One of the key ways Apple has separated itself from the rest of the app industry is its focus on privacy for the consumer, which it started focusing on heavily in the late 2010s with a series of frameworks and app regulations aimed at giving users more control over what data they share.
App Tracking Transparency (ATT) was one of these frameworks, introduced in 2020 and enforced in Apple’s iOS 14.5 update as mandatory for all applications which collect data. The framework asks users via a pop-up if they would like to be tracked, and indicates what data will be tracked if they accept.
The launch of this framework alongside a more forceful push into advertising in iOS by Apple, through Apple Search Ads and SKAN, tanked several of the major advertising networks, including Google, Facebook and Snapchat. ATT effectively made it much harder to track users, as less than half opt-in.
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Start Your Campaign Now 📈Even though marketers balked at this change, they have tried to get onboard with new onboarding solutions aimed at better persuading users to hand over data. New funnels have been created specifically for the purpose of describing all the benefits of data sharing to the end user.
Apple has also had a knock on effect with other platforms, specifically Android, which has looked into its own ways to give users more control over their data.
We have collected data and statistics on App Tracking Transparency. Read on below to find out more.
App Tracking Transparency Key Statistics
- Games have the highest ATT opt-in rate of 39%
- Hyper casual games have the highest ATT opt-in rate across all gaming genres
- The UAE has the highest ATT opt-in rate by country at close to 50%
- Less than 20% of apps track users through data, with 18% asking for background access to location
ATT Opt-In Rate by App Category
Games have the highest ATT opt-in rate across all categories, at 39%, while Educational apps have the lowest.
ATT opt-in rate by app category 2023 to 2024 (%)
ATT Opt-In Rate by Game Category
Across game genres, hyper casual have the highest ATT opt-in rate, while Family has the lowest at 2%.
ATT opt-in rate by game category 2023 (%)
ATT Opt-In Rate by Country
The United Arab Emirates has the highest opt-in rate at nearly half of all users, while Germany has the lowest at 20%.
ATT opt-in rate by country 2023 (%)
iOS Apps User Tracking
Just over 15% of iOS apps use one type of data to track users, with the vast majority of apps not declaring any tracking data.
iOS apps that use data to track users 2023 (%)
iOS Apps Background Location Access
A slight chunk more iOS apps ask for background location access, but still the vast majority do not ask for this.
iOS apps that access background location 2023 (%)
iOS Apps Collect Data by Category
Business apps are the most likely to collect data, followed by arcade and lifestyle apps.
