UOKiK orders Apple to standardize ad consent prompts in iOS
Third-party apps and Apple apps are to ask users in Poland for consent in the same way. The change may affect the data used by marketers and app publishers.
On Tuesday, 20 October 2026, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), Tomasz Chróstny, issued a decision obliging Apple to change the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) mechanism on iPhones and iPads in Poland. ATT is a system prompt in which the user agrees to advertising profiling by an app or refuses. The decision covers Apple Inc., Apple Distribution International and Apple Operations International. It concludes proceedings initiated nearly a year ago. The authority did not impose a financial penalty.
According to UOKiK, Apple used two types of prompts. Third-party apps asked for consent to “tracking”, while Apple apps asked for consent to “personalized ads”. The appearance of the windows as well as the wording and layout of the buttons also differed. The authority found that this could have discouraged users from granting consent to independent publishers and favored Apple, which uses its own data for advertising services. Industry media outlets, including Computerworld.pl, report that abuse of a dominant position was punishable by a fine of up to 10% of global turnover.
According to the decision, prompts in Apple apps and third-party apps will have the same appearance, layout and wording. The word “tracking” will disappear from them, as will graphics and phrases that may influence the user’s choice. Users will receive more precise information about how their data is used. According to Wirtualne Media and Computerworld.pl, Apple will also appoint a liaison officer who will accept complaints from app publishers in Polish or English, as well as an independent trustee to assess them. The company will submit annual reports to UOKiK. It has two months from the date the decision becomes final to implement the changes.
Apple defends ATT as a privacy protection tool and states that the same rules apply to all apps, including its own. Similar allegations regarding ATT were previously examined by antitrust authorities in France, Italy and Germany.
Companies advertising in iOS apps or measuring campaigns based on ATT consents must take into account a possible change in the percentage of users who give consent. This percentage determines the data used for targeting (directing ads to selected audience groups) and measuring ad effectiveness. Sources do not yet provide data on the scale of this change.