Apple has reached a binding agreement with Germany's Federal Cartel Office to settle a dispute over its App Tracking Transparency Framework (ATTF), according to a Monday announcement from the regulator.

Under the revised terms, Apple will standardize the user authorization inquiry process across iPhone and iPad devices, removing the intimidating warning icons and language previously displayed in third-party app pop-ups. The company will also permit advertising service providers to reasonably link related authorization requests, with these changes expected to extend to nearly all EU member states.

The German regulator had previously determined that Apple's ATTF rules created a double standard, applying stricter requirements to third-party developers than to Apple's own operations. Companies such as Meta Platforms Inc have long protested that these rules significantly inflated the cost of targeted customer acquisition.

France and Italy have already imposed combined fines of €250 million on Apple for similar issues, while an investigation in Poland remains ongoing.