Apple will soon tell iPhone users what data is collected by apps

After making a lot of developers squeamish and at the same time giving users more choice about their privacy, Apple is set to bring another feature to iPhone that’s bound to have some repercussions. According to multiple online reports, Apple has rolled out a new feature called App Privacy Report. The feature has been made available in iOS 15.2 beta version.

App Privacy Report: What does it mean for users

A report by 9to5Mac reveals that the feature will be part of the Settings app. App Privacy Report, as the name suggests, will tell users how often apps have accessed their location, photos, camera, microphone, and contacts during a period of seven days. I. So for instance, you will know how many times the Weather app has accessed your location. Or how many times you gave Instagram access to your photos or camera.

That’s not all. The feature will also keep a track of network activity, which means it also shows you which apps have contacted other domains and how recently they have contacted them. The feature will give users a better idea of how apps are using their data.

Earlier this year, Apple rolled out the App Tracking Transparency feature which created quite a flutter. Big names like Facebook and Snapchat have admitted that the feature has taken a toll on their revenues. At the same time, the likes of Google have said that the impact has been nominal.

With App Tracking Transparency, users have the choice to not use it and that might be the case with App Privacy Report as well.

It’s still not clear when the feature will actually be rolled out to users. However, since this is the first beta version where the feature has landed, it might just be a matter of a few weeks when users will be able to access it.