At this year’s WWDC, Apple announced that iOS 14 will change how developers can collect and share end user data. We’re summarizing the most important changes here, and how we’re helping you prepare for iOS 14.
Using Flurry Analytics
Please note that Flurry Analytics is unaffected by these changes, and you can continue to use the service without any issues before and after iOS 14 is released.
Managing Privacy with Your End Users
With iOS 14, you will have to provide end users information and the choice to opt-in to data collection. Apple’s new App Tracking Transparency framework communicates these requirements, and those will take effect when iOS 14 goes GA.
Two key elements of the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework include:
- Tracking Opt-in Authorization: If your app collects data about end users and shares that data with other companies, you must present an authorization prompt. Note that Apple indicated that first party analytics providers are not subject to the same opt-in. We will release a new SDK in August that will pass through your users’ consent data to Flurry. Invoking the opt-in prompt in iOS 14 is completely up to you. You decide when to prompt for authorization - or even whether you invoke the prompt at all. Your analytics from Flurry won’t be impacted by whether you display the prompt for opt-in authorization.
- App Store Disclosure: Apps will now be required to indicate upon submission and on the app’s product page in the app store what data the apps collect, and what data is collected by the apps’ partners.
In iOS 14, users are opted out by default until you present Apple’s opt-in authorization. Until a user has specifically granted you authorization to track them, you do not have their authorization to track them as defined by Apple. Given our experience with GDPR and similar privacy controls, we anticipate opt-in rates will be at or below 20%. However, without an available identifier for use in ad targeting, CPMs will drop. Without a way to attribute app installs at the device level for most devices, attribution will be a challenge. The mobile ecosystem is just beginning to assess these types of impacts, and we will be sharing more with you as part of our industry insights series.
Flurry agrees with Apple’s moves to provide transparency and choice to end users. And Flurry Analytics will be compliant with their new policies.
Flurry commitment to our application publishers:
- Flurry Analytics will continue to work, without interruption, whether end users opt-in to Apple’s new framework or not.
- Flurry will provide a new version of its SDK in August that will seamlessly pass end users opt-in selections to Flurry.
- Flurry will respect end user consent preferences.
- Flurry will respect Apple’s policy requirement to not combine data across apps and websites owned by other companies in cases where end users have not provided affirmative consent to tracking. (Note: This statement was updated for clarity in March 2021.)
- Flurry will help you comply with the new App Store transparency page, providing guidance to ensure your app submission process goes smoothly.
Note that at the time of writing this post, Apple has yet to release its final guidance. As such, our guidance may evolve should Apple’s policies also evolve. In any event, Flurry will continue to work with Apple to ensure that our privacy practices align with Apple policies.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions and let us know how Flurry can help further by emailing us at support@flurry.com.