ARTICLE
4 May 2020

Apple Eases Push Notification And Other Privacy Restrictions

SM
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Contributor

Businesses turn to Sheppard to deliver sophisticated counsel to help clients move ahead. With more than 1,200 lawyers located in 16 offices worldwide, our client-centered approach is grounded in nearly a century of building enduring relationships on trust and collaboration. Our broad and diversified practices serve global clients—from startups to Fortune 500 companies—at every stage of the business cycle, including high-stakes litigation, complex transactions, sophisticated financings and regulatory issues. With leading edge technologies and innovation behind our team, we pride ourselves on being a strategic partner to our clients.
Apple recently revised its review guidelines to allow push notifications that include "advertising, promotions, or direct marketing."
United States Privacy
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP are most popular:
  • within Cannabis & Hemp topic(s)

Apple recently revised its review guidelines to allow push notifications that include "advertising, promotions, or direct marketing." This changes a prior -and longstanding- prohibition on push notices that contain such content. Customers must affirmatively opt in to get promotional push notices, though ("through consent language displayed in your app's UI"). They must also be able to opt out through an in-app mechanism. Although promotional push notices were previously prohibited, many apps sent them. These modifications may be a step by Apple to acknowledge this use and put requirements in place around it.

The review guidelines also include other changes with an impact on information collection, use and sharing. These include for apps that provide services in "highly-regulated fields." Such apps must be submitted by the regulated entity (i.e., the one providing the regulated services) rather than the app developer. For example, if a bank hires an app developer to create an app for the bank, the bank should submit the app to the Apple App Store, not the developer it hired to make the app.

Another change are the provisions for apps that provide users with Mobile Device Management (MDM) tools. Previously those apps were prohibited from "disclosing to third parties" any data. Now those apps can share information but only if it is about the "performance of the developer's MDM app" and does not include user data ("data about the user, the user's device, or other apps used on that device").

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

[View Source]

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More