their activities while using the data.
After receiving flacks from many popular apps like Facebook for the change, Apple stood up for their customers and said they wanted to let users know when their data is being collected and used across other apps and websites. The new update does not let other apps change their approach towards collecting data, they simply need permission from the user.
How to enable App Tracking Transparency on iPhone?
To enable App Tracking Transparency, you need to update your iOS to 14.5. The new iOS 14.5 is available for iPhone 12 and other iPhones ( iPhone 6s and later) eligible to receive the iOS 14.5 update. Apple has already released the new update earlier this week.
To download and install iOS 14.5
- Go to Settings
- Select General
- Tap on Software Update.
- Tap on “Download and Install” to continue.
Ensure a strong and stable Wi-Fi connection. It is highly recommended to take backup of your data before installing iOS 14.5.
Guide to change your app tracking transparency settings
After you have downloaded and installed iOS 14.5, simply follow these steps to enable/disable App Tracking Transparency.
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down and find “Privacy”
- Look for “Tracking” and select it.
- Tap on the toggle that reads “Allow Apps to Request to Track” according to your requirement.
You can also allow individual apps to track your activity. To do so, enable the main “Allow Apps to Request to Track” toggle and then one by one select the apps you want to give access to or deny tracking.
Also if you toggle off the “Allow Apps to Request to Track” in the main menu option, you’ll never see another data permission request. This means apps that ask for permission to track data will get an automatic report from Apple that you have denied their request.
How to check what data apps collect?
If you’re not sure what exactly an individual app knows about you, use another iOS 14 feature: Privacy Labels.
To install the feature, go to the App Store and search for the app in question. Once you find it, open it and scroll down to the App Privacy section. You will be provided with all of the data categories that can be linked to your identity through the app.
Arriving with the iOS 14.5 update, this privacy tool will work seamlessly without much effort from the user’s part.