Daily Apple Privacy Stats and App Tracking Transparency
- Last update: 27 May 2023 CET
Over the last few years, Apple has invested heavily in user privacy protections. In December 2020, for instance, with the release of iOS 14.3, the tech giant introduced App Privacy Details to the Apple App Store. This new feature requires publishers to provide information about their app’s privacy features in App Store Connect, including information about the practices of third-party partners whose code they integrate into their products. As such, App Privacy Details enables users to better understand an app’s privacy practices before they download it to their devices.
But Apple didn’t stop there. The April 26, 2021 release of iOS 14.5 was accompanied by more privacy-related changes. Chief among these is the App Tracking Transparency feature, which requires developers to request user permission before tracking them for advertising purposes.
In short, Apple is running a full-court press on behalf of user privacy. So, we here at 42matters decided to leverage our app intelligence solutions to see how publishers have incorporated Apple’s new privacy standards into their strategies. This article will cover the following:
76.19% of all iOS apps declare the private information they track. This amounts to 1,339,657 apps. Conversely, 23.81%, or 418,581 apps, have not yet declared the private information they track.
13.87% of all iOS apps have declared that they use at least one data type to track users. This amounts to 243,941 apps. On the flipside, 86.13%, or 1,514,297 apps, have not declared that they use data to track users.
29.07% of iOS apps use data linked to users. This amounts to a total of 511,159 apps. On the other hand, 70.93%, or 1,247,079 apps, have not declared that they use data linked to users.
31.43% apps use data that is not linked to users. In total, this adds up to 552,615 apps. However, 68.57%, or 1,205,623 apps, have not declared using non-user data.
Background Location refers to an aspect of Location Services where apps leverage information collected from cellular, Wi-Fi, and other networks to determine the approximate location of a device. Moreover, with this permission, apps do not need to be open to collect location information. Indeed, as the name implies, these apps operate at all times “in the background.”
Currently, 17.22% of all iOS apps have declared that they leverage Background Location or they collect Coarse or Precise location. In total, this amounts to 302,788 apps.
45.9% of all free iOS apps have declared that they collect privacy data. This amounts to 763,576 apps. However, this also means that 54.1%, or 899,846 apps, have not declared that they collect privacy data. Moreover, if a free app collects privacy data, it will collect an average of 11 data types.
11.24% of paid iOS apps have declared that they collect privacy data. This amounts to 10,653 apps. However, this also means that 88.76%, or 84,163 apps, have not declared that they collect privacy data. In addition, if a paid app collects privacy data, it will collect an average of 6 data types.
In the chart below, you will see the App Store genres that collect the most types of data:
Currently, Not known genre collects the most data types, averaging 31 types of data for every app that collects private information. Business is second, averaging 15 types of data; Arcade is third, averaging 28 types of data; Lifestyle is fourth, averaging 16 types of data; and Entertainment is fifth, averaging 24 types of data.
In the chart below, you will find the five genres that collect the most private data. This data is determined using the total number of apps that collect private data, as well as the percentage of apps that do so.
26,056 apps in the Not known genre genre access private data. This represents 26.57% of apps in the genre. Next comes Business, with a total of 75,010 apps, or 11.09%; Arcade, with a total of 10,563 apps, or 10.77%; Lifestyle, with a total of 67,916 apps, or 10.04%; and Entertainment, with a total of 9,440 apps, or 9.63%.
Last, but not least, you’ll find a list of the uses for user data, declared by app publishers:
Currently, App Functionality is the most common way for data linked to you, with 449,090 apps, or 88%, using it for this reason. The second most common reason is Analytics, as stated by 232,409 apps, or 45% of apps; the third most common reason is Product Personalization, as stated by 180,080 apps, or 35% of apps; the fourth most common reason is Developers Advertising, as stated by 114,939 apps, or 22% of apps; and the fifth most common reason is Third Party Advertising, as stated by 90,480 apps, or 18% of apps.
Currently, App Functionality is the most common way for data not linked to you, with 393,184 apps, or 71%, using it for this reason. The second most common reason is Analytics, as stated by 324,154 apps, or 59% of apps; the third most common reason is Third Party Advertising, as stated by 108,676 apps, or 20% of apps; the fourth most common reason is Product Personalization, as stated by 92,267 apps, or 17% of apps; and the fifth most common reason is Other Purposes, as stated by 58,660 apps, or 11% of apps.
