Apple is rolling out a fix for a weird bug in iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 where some users are seeing a greyed out toggle in Settings for the new App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- The global App Tracking Transparency toggle is off by default.
- Some people couldn’t enable the feature due to a greyed-out toggle.
- The global ATT switch may also be greyed out due to legitimate reasons.
Apple fixing greyed-out ATT toggle
User reports on social media indicate that Apple has apparently managed to fix this bug remotely because people who previously couldn’t switch on the feature due to the greyed-out Settings toggle are now able to do so without having to install anything in particular.
It’s a server-side change, it would seem.
App tracking transparency toggle is now not grayed out for me. #Apple has updated my phone remotely it seems.. sneaky 😏 #ATT
— Senura Dissanayake (@SenuraBob) May 18, 2021
A major privacy feature, ATT basically allows iPhone and iPad users to decide how they want their personal data handled by apps requesting to track their activity.
Whenever an app wishes to track you across other apps and websites (usually to deliver targeted ads or sell your profile to other firms), it now must do so by showing you a permission prompt that’s not too dissimilar from those prompts you see when an app is seeking permission to access your location or Photos library, for example.
→ How to stop iPhone, iPad and Apple TV apps from tracking you
Before iOS and iPadOS 14.5, such tracking went unnoticed because there was no prompt at all. But now, customers have a dedicated toggle in Settings → Privacy → Tracking to disable tracking for all apps at once. The switch is off by default but can be turned on at will.
Doing so automatically denies permission to any apps that request to track your activity.
According to a support document on the Apple website, there may be a few legitimate cases that result in a greyed-out toggle. As an example, the toggle will be greyed out if your Apple ID was created in the last three days.