Google Considering 'Less Stringent' Version of Apple's App Tracking Transparency Feature for Android

Starting with iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5, all of which are currently in beta testing, Apple will be requiring developers to receive a user's consent to track their activity across other apps and websites and/or access their device's random advertising identifier. Users will be presented with a prompt with options to "Allow Tracking" or "Ask App not to Track" when opening apps that wish to track their activity.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Nico Grant, Google is exploring a similar measure for Android, but in a "less stringent" way. The report claims that the proposed solution could end up being similar to Google's planned Chrome web browser changes:

To keep advertisers happy while improving privacy, the discussions around Google’s Android solution indicate that it could be similar to its planned Chrome web browser changes, the people said. The company said in 2020 that it intended to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome within two years. Google reaffirmed that plan earlier this year. Cookies are a way for websites to track users around the web to serve them more personalized ads.

"We're always looking for ways to work with developers to raise the bar on privacy while enabling a healthy, ad-supported app ecosystem," a Google spokesman said in a statement issued in response to the report.

Google has a web-based solution known as the Privacy Sandbox that allows advertisers to target groups of people with similar interests, rather than individuals, and the report claims that Google will likely to take a similar approach with Android.