YouTube will soon ask for explicit permission to track activity across apps and websites for more personalized advertising. This move aligns with Apple’s stringent App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy introduced with iOS 14.5, which requires apps to get user consent before engaging in tracking activities.
Starting in the coming weeks, YouTube on iPhone and iPad will present a one-time prompt asking users to allow tracking across other companies’ apps and websites. The prompt will offer two choices: “Allow” or “Ask App Not to Track.” Opting to allow tracking will enable YouTube to link user activity on its app with activity from non-Google apps and websites, enhancing ad relevancy and measurement. Conversely, choosing not to track will result in less personalized ads, which may appear more frequently and be less relevant to the user’s interests.
This new prompt will not appear for YouTube Premium subscribers or users with child accounts on YouTube, maintaining their current ad experience.
A YouTube spokesperson emphasized the benefits of opting in, stating that it provides a “high-quality, helpful ads experience” for users. By linking in-app YouTube activity with external activities, advertisers can better measure ad performance, ultimately benefiting content creators on the platform through more targeted advertising. Users will also have the flexibility to change their tracking preference at any time via iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
Users who opt out of tracking will continue to receive ads that are “less personalized” and based solely on first-party Google data, which does not require additional user consent under Apple’s ATT. These ads might be less aligned with user preferences and more repetitive due to the absence of third-party tracking data.
This update is a direct response to Apple’s privacy-centric changes, aimed at giving users more control over their data. In 2021, Google had stopped certain tracking methods to comply with Apple’s requirements, thereby avoiding the need to display the ATT prompt. YouTube’s latest approach marks a shift, allowing users who wish to receive more relevant ads to opt into broader tracking voluntarily.
For more details on YouTube’s new tracking prompt and its implications for iOS users, visit 9to5Google.