Cannot remove App Privacy after re… | Apple Developer Forums

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I wanted to remove AdMob from my iOS app, so I remove all traces of AdMob, and make sure that info.plist does not have NSUserTrackingUsageDescription, no external framework used, and no traces of NSUserTrackingUsageDescription in my codes (global search in Xcode not found).

However, previous version has setup App Privacy in AppStore Connect.

Uploading a new build I can remove all entries in App Privacy except for one (?): Data Types - 1 data type collected from this app: Product Interaction

And I cannot remove this one: when selecting not collecting info, I got this error message:

Code Block Your app contains NSUserTrackingUsageDescription, indicating that you will request permission to track users. You must indicate which data types are tracking users. If this is incorrect, update your app binary and upload a new build to App Store Connect.

What shall I do? And what is this Product Interaction tracking? (The rest can all be reset to not tracking except this one.)

App Store Connect

25k

Posted by

limtc

Reply

We're a software house, even in the first launch of the app we are receiving this message (Your app contains NUserTracking...). That's just unreal we need to launch the app with an wrong information, saying to our users we tracking them (even didn't doing) because Apple do not solve this bug. And this information stays at the store, so my user before downloading the app see this message about tracking, I ask myself how many users are giving up to download the app.

—
MobfiqCorebiz

Replies

I've got the same issue. I can't remove data collection in privacy section of App Store connect

Posted by

Pitetou

I'm having the exact same problem. I'm trying to get rid of Admob myself to avoid becoming another casualty of the privacy war. There's no way to remove this once it is set.

Posted by

DVDxDV

I've got exactly the same issue and AppStore reviewer ignore totally my message about it. They just want that I update the privacy panel, but I can't

Posted by

Pitetou

Another one with the same issue here...

Posted by

CostaRF

same problem

Posted by

Aerosimple

I was finally able to get passed the App Store Reviewers by placing an empty IDFA permission request at app launch. It does nothing if the user selects yes or no to the request. I hope that helps other developers get past this Apple developer website privacy settings bug.

Posted by

DVDxDV

The App Privacy responses are not version specific, but are app specific. If the version currently live in the App Store does have NSUserTrackingUsageDescription, then you can't update your response to say that it does not track yet. Your privacy responses just need to indicate at least one category where it tracks. See https://developer.apple.com/app-store/app-privacy-details/#data-type for a list of what each data type means.

What you can do is, once the version you want to submit is approved and released in the App Store, create a new version in App Store Connect and then update your response to indicate that your app does not track.

Posted by

App Store Connect Engineer

The Apple Connect Website needs to allow the user to update the privacy settings for the app that is being submitted for review. The bug is that the Apple Connect Website only references the current shipping version. If the shipping version has "NSUserTrackingUsageDescription" and the new version you just submitted for review does not, there will be no way to change the privacy settings. It's a deadlock that cannot be resolved.

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DVDxDV
Just to add on what @DVDxDV said - the app review team will reject metadata when it doesn't match (app doesn't use tracking but app privacy indicates it does). So there is no way of removing it or passing a review.

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Phoenix
Update: had my app approved with NSUserTrackingUsageDescription removed, and I still can't remove it in the app privacy on the AppStore Connect. The message I get: "Your app contains NSUserTrackingUsageDescription, indicating that you will request permission to track users. To update this information on your app's product page, you must indicate which data types are tracking users. If this is incorrect, update your app binary and upload a new build to App Store Connect."

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Phoenix

same here, App Review doesn't care. Completely explained the situation and even included a video.

Got back a canned response saying to contact App Store Connect support.

Posted by

cart21

Same issue for me! I updated the app removing the NSUserTrackingUsageDescription from the info.plist but I can't remove it from the App Privacy information. App Review will reject my app so I don't know how to update it.

Posted by

Danny182

What's the update about this issue?

Posted by

James Watt

In another thread on this topic, a user mentioned that they had success by submitting a new version and appealing it. I'm trying that right now and will report back.

https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/678920?page=2

Posted by

tungsten

@tungsten Could you solve the problem finally?

Posted by

hateart

Yes, I was able to overcome this by appealing the rejection with the App Review Board. They approved my binary, which broke the cycle of denial and allowed me to set the App Privacy settings appropriately prior to my next binary submission.

I’ve filed a feedback documenting the issue and uploaded the details of that feedback here http://openradar.appspot.com/radar?id=5009431033020416

Posted by

tungsten

Yes I can affirm that it works

—
eliaszaghrini

Same issue, trying to appeal the rejection, hoping for the best

Posted by

apps@pitaneonline.nl

Same here as well. Here's a full description that I've been using for appeal and apple support

App just got rejected for the 3rd time.

The situation is as follows:

The build that's currently for sale in the App Store is tracking user data
The new build (the one that got rejected) is not tracking user data
Review team rejects my app because App Privacy settings in AppStoreConnect indicate that the app is tracking user data (which is correct for the current ‘for sale’ binary), while my new binary is not asking user for tracking permission (through App Tracking Transparency library).
One, by review team suggested way to resolve this, is to adjust App Privacy settings in AppStoreConnect to not track user data anymore.
HOWEVER, when I try to follow that suggestion, AppStoreConnect will not let me make that adjustment, because ‘the binary’ suggest that I AM tracking.

So:

Review team says that my BINARY IS NOT TRACKING user data while it should according to App Privacy settings. AppStoreConnect says that my BINARY IS TRACKING user data and won’t let me change App Privacy settings because of that.

Chicken and egg situation!

Here's a screen capture video that shows everything: (can't include here, but you get the contents)

I believe one of two things could be wrong here:

My new binary DOES include the the NSUserTrackingUsageDescription somehow
AppStoreConnect is looking at the binary that’s currently for sale in App Store, while review team is looking at the binary in review.

I’m almost certain it’s not number 1. I’m a fairly experienced developer and would know if that description would be in my app. Just to be sure I’ve entered a ticket to Code Level Support to make sure of that. No response on that yet.

More likely it’s reason number 2: a procedural issue in the review team where they are comparing ‘old, soon to be incorrect’ App Store privacy settings with the ‘new’ ‘in review’ binary.

I also submitted feedback through the new Feedback Assistant: https://feedbackassistant.apple.com/feedback/9725783

Posted by

guidove

UPDATE: After appealing to the App Review board, my app got approved. A few hours after the app was released I was able to ‘break the circle’ and remove tracking through the App Privacy settings in App Store Connect.

I do think that this needs to be addressed internally at Apple though. Either a procedural change in the app review processes or a technical change in App Store Connect, or both.

Because basically, with the situation/process as it is now, App Review is not allowing app developers to stop tracking user data. This goes against everything that Apple stands for from a privacy perspective.

—
guidove
Thanks for sharing. How was your "appeal" done? I don't see an entry in the rejection message. Or did you mean the Feedback Assistant?

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lannka