The App Store’s much vaunted privacy labels have gone missing
- apr
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What you need to know
- App Store privacy labels are no longer available in the App Store.
- It isn't clear whether the change is a bug or something Apple has done on purpose.
- Privacy labels show whether an app collets data or not.
The App Store's privacy labels are missing across all platforms and nobody knows why.
Apple's App Store privacy labels have gone missing but it isn't clear why. While it seems most likely that this is a bug, it's possible that Apple is tweaking something in the background. Either way, no apps currently display their privacy labels in the App Store across all of Apple's platforms.
Apple announced its privacy labels at WWDC in 2020 with the aim being to allow people to get a look at what information an app would collect before they installed it. If an app collects data, the privacy labels are supposed to explain that so people can make an informed decision before downloading. However, as Twitter posts have pointed out, they've all gone missing.
Notably, Apple requires that the App Store privacy information be provided whenever a new app or update is submitted for review.
The App Store now helps users better understand an app's privacy practices before they download the app on any Apple platform. On each app's product page, users can learn about some of the data types the app may collect, and whether that data is linked to them or used to track them. You'll need to provide information about your app's privacy practices, including the practices of third-party partners whose code you integrate into your app, in App Store Connect. This information is required to submit new apps and app updates to the App Store.
I've reached out to Apple for confirmation on what's going on, but for now it looks like users are on their own if they want to be sure that an app isn't doing anything they wouldn't want it to.