Apple Wins French Court Ruling Allowing Continued Use of App Tracking Transparency

Apple secured a pivotal legal victory in France this week when the Paris Judicial Court rejected demands from advertising industry groups to suspend the company's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. The decision allows Apple to continue displaying ATT's opt-in prompts for iPhone users in France, providing temporary relief from the wave of regulatory challenges the feature has faced across Europe.

ATT, introduced in iOS 14.5, requires apps to obtain explicit user consent before tracking their activity across other companies' apps and websites. Advertising consortiums argue this gives Apple's own services an unfair advantage since Apple doesn't subject its first-party apps like iMessage or Maps to the same permission requirements. Advertising groups contend this constitutes anticompetitive behavior, while Apple maintains its apps are designed with fundamentally different privacy safeguards.

"Apple holds itself to a higher standard than it requires of any third-party developer," the company stated in a recent legal filing. "We've engineered services like Siri and FaceTime so data cannot be linked across them even if we wanted to."

Despite today's win, Apple faces mounting pressure across the EU. Last month, Italy fined Apple €10 million for allegedly insufficient ATT implementation, while German regulators are scrutinizing proposed modifications to the framework. France's competition authority had previously fined Apple €150 million in 2025 over ATT compliance issues.

The Paris court's refusal to issue an injunction represents both practical and strategic value for Apple. Practically, it prevents disruption to iOS operations in France. Strategically, it establishes judicial precedent that could influence ongoing cases in other EU member states. Advertising associations involved in the French case confirmed they'll continue legal challenges through appeals.

The ruling highlights Europe's fragmented approach to tech regulation. While the Digital Markets Act introduces sweeping new rules for gatekeeper platforms, national courts continue to rule on existing antitrust frameworks. Apple's ATT remains operational in France pending further litigation, but broader questions about its compliance with EU competition law remain unresolved. The company must now leverage this decision to defend ATT in jurisdictions where regulators appear less sympathetic to its privacy-first arguments.