Apple Inc is the target of a legal claim worth £2 billion ($2.7 billion) that was filed in London on behalf of app developers who say the company applied tougher tracking rules to third-party apps than it did to its own services. The claim was submitted on Thursday to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London.
At issue is Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature, which Apple introduced in 2021 and says was designed to give users control over whether apps can follow their activity across other companies' apps and websites. Lawyers representing the developers contend that, in practice, the policy imposed heavier restrictions on outside app makers, creating an advantage for Apple’s own advertising ecosystem.
Ann Pope, who formerly served as a senior official at Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority and is leading the claim, said the policy "resulted in very significant harm to businesses that depend on Apple as a gatekeeper." In a separate statement, she said the action aims to protect British businesses that rely on the platform, to seek fair application of Apple’s rules, and to compensate companies that the claimants say suffered losses under the policy.
Apple has maintained that App Tracking Transparency delivers "important privacy protections." The company’s public position is that the feature gives users a clearer choice about whether to allow tracking across apps and websites.
The App Tracking Transparency framework has also been the subject of scrutiny from regulators across Europe. In Germany, regulators reached an agreement last month that changed some rules governing how app developers may use personal data for targeted advertising. That action followed accusations by the German competition authority that Apple had abused its market power, a complaint that came after criticism of the tool by Meta Platforms Inc and by publishers, advertisers and app developers.
Regulatory attention to Apple’s tracking policy is not limited to Germany; officials in France, Italy and Poland, among other countries, have examined the App Tracking Transparency rules. The London lawsuit represents a private legal challenge that seeks monetary relief for developers who say they were disadvantaged by Apple’s approach to tracking and advertising on the iOS platform.
Context and implications
Those bringing the claim argue the policy tilt toward Apple’s own services created a competitive imbalance with financial consequences for third-party developers that monetise via targeted advertising or cross-app analytics. Apple counters that the feature is a privacy measure intended to enhance user choice.
How the Competition Appeal Tribunal responds to the claim will determine whether the allegations of unfair application of rules can translate into compensation for affected UK businesses. The litigation follows multiple strands of regulatory inquiry across Europe and adds a private legal dimension to ongoing scrutiny of App Tracking Transparency.