Apple Faces £2bn UK Class Action Over App Tracking Rules

Written by Sandra Leggero

Sandra Leggero has a background in financial markets, having spent more than 9 years in commodities trading for several European and Asian companies. She holds a degree in Economics from the University of Pavia and specializes in emerging markets.

, | Updated: September 3, 2026

Key Moments

Apple is being sued in London for £2 billion ($2.7 billion) on behalf of app developers over its App Tracking Transparency rules.
The claim alleges Apple imposed tougher tracking requirements on third-party apps than on its own services, distorting competition in advertising.
The case follows regulatory investigations into Apple’s tracking framework across multiple European countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Poland.

Class Action Targets Apple’s App Tracking Framework

Apple is facing a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) class-action lawsuit in London that accuses the company of misusing its market position to impose “unfair” app tracking rules on developers. The claim has been filed on behalf of app developers at the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal.

The legal action focuses on Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature, which was rolled out in 2021 and has since drawn intense attention from regulators. The claimants argue that the way Apple implemented and enforced this framework breached competition rules and inflicted financial damage on developers reliant on advertising.

Allegations of Unequal Treatment for Third-Party Developers

Apple has stated that App Tracking Transparency was introduced to give users more control over whether apps can track their activity across third-party apps and websites. However, the lawyers behind the lawsuit assert that the feature created a stricter regime for external developers than for Apple’s own services.

According to the claim, this disparity allegedly provided Apple’s advertising operations with an edge over competitors. The suit argues that by dictating how and when third-party apps could track users, Apple acted as a gatekeeper and used that position to tilt the playing field in favor of its own ecosystem.

Lead Representative Cites Harm to UK Businesses

The case is led by Ann Pope, a former senior official at the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. Pope contends that Apple’s conduct has severely affected companies that rely on the iPhone maker’s platform.

Pope said Apple’s policy “resulted in very significant harm to businesses that depend on Apple as a gatekeeper”. She added: “This action is important to protect the rights of British businesses that depend on Apple, to ensure that the rules that Apple applies are fair, and to compensate the losses that British companies have suffered.”

Apple has previously described App Tracking Transparency as providing “important privacy protections” but did not offer an immediate public response to the new lawsuit.

European Regulators Intensify Scrutiny

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency rules have already been under examination by regulators across Europe. In Germany, authorities scrutinized whether Apple abused its market strength, following criticism from Meta Platforms’ Facebook, publishers, advertisers and app developers whose business models are built around advertising-based tracking.

The article states that Apple agreed to changes in Germany last month regarding the rules governing how app developers may use personal data for targeted advertising. Competition and privacy regulators in France, Italy, Poland and other jurisdictions have also opened probes into the framework and its impact on digital advertising markets.