YouTube will soon ask iOS users if they wish to allow tracking across non-Google apps and websites. This move aims to deliver more personalized advertising by leveraging broader activity data, thereby enhancing ad relevance and measurement capabilities.
Starting soon, iPhone and iPad users will encounter a one-time notification within the YouTube app requesting permission to track their activity across other companies’ platforms. The prompt will present users with two choices:
- Allow: By selecting this, users permit YouTube to link their app activity with non-Google apps and websites, resulting in more personalized ads and improved ad metrics. This permission will apply to all YouTube app users on the device.
- Ask App Not to Track: Choosing this will prevent YouTube from associating app activity with non-Google platforms, leading to less personalized ads that may be less relevant and more repetitive.
This change, however, will not affect YouTube Premium subscribers and users with child accounts, who will not see the prompt.
YouTube asserts that opting into tracking will enhance the user’s ad experience by aligning advertisements more closely with their interests. This is achieved by integrating in-app YouTube activity with data from third-party apps and websites. YouTube believes that enabling advertisers to measure performance more accurately will ultimately benefit creators on the platform, who rely on ad revenue.
A YouTube spokesperson commented on the upcoming update:
“Starting soon, YouTube users on iPhone and iPad devices can choose to opt into more personalized advertising, in line with Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy. We’re confident that this will help us provide a high-quality, helpful ads experience for users, while also benefiting creators. YouTube users that choose to opt-in can turn this off at any time.”
For users who prefer not to enable tracking, the current experience, which uses only first-party Google data and avoids ATT, will continue. This means less personalized ads and potentially more frequent ad repetition. To adjust their tracking preferences, users can navigate to iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking. It is important to note that this setting specifically affects the YouTube app’s interaction with non-Google platforms and does not alter the personalization of ads within Google’s ecosystem based on a user’s account settings.
This update reflects YouTube’s ongoing efforts to balance compliance with Apple’s privacy mandates while striving to maintain a robust, tailored advertising ecosystem that supports its creators.
For more details, visit 9to5Google.