Why the "Allow App Tracking" button is grayed out in some iOS 14.5 official versions, Apple responds

On April 28, foreign media MacRumors reported that Apple released iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5 software updates this week. From now on, App applications must obtain your consent before tracking your activities on other companies' apps and websites for targeted advertising.

On an iPhone or iPad, users can manage tracking permissions on a case-by-case basis in the Settings app under Privacy > Tracking, and there’s a setting for “Allow apps to request tracking” that applies to all apps. When this setting is turned off, every app that asks for tracking permissions will be treated as if you tapped “Ask apps not to track.”

In a new support document, Apple says there are several situations where the “Allow apps to request tracking” setting is greyed out, including:

For users with child accounts or under 18 by birth year, sign in with their Apple ID

If your Apple ID is managed by an educational institution or uses a Limit Tracking profile

If your Apple ID was created within the last three days

9to5Mac previously reported that some users are seeing the switch button grayed out even when the first three scenarios above don’t apply, suggesting there may be a bug or other issue going on. Apple has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Some users suspect there may be a connection between the “Personalized ads” setting and whether “Allow apps to request tracking” is greyed out.

According to Apple, on devices where the "Allow apps to request tracking" setting is grayed out, all apps requesting tracking are denied by default and cannot access the device's randomized advertising identifier, or IDFA. Apps are also not allowed to track your activity using other information that could identify you or your device, such as an email address, although this policy is not enforced at a technical level.