When Apple introduced privacy labels on the App Store back in December 2020, the company said it would hold itself to the same standard as its developers by providing privacy labels for all its stock apps for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Keeping true to its promise, the tech giant recently launched a webpage listing privacy labels for all its stock apps.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Privacy information for all Apple apps.
- Alphabetically-ordered on the Apple website.
- Most Apple apps collect little or no user data.
- None of the collected data is used to identify users.
Privacy info for all Apple apps in one place
You can find the new webpage at apple.com/privacy/labels.
Our privacy labels are designed to help you understand how apps handle your data, including apps we develop at Apple. This page brings privacy labels for our iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS apps together in one place.
The alphabetically-ordered list makes finding the app you’re interested in very easy. Just click what you want to reveal all the information that app knows about you, including any data collection taking place and how that collected data is being used.
Some apps like Alarms do not collect any user data. Others, like the App Store, may collect search history, financial information and other data. No Apple apps use this data for tracking.
→ Do you read App Store privacy labels before installing an app?
Apple also provides this information in App Store listings for its own apps, but it’s more convenient to use the aforementioned webpage to see the information that interests you.
An important caveat
Third-party developers self-report these privacy labels. Apple lacks the manpower to verify if every submitted piece of information is true or false. The onus is on developers to transparently divulge data collection and tracking to the user via these privacy nutrition labels.
In the context of Apple’s own apps, Apple is both a developer and a platform owner. We think it’s safe to assume that Apple isn’t lying about how its apps collect users’ data.
Is Apple tracking me?
Most of the apps collect little or no user data. The stock Alarms app, for example, does not need any data from the user so it’s collecting none. Other apps may require some data collection to provide personalized features. A good example is the App Store app, which uses your search history, usage data and other signals to improve your experience.
Unlike many third-party apps, no Apple apps collect data to track users across other apps and websites (a new iOS 14.5 feature will seek permission before tracking you).