Apple is facing a £2 billion class action lawsuit over the implementation of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework.
Apple introduced the ATT framework in 2021 with the iOS 14.5 update, requiring user authorisation to access data tracked across other apps.
The debut of ATT had a massive impact on 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, in a recent GamesIndustry.biz feature on Rovio.
ATT Collective Action Limited has filed a legal claim with the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, alleging that Apple abused its power and discriminated against UK iOS developers by applying ATT unfairly and 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 claim argues that whereas third-party apps must obtain user consent under data protection law, as well as additional consent through a prompt that is predefined by Apple, the same rules do not apply to Apple itself, which applies less restrictive standards to its own advertising and data collection activities.
The claim also argues that Apple did not consult app developers on the changes, which are alleged to have caused significant losses across the UK app development sector as result of a reduction in advertising value and an increase in the cost of attracting 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,” said Ann Pope, the director of ATT Collective Action Limited, and former senior director for antitrust at the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
“It cannot become a reason for digital platforms to play by one set of rules while forcing app developers to play by another.
“The ATT Policy was implemented without the transparency and objectivity you would expect from a company in Apple’s position, and it resulted in very significant harm to businesses that depend on Apple as a gatekeeper.
“This action is important to protect the rights of British businesses that depend on Apple, to ensure that the rules that Apple applies are fair, and to compensate the losses that British companies have suffered.”
“It was imposed unfairly and unilaterally, without consultation”
Luke Streatfeild
Luke Streatfeild, a partner at Hausfeld and lead solicitor for the claim against Apple, said the claim raises questions about “how powerful digital platforms should behave” and the “intersection of privacy protections and fair markets.”
“The ATT Policy got this balance wrong,” he said. “It was imposed unfairly and unilaterally, without consultation, in a manner that damaged British app developers without justification, while allowing Apple’s business to flourish.”
UK-based app developers that generated revenue from advertising in third-party iOS apps or spent money to attract users are automatically represented by the claim.
Several European regulators, including those in France, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Romania, have investigated Apple’s ATT framework.
Regulators in France and Italy have imposed fines exceeding £200 million, and Apple reached a settlement with the German regulator in August 2026.
