YouTube To Obtain Consent From Apple Users To Share Their Location To Show Personalised Ads

Apple's ATT framework was introduced in 2021 and since then it has required app developers to get consent from users prior to tracking their activities across other companies' apps and websites.

Soon YouTube will show users of YouTube on iOS devices a one-time prompt to secure their consent to track their activity across other apps and websites.

Source : Unsplash/@Alexander Shatov

YouTube is trying to add to the personalisation of Apple users to offer them an enhanced experience. With this new addition, Apple users will have a choice to give their consent to the company to share their location if they wish to see more personalised videos in their feed. This decision of YouTube complies with Apple's privacy policies and deliver a much more personalised advertising on the platform than usual. 

Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework was introduced with iOS 14.5 in 2021 and since then it has required app developers to get consent from users prior to tracking their activities across other companies' apps and websites. This fundamentally changed how digital advertising would work on Apple devices. It emphasised user privacy and control over data sharing.

In response to this, YouTube owner Google, like other companies, altered its tracking practices to refrain from displaying the ATT prompt by suspending some tracking methods such as Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA).

YouTube is now taking a bit different approach though. Soon YouTube will show users of YouTube on iOS devices a one-time prompt to secure their consent to track their activity across other apps and websites.

What Will YouTube's Consent Taking Form Be Like?

The prompt will offer two options. The first one would be an 'Allow' option. Apple users who select this particular option will enable YouTube to link their in-app activity with activity from non-Google apps and websites. This will help YouTube understand the preferences of the users and have better ad measurement. If one selects this option then this choice of the user will be applied across all users of the YouTube app on the device where the setting is enabled.

The second option that will appear is 'Ask App Not to Track'. If a user selects this then it will restrict YouTube from linking app activity with that from non-Google apps and websites. This obviously would result in the user getting less personalised and probably more repetitive ads. YouTube Premium users will have a difficult time finding this option because they won't get it. Apart from YouTube Premium users, users with child accounts on YouTube won't get this option either.

What If Someone Wants To Change Their Choice Later?

If you later wish to change your option then you can do so by going to iOS Settings. Once you are in there then go to 'Privacy & Security', then open 'Tracking'.

YouTube noted, "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 personalise ads, depending on your Google personalised ads choice."