Apple’s New Policy: App Developers to Provide Clear API Explanations.

Apple has announced that starting soon, additional app developers will have to go through a review process to get their apps approved in the App Store. Specifically, when these developers submit apps that use certain APIs, they will need to explain the reasons for tracking users and connecting their apps to multiple unrelated apps or websites using methods related to “fingerprinting.”

In simpler terms, “fingerprinting” is a term that refers to learning information about a device or its user and using various techniques to track them across different apps or websites, much like mobile ad networks can do. This move comes as Apple aims to address some fingerprinting flaws and privacy concerns.

This means that some apps may not be approved for use on iPhones for a certain period and it aligns with Apple’s controversial App Tracking Transparency initiative, which was introduced in 2021 to give users the choice to allow or deny mobile ad networks and others from tracking them for personalized ads.

It’s worth noting that Apple has also prohibited certain creative and covert forms of fingerprinting even if users opt for tracking, and this misuse includes questioning the API itself.

App developers can find ways to use features, information, or tools to track users. Apple is trying to put a stop to this, even if it’s not the primary purpose of the API. The APIs that need to be made fair to developers include things like file timestamps or showing system boot time among others. In Apple’s own words, these apps attempt to “unfairly track a device or user by accessing device signals, which is also known as device fingerprinting.”

However, developers can still make false claims and may claim they are using an API for one thing when, in reality, they are using it for something else entirely. Apple addresses this with the call for “declared reasons to be presented as part of your app’s functionality to users.”

It won’t be a foolproof system, but it will likely allow Apple to at least lessen the prevalence of fingerprinting. The rollout will be gradual, allowing developers plenty of time to adapt—especially those who actively rely on tracking within their apps. At the onset of this downfall, developers who submit an app or app update that uses these APIs will receive a notification requiring them to provide an explanation soon.

In Spring 2024, apps that haven’t complied will be removed. It will be as simple as picking from a pre-approved list in a dropdown menu to comply. Nonetheless, others might have more significant work to do, especially those who rely heavily on this loophole, to modify their applications so they can stop doing it if they can’t justify a case. Valid pre-approved reasons apply. Those experiencing pre-approved reasons for non-fingerprinting purposes can submit a request for new approval through a form to contact Apple.