Apple plans EU app data consent rule changes

Germany's Federal Cartel Office found that Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework gave its own apps more favorable consent prompts than those for third-party developers, potentially breaching competition rules. The decision mandates changes within four months, with the commitments lasting seven years and overseen by a trustee. Third-party consent pop-ups must be redesigned to remove discouraging language and symbols and be visually and linguistically neutral. Apple will also allow third-party app publishers to combine its consent request with separate data-protection prompts, increasing flexibility. The changes will apply across almost all EU countries, and Apple says it has adjusted the prompts at the authority's request as developers like Meta pursue more accurate user data for targeted advertising. France and Italy have previously fined Apple for the ATT framework, underscoring continued regulatory pressure in Europe.