Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) is the iPhone privacy feature behind the 2021 headlines about Facebook. On iOS 14.5 and later, it requires apps to ask before linking your activity with other companies’ apps, websites or data brokers for targeted advertising or ad measurement. It can sharply limit that kind of cross-company tracking, but it is not a universal Facebook blocker.
What App Tracking Transparency actually controls
ATT governs a specific type of tracking: connecting information collected by an app with information from other companies’ apps, websites, offline properties or data brokers, generally for targeted advertising, advertising measurement or data sharing. Apple’s current explanation is available in its ATT support documentation.
The permission also covers access to Apple’s device advertising identifier, commonly called the IDFA. If you deny permission, the app cannot access that identifier and may not use substitute identifying information, such as an email address, to track you for the covered purposes.
This is different from data an app collects inside its own service. ATT does not automatically stop Facebook from recording activity on Facebook or Instagram, using information you provide, or retaining data it already has. App Store privacy labels are separate disclosures about an app’s data practices; they are not an additional ATT switch.
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What the Apple prompt says
When an app requests permission, the system dialog generally offers:
- Allow
- Ask App Not to Track
The developer can add an explanation of why it wants permission. Apple says you can continue using the app’s full capabilities after choosing either response, and you can change the decision later in Settings.
Turn off tracking requests for every app
For the simplest privacy-first choice, disable the master control:
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- Open Settings.
- Tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Tracking.
- Turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track.
With this switch off, apps that would request ATT permission are treated as though you selected Ask App Not to Track, and they no longer show individual tracking prompts. The current menu uses Privacy & Security; older iOS versions may show the path as Settings → Privacy → Tracking.
Control Facebook, Instagram and other apps individually
Keep Allow Apps to Request to Track enabled if you want to decide app by app:
- Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
- Review the apps listed.
- Turn an app’s switch on to allow ATT-covered tracking or off to deny it.
For example, turn off the switch beside Facebook or Instagram to revoke an earlier approval. Apple says permissions can be changed at any time. An app may not appear until it has requested ATT permission, so absence from the list does not prove that it collects no data.
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What happens when you choose “Ask App Not to Track”
- The app cannot access the IDFA.
- It cannot use other identifying information to perform ATT-covered cross-company tracking.
- The app remains usable under Apple’s stated policy.
- You can reverse the choice from the Tracking settings.
Apple’s developer rules also prohibit fingerprinting—using device signals to uniquely identify a user or device for tracking. Some on-device-only uses, fraud prevention, security and certain credit-reporting activities fall outside Apple’s definition of tracking. The technical rules and examples are in Apple’s developer privacy documentation.
Does this stop Facebook from tracking you?
It restricts Facebook’s ability to follow you across other companies’ apps and websites using mechanisms covered by ATT when you have not granted permission. It does not erase information Facebook already possesses or prevent every form of data use.
| ATT can limit | ATT does not automatically limit |
|---|---|
| Cross-company activity used for targeted advertising or ad measurement | Activity inside Facebook- or Instagram-owned services |
| Use of the IDFA without permission | Information you voluntarily provide or that is tied to your account |
| Sharing covered tracking data with data brokers | Browser cookies, logged-in web activity, location, contacts, microphone or camera access |
| Fingerprinting intended to uniquely identify your device for tracking | Data already collected before you changed the setting |
ATT is therefore one privacy control, not a complete Facebook privacy solution. Review Facebook’s own ad and account settings, browser cross-site tracking controls, Location Services, Contacts, Photos, microphone and camera permissions, and App Privacy Report separately.
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ATT is not the same as Apple’s Personalized Ads setting
Personalized Ads controls whether Apple uses information for personalization of Apple’s own advertising. ATT controls whether third-party apps may track you across other companies’ apps and websites or share data with data brokers for covered purposes. Turning off one does not substitute for the other. Older reports speculated about links between the controls, but that was not established as a universal rule.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why Facebook opposed the policy
Facebook argued that requiring permission would reduce the effectiveness and measurement of targeted advertising, particularly for small businesses. It also accused Apple of using the policy to favor its own advertising business. Apple responded that the change gives people a choice about whether their data is collected and shared across companies. Contemporary reporting on the dispute is available from MacRumors.
Claims such as Facebook’s historical statement that ad performance could fall by more than 60 percent were company assertions, not a universal independently verified result. The original “Facebook is terrified” framing was headline rhetoric; the documented fact is that Facebook strongly opposed ATT.
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If Tracking is missing, unavailable or confusing
The Tracking menu is missing
- Confirm the iPhone or iPad is running iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later: Settings → General → Software Update.
- Older releases use different menu labels.
- An app may not have requested ATT yet.
- The device or Apple Account may be managed or restricted.
The master switch is greyed out
Apple lists several intentional restrictions: the account belongs to a child or someone under 18 in some regions, the Apple Account is managed by a school or business, a configuration profile limits tracking, or the Apple Account was created within the last three days. Check for management under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. Updating iOS will not remove an organization- or account-level restriction.
An app is not listed
The app may not have requested ATT, may not have triggered its request yet, or may not use a covered tracking flow. Its absence is not evidence that it collects no information.
You still see targeted ads after denying permission
ATT is not an ad blocker. Facebook can still use activity within its own services and account information, while browser activity and other permissions are governed separately. Review those controls and Facebook’s own privacy options if you want to reduce additional forms of personalization.
Choose the setting that fits your goal
| Your goal | Recommended setting |
|---|---|
| Block ATT-covered requests without reviewing prompts | Turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track |
| Decide for each app | Leave the master switch on and manage individual toggles |
| Allow a previously denied app | Turn on that app in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking |
Denying permission may make ads less personalized and give advertisers less precise conversion measurement. Apple nevertheless says apps should remain fully usable after an ATT denial.
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The Bottom Line
For maximum simplicity, turn off Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Allow Apps to Request to Track. That blocks ATT-covered cross-app and cross-site tracking requests, including Facebook’s use of those mechanisms without your permission, while leaving other data collection and privacy controls to manage separately.
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