iPhone (iOS) · Privacy & Security
Control which apps can track you across other apps
App Tracking Transparency requires apps to ask permission before tracking activity across other companies' apps and websites for advertising or data-sharing purposes.
How to open App Tracking Transparency
- Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Tracking.
- Toggle Allow Apps to Request to Track on or off.
- Review and adjust individual app permissions in the list below.
What you should know
- Found in Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
- A master toggle, 'Allow Apps to Request to Track,' controls whether the prompt appears at all.
- Below the master toggle, every app that has requested tracking permission is listed individually.
- Denying tracking doesn't block ads outright, only the ability to link activity across other apps.
Why it matters
Before this feature, apps could silently share a device identifier with data brokers and ad networks to build a cross-app profile of a person's behavior without any visible consent step. App Tracking Transparency forces a clear, one-time prompt for each app, putting the choice explicitly in the user's hands rather than buried in a terms-of-service agreement. Because it's enforced at the operating system level rather than left to individual apps to self-report, it's one of the most consequential privacy protections Apple has shipped, and it directly shaped how the mobile advertising industry operates.
Best practices
- Review the per-app list periodically, since permissions can be changed after the fact without waiting for a new prompt.
- Deny tracking by default for apps with no clear reason to link data across other services.
- Turn off the master toggle if you'd rather apps never even ask, though some apps may then restrict certain personalized features.
Common problems and fixes
- An app never showed the tracking prompt.
- Some apps don't request tracking at all; check Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking to see if it's simply not listed.
- Ads still appear after denying tracking.
- Denying tracking limits cross-app profiling, but apps can still show non-personalized ads based on context.
- A previously allowed app needs to be revoked.
- Toggle that app off directly in the Tracking list; no need to wait for it to ask again.
Tips and tricks
- Turning off the master 'Allow Apps to Request to Track' toggle answers every prompt as No automatically, saving time.
Frequently asked questions
Does this affect Apple's own apps?
Apple's own advertising in the App Store is controlled by a separate Apple Advertising toggle, not App Tracking Transparency.
Will denying tracking break an app?
Core functionality shouldn't break, though some free apps may show more generic ads as a result.
Related settings
- Privacy & PermissionsThe Privacy & Security hub lets you review and control exactly which apps can access your Camera, Microphone, Location Services, Contacts, Photos, and more.
- App Privacy ReportApp Privacy Report shows a detailed log of how frequently each app has used permissions like location, camera, and microphone over the past seven days, plus which domains it has contacted.
More Privacy & Security guides for iPhone (iOS)
- Face ID & PasscodeFace ID (or Touch ID) and Passcode settings control how you unlock your iPhone, authorize purchases, and protect sensitive data with biometric or code-based security.
- Location ServicesLocation Services is the master switch and per-app control center for GPS-based location sharing on iPhone, letting you decide exactly which apps can see your precise or general location, and when.
- Find MyFind My helps you locate a lost or stolen iPhone on a map, remotely play a sound, mark it as lost, or erase it, and it can also share your location with family members or locate AirTags and other Apple accessories.
- Emergency SOSEmergency SOS lets you quickly call for help by pressing the side button rapidly or holding it with a volume button, automatically alerting emergency services and, if configured, notifying your chosen emergency contacts with your location.
- Safety CheckSafety Check lets users see and instantly stop sharing location, passwords, and app access with specific people, useful in situations like leaving a relationship where trust has broken down.
- Content & Privacy RestrictionsContent & Privacy Restrictions, part of Screen Time, lets a parent or guardian block specific apps, websites, content ratings, and purchase types, and lock down further changes to privacy settings.