Apple has doubled down on its dedication to preserving user privacy since it introduced iOS 14 at WWDC 2020. The Cupertino-based tech giant is continuing its commitment to tightening user security with the next update: iOS 14.5.
The recently released iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 updates offered minor tweaks to the iPhone and iPad's camera app and Bluetooth technology. Apple's next beta update will offer an app-tracking transparency feature for security-conscious iPhone and iPad users.
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iPhone and iPad update to increase users' control over data access
According to a press release posted on Wednesday, the next iPhone and iPad update will require apps to obtain users' permission before tracking their personal data across other apps and websites. In the Settings app, users will be able to see which apps have requested permission to keep an eye on their data; they can also change those permissions at any given time.
The Cupertino-based tech company boasted about the significant strides it has already taken to preserve user privacy, including its implementation of a feature called the "privacy nutrition label." This feature requires every app, including Apple's own platforms, to give users an easy-to-digest summary of the developer's data-tracking practices.
“Privacy means peace of mind, it means security, and it means you are in the driver’s seat when it comes to your own data,” Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said. “Our goal is to create technology that keeps people’s information safe and protected. We believe privacy is a fundamental human right, and our teams work every day to embed it in everything we make.”
If you're looking forward to getting your hands on Apple's new app-tracking transparency feature, you won't have to wait long. The iPhone maker says that the next update for iOS and iPadOS will roll out in early spring.
Apple is certainly winning us over with its commitment to prioritizing app consumers — and not app developers — in a world where users' data privacy seems increasingly difficult to protect.
