Culture

Opt out of Apple's iAds data collection for iOS 4 devices

Apple has started distributing its iAds advertising content in participating App Store apps using data that has been collected from iTunes accounts and analyzed to customize your consumption experience.

Joe Aimonetti MacFixIt Editor

Joe is a seasoned Mac veteran with years of experience on the platform. He reports on Macs, iPods, iPhones and anything else Apple sells. He even has worked in Apple retail stores. He's also a creative professional who knows how to use a Mac to get the job done.

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Joe Aimonetti

July 9, 2010 4:03 p.m. PT

Apple has partnered with several big-name brands to provide content-based, personalized advertising solutions to your iOS-enabled devices. Apple "uses cookies and other technologies in mobile advertising services to control the number of times you see a given ad, deliver ads that relate to your interests, and measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns."

While opting out of the iAd data collection program will stop Apple from collecting and analyzing data from your iTunes account habits, apps that take advantage of the iAd program will continue to show iAds--but they may be less relevant to you. iAd advertisements will still use data from individual apps to determine which ads are shown, though your personal data will no longer be used.

Keep in mind that you will need to have iOS 4 installed to opt out of the iAd data collection and you must opt out from each iOS device you own. Opting out also does not affect other Internet-based advertising that may be incorporated into apps.

To opt out, simply navigate to the following link on your iOS 4 device: https://oo.apple.com/
If you receive an error message, "Unsuccessful Opt Out," you may need to wait a few hours and try again.