Apple has been forced to appear in court in London. A £2.000 billion (approximately $2.700 billion) class-action lawsuit has been filed against the company by a group of app developers who accuse it of applying double standards in its tracking policies. The action, led by former competition chief Ann Pope, has turned the UK Competition Appeal Court into the stage for a battle that could reshape the mobile advertising landscape.
The trigger is none other than the well-known 'App Tracking Transparency' (ATT) feature, launched by the company in 2021 to give users more control over their data. However, the plaintiffs maintain that this tool has been used to hinder third-party developers while Apple's own advertising services have enjoyed preferential treatment. This imbalance, according to those affected, has cost them millions in losses.
The key points of the accusation
The case rests on a particular legal framework: the 'opt-out' policy. This means that all eligible developers are automatically included in the lawsuit unless they choose to opt out. Thus, thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that would never have dared to litigate on their own become a collective force with their own voice. Former official Ann Pope, who is now leading the action, insists that Apple's policy 'has caused very significant harm' to companies that rely on the company as their gatekeeper.
From a legal perspective, the argument doesn't challenge users' right to control their privacy. What it does call into question is the selective application of those rules . While AT&T requires explicit consent for third parties to track user activity, Apple's advertising business can collect comparable data without going through that same process. For a third-party advertiser, this translates into much more difficult attribution and a higher cost per sale.
This isn't the first time Apple has faced such accusations. France already imposed a €150 million fine in 2025 for its implementation of ATT, while Italy sanctioned the company in December with more than €98,6 million. Germany, for its part, forced the company last month to redesign its consent windows, and Poland has an ongoing investigation. All these cases point to a pattern that has now reached London.
Background in Europe
European scrutiny has been key in shaping this lawsuit. The German competition authority, for example, determined last August that AT&T's dialogues were designed to favor Apple's own services over those of third parties. This finding led the company to modify its practices in the European Union, a change that the plaintiffs in the United Kingdom want to extend to that country as well through legal action.
Apple, for its part, maintains its usual stance. The company asserts that AT&T offers "significant privacy protections" and that it adheres to the same standards it requires of other developers. However, European regulators have repeatedly rejected this argument , fueling suspicions that the company has used privacy as a pretext to limit competition in the advertising market.
The process is still in a preliminary stage. Before the case can proceed, the court must certify the class action, a step that will determine whether the class of developers is well-defined and whether the method for calculating damages is valid. Apple will challenge this certification , so a swift resolution is not expected. In fact, other similar cases that have reached this court, such as the one related to iCloud, have hearings scheduled for late 2028.
The impact of this lawsuit extends far beyond British borders. If the British court rules in favor of the developers, it could set a precedent for other jurisdictions closely monitoring the case. Furthermore, the arrival of John Ternus as Apple's new CEO adds an element of uncertainty: the new CEO, who has succeeded Tim Cook, will have to manage this dispute at a time when the company is seeking to maintain its dominant position in the mobile phone industry.
The class-action lawsuit has been filed alongside other legal battles Apple has been waging. The dispute with Epic Games, which has already dragged on for six years, and last year's ruling against the company for overcharging developers on the App Store are just a few examples. Meanwhile, Google has chosen to avoid this type of legal battle by reaching a £260 million settlement in its own Play Store commission lawsuit, an option Apple does not appear willing to consider.
The lawsuit against Apple in the UK not only calls into question its tracking policies, but also highlights a shift in trend: European competition authorities are joining forces, and developers now have a way to claim what they consider unfair treatment. The outcome of this case could redefine the balance of power in mobile advertising and establish clearer limits for digital platforms. Meanwhile, the Cupertino company will have to defend its position in a court that has already shown itself willing to scrutinize these practices closely.