Apple warns Europe could force it to turn off key privacy feature

Apple may be forced to disable its app tracking transparency feature in Germany and other European countries amid regulatory scrutiny and industry lobbying.

Apple may have to turn off its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature in Germany and other European countries. The company says regulatory pressure and lobbying from the advertising industry could force the change, affecting how users control app tracking.

ATT is a feature that gives users the option to control whether or not an app can track them across the internet and services. Unsurprisingly, many users take advantage and select "ask app not to track" when prompted.

"Intense lobbying efforts in Germany, Italy and other countries in Europe may force us to withdraw this feature to the detriment of European consumers," Apple said in a statement seen by DPA International, first spotted by MacRumors.

While the feature is popular and widely lauded by users, it's not unanimously loved. Advertising platforms, including other big tech companies like Meta, see this as anti-competitive behavior.

The feature is currently being investigated by competition authorities. In Germany, the Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt, or BKartA) concluded that ATT could violate antitrust regulations.

BKartA noted that the feature applies to third-party apps, but not to any of Apple's own. Apple pushed back, arguing that its apps do not collect data from other providers.

Germany isn't the only country taking aim at the ATT, either. Italy is expected to rule on the same issue by the end of 2025.

Apple has told regulators that it has various solutions. It also said that those same regulators proposed complex solutions designed to undermine the function of ATT.

"We will continue to urge the relevant authorities in Germany, Italy and across Europe to allow Apple to continue providing this important privacy tool to our users," the company said.

ATT was introduced with iOS 14 in 2020. It was so effective that it reportedly made Facebook's revenue drop by $12.8 billion in a year.

There have still been ways around ATT. In January 2025, apps like Candy Crush, Tinder, and MyFitnessPal were reportedly exploited to collect users' location data at scale.