The YouTube app on iOS will soon be asking users for their permission to allow tracking their online activity for a more personalised ads experience. The new update complies with Apple’s guidelines introduced in iOS 14.5 back in 2021, requiring app developers to inform users about tracking and obtain their consent.
YouTube informed regarding the change via a Google support page, where it confirmed that “a prompt, aligned with Apple’s App Tracking Transparency, will now surface in the YouTube app, asking for your permission” whether you want to allow the streaming service to track your activity for more personalised ads.
YouTube says that users will be provided with two options within the prompt, which are described as follows:
- Allow: “If you turn on this setting, activity from this app will be linked with activity from non-Google apps and websites to show personalized ads and provide ad measurement. Your choice will be applied to all users of the YouTube app on the device where the setting is turned on.”
- Ask App Not to Track: “If you don’t turn this setting on, activity from this app will not be linked with activity from non-Google apps and websites to show personalized ads and provide ad measurement. This will make your overall ads experience in this app less personalized, and may result in less relevant and more repeated ads.”
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Further, it confirmed that this prompt will not appear for YouTube Premium subscribers and users with child accounts on YouTube. In addition, this setting does not affect the linking of activity on other Google apps (iOS and non-iOS) and websites with activity from non-Google apps and websites. This setting also does not affect use of activity from the YouTube iOS app and other Google apps and websites to personalize ads.
Allowing the YouTube app on iOS to track your online activity will simply result in showing you personalised ads that align better with your interests. Denying the permission will result in “less relevant and more repeated ads,” as YouTube will not be allowed to link the users’ in-app activity with their activity in third-party/non-Google apps.
You can change your preference for this option by going to iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
As for the earlier scenario, when the change was announced by Apple back in 2021, instead of having to show that prompt, Google stopped using an individual device’s unique IDFA (Identifier For Advertisers) which also resulted in compliance with Apple’s guidelines. However, Google seems to have changed its mind when it comes to the YouTube app, at least.