This month marks the anniversary of Apple’s great war against the advertising ecosystem of iOS. During their Developers Conference on June 22, 2020, the device manufacturer announced a new feature that will give users the choice to block the IDFA or identifier for advertisers. It prevents apps from tracking device users anywhere on the internet.

But with Apple prioritizing their users’ privacy, many app developers, measurement companies, and advertisers have been left in the dark. The iOS 14 privacy feature release sent the advertising industry and large digital content providers into upheaval, and it looks like it’s not ending anytime soon. With the buzz around the next features of iOS 15, it seems like Apple won’t end this war on advertisers.

The Importance of Apple’s War Over Privacy

The iOS 14 privacy feature, which was released on April 26 last year, came in the form of an opt-in dialog. It asks users if they want an app to track their activity across websites and apps owned by other companies. With many consumers expressing their frustrations and worry about their online privacy, this app tracking transparency is a welcome move from Apple.

Businesses and companies have been using a person’s digital tracks to compile a user profile for years. Some can even buy or request a user’s data from other platforms to deliver a more targeted advertising campaign. This kind of tracking is essential for brands that use advertising as their business model since they use the data to send consumers targeted ads.

Firms can now know more about your wants and needs than you know yourself. But when you think about it in a consumer’s view, it can be scary knowing someone is watching your every move without your permission. It doesn’t come as a surprise why many people don’t want to be tracked. Yet, these strikingly personalized ad campaigns can also be a blessing.

Despite the negative perceptions of targeted advertising strategies, some consumers still see its benefits and deem it acceptable. For one, it makes a more efficient online shopping experience. Targeted advertising also makes finding new brands, local businesses, and promotional sales and incentives easier. With this mixture of perceptions among consumers, this Apple iOS 14 feature is a genius play.

How the Advertising Industry Was Affected with the Release of iOS 14

But as this iOS 14 update makes things easier and more comfortable for its device users, it has become a huge problem for a massive industry. Publishers of online content like Google and Facebook expressed their dissent with Apple’s move. Since targeted advertising is crucial to their business model, they are some of the companies that are experiencing the negative effect that comes after Apple’s IDFA block.

Moreover, these tech giants typically have more data on more people, which means they are losing their privileged position with users turning off app tracking. But because they have large proprietary datasets, they may still be protected in the long term.

The real sectors that are heavily affected are smaller businesses that rely on targeted ads to reach their audience and mobile measurement providers that collect and organize data apps. Brands had to rethink their campaign strategies to survive the iOS 14 update. With the upcoming iOS 15 update that includes additional user privacy, these businesses will face more issues.

What’s Changing with iOS 15

Apple’s iOS 15 will take privacy to a whole new level. The update will include new features that will help device users monitor and control the app’s data use. With this App Privacy Report, consumers will be able to see when individual apps request to access their location, camera, microphone, phone gallery, and contacts during the past seven days.

Device users can find out which third-party domain the app is contacting and sharing their data. The upcoming iOS 15 will also likely force the email marketing ecosystem to adapt. Apple Mail will start hiding the IP addresses of your device, which means firms sending marketing emails won’t be able to track where an email is sent and whether it is read.

How the Next Update Will Harm Advertisers

This upcoming update will add a new battle to Apple’s war on advertisers. Even with social media influencers and chatbots entering the digital marketing scene, many companies still rely on emails to build brand awareness, acquire new customers, and communicate with loyal clients.

With Apple cracking down on email tracking, it could blunt the use of newsletters. It will be tougher for businesses to know if their email is working or not. The IP blocking will also likely cripple user-centric profiling. Without these addresses to latch onto, firms will no longer be able to identify users in a commercially reliable way.

Conclusion

Since last year, Apple has been pushing for increased user privacy. While the release of iOS 14 made for a safer and more comfortable experience for their consumers, it delivered major blows to the digital marketing sector. Things won’t likely simmer down as the upcoming iOS 15 update will put a nail to user-centric profiling and cripple email marketing. There’s no stopping these changes, and brands will have to think of a new strategy for marketing campaigns.