German Antitrust Watchdog Challenges Apple's App Tracking Practices

Preliminary findings suggest Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework may unfairly favor its own apps over third-party developers.

Germany's Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has issued preliminary findings alleging that Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework (ATTF) applies stricter rules to third-party apps than to Apple's own apps.
The FCO claims Apple’s consent dialogs for its own apps are designed to encourage user approval, while third-party apps face multiple consent prompts that may deter tracking permissions.
Apple's practices under scrutiny include combining user data across its ecosystem for advertising purposes, which the FCO argues is not held to the same standards as third-party tracking.
The investigation is part of broader European efforts, including the Digital Markets Act, to regulate major tech companies and prevent self-preferencing.
Apple has defended the ATTF as a privacy-focused tool applied consistently and is expected to formally respond to the FCO's findings, with a related court decision on abuse control powers due in March 2025.