Apple is delaying the rollout of an iOS 14 feature that required developers to take explicit consent from users before that app could track their activity across other services and websites on the iPhone and iPad, the company announced on Thursday. Apple will now introduce the feature "early next year" instead of in September when the iOS 14 update is expected to roll out. This feature had left digital advertisers, especially Facebook, worried (more on that below). What exactly is the change? Every Apple device comes with a unique identification code, which can be used to track what users do on their phone. Unsurprisingly, the code, called identifier for advertisers (IDFA) is extensively used by adtech companies, including Facebook to track user behaviour across various services so that they can run targeted ads at them. However, when Apple announced iOS 14, its operating system for iPhones and iPads for 2020, it said that any developer who wants to use the unique code will also have have to take explicit consent from users. This means, iPhone users can expect to see lots of pop-ups like this when they open an app: [caption id="attachment_220607" align="aligncenter" width="419"] Source: Apple[/caption] This basically means that apps that engage in the following will have to take users’ consent: Displaying targeted advertisements in the app based on user data collected from apps and websites owned by other companies. Sharing device location data or email lists with a "data broker". Sharing a list of emails, advertising IDs, or other…
