What is iOS 14 / ATT?
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen · Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd · 8 July 2026 · 3 min.
Definition
App Tracking Transparency (ATT), introduced with iOS 14.5, requires apps to ask permission before tracking users across other apps and websites. Most users opt out — which reduced the data platforms like Meta receive.
Also called: iOS 14, ATT, App Tracking Transparency, iOS 14.5
Sådan virker det
Browser-tracking taber hændelser til adblockere, cookie-spærring og iOS. Server-side sender konverteringen fra din egen server direkte til Metas CAPI og Google — uden for blokeringernes rækkevidde. Bedre data = bedre optimering.
01What ATT changed
Before ATT, Meta could follow users across apps and websites almost freely. After iOS 14.5, every app has to ask permission, and the vast majority of users say no. The result was a sharp loss of signal: fewer measured conversions, weaker audience building, and shakier attribution — especially on iPhone.
It's one of the main reasons browser-based pixel tracking alone no longer cuts it. The answer is server-side tracking via the Conversions API, which recovers part of the signal ATT shut down by sending events from your own server rather than from the user's device.
Sådan virker det
Browser-tracking taber hændelser til adblockere, cookie-spærring og iOS. Server-side sender konverteringen fra din egen server direkte til Metas CAPI og Google — uden for blokeringernes rækkevidde. Bedre data = bedre optimering.
Frequently asked questions
How did iOS 14 / ATT affect advertising?+
It reduced the data Meta and other platforms receive, because most users opt out of tracking. That meant fewer measured conversions, weaker audiences, and shakier attribution — especially on iPhone.
How do I mitigate the effect of ATT?+
With server-side tracking via the Conversions API, high Event Match Quality, and correct deduplication. That recovers part of the signal ATT shut down by sending events from your own server rather than the browser.
Related terms
Glossary
What is server-side tracking?
Server-side tracking sends conversion events from your own server (e.g. via a server-side Google Tag Manager container and Meta's Conversions API) instead of from the user's browser — so data isn't lost to ad blockers, cookie restrictions and iOS limitations.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is the Meta pixel?
The Meta pixel is a piece of JavaScript placed on your website that records visitor actions (page views, add-to-carts, purchases), so Meta can measure conversions and optimise ads.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is Event Match Quality (EMQ)?
Event Match Quality (EMQ) is a score from 0 to 10 that measures how well Meta can match a conversion event to a user, based on the customer parameters you send (hashed email, phone, name, external ID and more).
Read the entry →
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen
Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd at Oaksmond
Growth hacker and fractional CMO with 10+ years' experience and hundreds of millions in managed ad spend behind him. Background from larger Danish and international scale-ups, and from the agency world.
Meet the team →