With all the hype surrounding the freshly unveiled iPhone 5 and its preorder kick-off this morning, it’s easy to overlook iOS and the immense slate of new features coming to the Apple smartphone.
One of the most talked-about and freshly uncovered features is ability for users to “limit ad tracking.”
In short, Apple is taking steps to help block ad tracking that mobile ad networks rely on to deliver relevant ads across various iOS apps.
The new feature can be accessed in the “About” settings section instead of “Privacy.”
“iOS 6 introduces the Advertising Identifier, a non-permanent, non-personal device identifier, that advertising networks will use to give you more control over advertisers’ ability to use tracking methods,” Apple says. “If you choose to limit ad tracking, advertising networks using the Advertising Identifier will no longer gather information to serve you targeted ads.”
In the future all advertising networks will be required to use the Advertising Identifier. However until advertising networks transition to using the Advertising Identifier you may still receive targeted ads from other networks
Apple has been widely praised for implementing a Safari Privacy preference that restricts cookies “from third parties and advertisers.”
Google’s move to allegedly go around these settings helped it earn a whopping $22.5 million fine earlier this year.