Twitter politely asks you to protect your targeted advertising dollars in the new iOS 14.5 prompt.

As part of iOS 14.5, Apple’s app tracking transparency forces developers to ask for permission for something they were able to do for free: track iOS users. Today, Twitter is joining the ranks of other developers and adding a sign asking users to enable tracking on iOS (Via MacRumors).

Twitter’s main justification for listening to its request is straightforward – enabling this feature allows it to display “better” ads. The company includes a link to the settings so that you can make those changes, but read the Twitter explanation before making a decision:

Keep Twitter relevant to you by allowing Twitter to track other companies’ data on this device, such as the apps you use and the websites you visit.

A link to the company is also included A support post In the Twitter Help Center, which explains why it needs permission, includes a link to its current app privacy policy, and explains how to enable or disable tracking in iOS.

This is a surprisingly low-key effort to allow users to track Twitter, with the company recently adding Apple’s app tracking transparency to iOS 14.5 as a potential risk. Income Statement (PDF)

:

We continue to expect total revenue to grow faster than expenses in 2021, assuming that the global epidemic continues to improve and we see a slight impact from the rollout of changes associated with iOS 14.5. How fast our direct response roadmap and macroeconomic factors will depend on various factors, including our execution.

Facebook and Instagram adopted a more aggressive approach to convince users that the use of ad tracking is on the up-up – even including a vague threat that enables tracking “Facebook / Instagram Will keep it free of charge. “

Companies like Twitter and Facebook rely on tracking users to support their separate, often very lucrative advertising businesses. After all, it is usually ad sales that pay for free social networks, and customer data helps target those ads. As a company that is more interested in selling hardware and subscription services, Apple doesn’t really have to worry about things like this, but drastic changes like new tracking permissions can scramble developers. .

App tracking transparency has proved popular, however – around 96 percent of US users According to some recent surveys opting out of tracking. And since Google is considering developing its own methods to block tracking on Android, we just have to get into the habit of begging for apps and free data coming to us.