Apple is confronting a lawsuit seeking £2 billion concerning its enactment of the App Tracking Transparency framework
Apple is contending with a £2 billion lawsuit in the UK concerning its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework.
The ATT framework was rolled out by Apple in the iOS 14.5 update in 2021. This requires apps to get user permission before tracking their data across other apps.
This move significantly affected mobile app developers. "It has been especially damaging for mature franchises like Angry Birds which rely more heavily on paid advertising for user acquisition," said Louise Wooldridge, senior research manager for games at Ampere Analysis, during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz about Rovio.
ATT Collective Action Limited has lodged a complaint with the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal. The complaint accuses Apple of misusing its dominance by applying ATT in a biased manner that unfairly targets UK iOS developers and did so without proper consultation.
"The ATT Policy was implemented without the transparency and objectivity you would expect from a company in Apple's position"
Ann Pope
The lawsuit claims that while third-party apps are required to seek user approval under data protection laws, in addition to a prompt set by Apple, Apple itself is held to less stringent standards for its advertising and data gathering activities.
The filing further alleges that Apple proceeded with these changes without consulting app developers, leading to considerable losses for the UK app development industry due to diminished advertising revenue and increased costs for acquiring new users.
"Privacy is an important protection for consumers, but it should be applied fairly and in a way that ensures businesses of all sizes can compete on a level playing field," stated Ann Pope, director of ATT Collective Action Limited, and formerly senior director for antitrust at the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
"Digital platforms should not use privacy as a reason to impose unequal rules onto app developers."
"Apple's lack of transparency and objectivity in implementing the ATT Policy has significantly harmed businesses reliant on Apple's ecosystem," commented Pope.
"This legal action is vital to protect the interests of UK businesses reliant on Apple, to ensure fairness, and to recover losses faced by British companies."
"It was imposed unfairly and unilaterally, without consultation"
Luke Streatfeild
Luke Streatfeild, partner at Hausfeld and leading lawyer on the lawsuit against Apple, highlighted challenges concerning the behavior expected from dominant digital platforms and the balance between privacy and market fairness.
"The ATT Policy disrupted this balance," he stated. "It was implemented unjustly and without consultation, harming UK app developers while benefiting Apple's business."
App developers in the UK who have earned revenue from advertising in third-party iOS apps or spent money to acquire users are automatically included in the lawsuit.
This issue has also drawn the attention of regulators in various European countries, including France, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Romania, who have examined Apple's ATT framework.
In France and Italy, regulators have imposed fines surpassing £200 million, and Apple reached a settlement with German regulators in August 2026.
