Apple to launch update with app tracking feature next week

Apple will launch its operating system update that will include a feature that will limit the reach of targeted ads “next week,” the company said Tuesday.

Apple’s long-awaited — and delayed — App Tracking Transparency tool will require apps to get the user’s permission before tracking their data across apps and websites owned by other companies. 

Apple said in a press release about its new AirTag product launch that the iOS 14.5 operating system software updates will be available “starting next week.”

Apple unveiled the feature over the summer, and it was slated to be launched in September. But the company said it delayed the update to give developers time to update their systems and data practices. 

At the start of the year, Apple said the update would roll out in “early spring.” 

Tech advocacy groups have widely hailed the feature, but it has faced intense pushback from Facebook. 

The social media giant, which thrives off selling targeted ads, has slammed the feature as being harmful to small businesses.