Overview
- Security researchers posted evidence in early June showing the App Store records each intermediate character and tap with precise timestamps, and those records were shared publicly by multiple outlets this week.
- Apple began a staged U.S. rollout of Personalized Collections after WWDC to surface tailored app recommendations across the Apps, Games, and Search tabs using App Store interaction data.
- The logs researchers obtained via privacy.apple.com include every typed letter, timestamps down to fractions of a second, the active App Store tab and OS version, enabling reconstruction of typing speed and detailed behavior.
- There is currently no user-facing setting to disable the App Store’s interaction analytics, and critics note iPhone users outside markets with alternative app stores have few practical ways to avoid the collection.
- Apple has not publicly responded or announced an opt-out, and the disclosures — including a researcher report that pasted long text was captured before submission — could prompt privacy scrutiny and regulatory questions about retention and access.