Competition in the App Store was limited by Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) privacy framework. According to the Italian Competition Authority, the company was able to "unilaterally impose" the ATT regulations on independent app developers because of its "absolute dominant position" in app distribution. In order to track users across apps and websites for targeted advertising, Apple introduced ATT in 2021, allowing mobile apps to request users' express consent to access their device's unique advertising identifier.

In addition to streamlining the consent process so that developers can get user consent in a way that complies with data protection law, Apple is reportedly willing to implement neutral consent prompts for both its own services and third-party apps. Additionally, the business was fined €150 million ($162) back in March

2025.

million) by France's competition regulator for utilizing ATT to take advantage of its leading market share in mobile app advertising. The privacy framework and competition authorities have previously clashed. The German antitrust agency announced earlier this month that it was testing Apple's suggested modifications to ATT, which included altering the consent prompt's text and formatting while preserving "core user benefits." Similar investigations are being conducted against the company in Romania and Poland.

The inquiry is scheduled to conclude in June 2023, having begun in May

2023.

It is criticizing the consent requirements rather than questioning Apple's choice to implement measures intended to improve users' privacy on iOS.