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Tim Cook of Apple testified at the antitrust trial.
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Apple launches the post-IDFA world to the dismay of advertisers

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 6 min

Apple said today that the privacy changes to its Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) in iOS 14 are coming during the week of April 26 with its next operating system software release.

The changes are built into iOS 14.5, and they could have either an apocalyptic effect on mobile gaming … or simply be something that the industry will adapt to over time. The iPhone maker describes its IDFA changes as App Tracking Transparency, and they are intended to give users the option of not sharing their personal data.

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Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.