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When Apple dropped App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompts in iOS 14.5 back in 2021, it was a watershed moment for user privacy within third-party applications. Nothing like it had existed prior. The initiative gave iPhone users control over whether their in-app data could be aggregated and shared with third parties for advertising or other various purposes.
Still, today, I often find comments online from people who don’t really know what it does and find the wording very taboo. Like, why “Ask” the app? And is it still effective? Let’s briefly look at App Tracking Transparency in 2025…
How it works
If you’re unfamiliar, as part of the ATT framework, Apple requires developers to get your permission before sharing your data. By now, we’ve all seen the popups. After downloading a new app, you’ll often see a pop-up asking “Allow [name of the app] to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites?”
Your two options: “Allow” or “Ask App Not to Track”
Hitting “Allow” gives the app explicit permission to collect your age, gender, location, usage patterns, purchases, browsing habits, which ads you clicked, and more. This is data gold to brokers looking to build a profile on you for targeted ads.
Meanwhile, selecting “Ask App Not to Track” blocks the app from accessing your IDFA. This is a unique code assigned to every iOS device by Apple that enables companies to tie together all your behavioral data across different apps. Without it, advertisers can’t connect your shopping activity to your social media habits, etc. This option blocks access at the system API level too, so there’s no way for companies to circumvent it.
That said, developers could still track you using your IP address, phone number, or email if you provided in the app. This is why Apple words the latter option with “Ask” instead of an explicit “Deny.” It’s honest about what it could technically enforce. Apple cannot know for sure if developers are using other means to track you.
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