Khaberni - Apple has always presented itself as the first defender of user privacy, but new allegations have raised questions about the amount of data collected by the App Store, and whether the company actually records every tap or character typed by the user while searching.
Researchers: "Apple" records every press inside App Store
These claims came from a cybersecurity account on the "X" platform named Mysk, managed by two iOS developers based in Europe and North America.
According to what the account has published, the App Store collects very detailed data about the user's use of search within the store, including:
- Every keyboard press.
- The characters that are entered during the search.
- The modifications and corrections made by the user.
- Typing speed.
Researchers believe that this data could allow Apple to build an accurate picture of user behavior while using the store.
Is it only about smart suggestions?
Conversely, some commentators suggest that this mechanism is not unusual in the world of digital search, as many services rely on analyzing what the user writes moment by moment in order to provide instant suggestions and improve search results.
But team Mysk believes that the data goes beyond just improving suggestions, and sees it as part of what is known as Usage Analytics (App Analytics).
Is it possible to stop this tracking?
According to the claims put forth, there is no direct way to disable this type of data collection inside the App Store.
Here lies a problem seen by some privacy advocates, as iPhone users do not have an alternative app store they can easily switch to.
For example, if you do not like the privacy policies of "Apple Music," you can switch to "Spotify," but as for the app store, there is no official alternative for iPhone users.
How to know the data "Apple" collects about you?
Apple allows users to request a copy of the data associated with their accounts.
This can be done by:
1. Visiting Apple’s privacy gateway.
2. Logging in using an Apple account.
3. Requesting to download a copy of the stored data.
This allows the user to review part of the information that the company retains about their activity and various services.
Old controversy renewed
This is not the first time Apple has faced questions about data collection practices, despite its intensive marketing campaigns that focus on privacy.
The company usually confirms that the analytic data it collects is used to improve services and user experience, with technologies applied to protect user identities and minimize the personal data associated with them.
However, critics of the company argue that the volume of collected data sometimes may exceed what an average user might expect.
New privacy feature coming to iPhone
At the same time, reports indicate that future iPhone 18 Pro Max phones might receive an additional privacy feature not available to some current devices.
The feature relies on the new communications modem developed in-house by Apple, which supports the "reduce location accuracy" option, allowing the sharing of an approximate location with telecommunications companies instead of the exact location of the user.
However, the benefit of this feature will also depend on the support from telecommunications companies, which is still limited in some markets.
Should we be worried?
So far, there is no public evidence that Apple uses the typing data inside the App Store for purposes beyond operating and improving the service, and the company has not issued an official comment on these claims at the time of writing the report.
But the issue highlights once again the delicate balance between enhancing user experience on one hand, and maintaining privacy and transparency on the other, a debate that seems likely to continue as companies increasingly rely on smart data and analytics.
