iPhone Setup - Opting out of Ads

Getting my first iPhone has been an awesome experience but also a learning experience. Making sure your phone is set up the way you want, with all the right data it is only part of the fun. You also need to make sure some of the more obscure settings are configured the way YOU want not the way Apple wants.  One of the first I changed was Ad tracking.

There has been a lot of news about Apple tracking the iPhones and what it means to you. You can read a couple of great articles about it here and here. With all that public focus, Apple changed a few things in iOS 6 and made it a bit easier to opt out of Ad tracking. Here's how to do that.

From your iPhone open up Settings and Navigate the following setting:

           Settings > General > About > Advertising

Toggle the "Limit Ad Tracking" switch to "On." Notice how easy that was to find? No? Well, just because Apple put the ability to limit Ad tracking in iOS doesn't mean they make it easy to find.

There is also one more thing you need to do. You also need to opt out of Apples iAd tracking from their web site.

On the iPhone open the following URL

    http://oo.apple.com

You will be greeted with the following web page.

As Apple states in the body of the text, "You may still see the same number of ads as before but they may be less relevant because they will not be based on your interests."  This isn't about the number of Ads it's about tracking your interests and keeping that information about you. Do you really want Apple to know you're interested in prostate treatment or menopause cures? I don't think so.

The iPhone is a great phone with a wonderful UI. Just make sure it's not used by someone else to gather information about you and your family you don't want to give out.