We’ve all heard a lot about the new iOS 9 update and how it will be allowing app developers to create ad blockers. Of course, this is a point of significant concern for many marketers. What has been largely overlooked, however, is that this update also makes it possible for app developers to block tracking information as well. The type of tracking information that is used for things like Analytics.
Many developers are making ad blockers that also have the option to block this type of tracking, which means marketers will have access to significantly less information about the visitors to their site. This is much worse than just blocking cookies, which users have long been able to do with almost any browser. Blocking analytics will make it much more difficult to plan out and implement advertising strategies, SEO campaigns and much more.
What makes it worse is that most developers are likely going to add this option into their apps and since the majority of users won’t really understand what it is, they will leave it enabled. Marketers lost a lot of valuable information when Google made all searches ‘HTTPS’ but this has the potential to be much worse. Virtually all of the information gathered by services like Google Analytics will no longer be available.
While there is not yet enough data out regarding how many people will be using these types of blockers, it is certainly something that all marketers should be concerned about. Unfortunately, there is really not much that can be done, at least for now.
