On Monday, September 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM, Apple begins rolling out iOS 26 in Germany – ushering in the most significant design update since iOS 7. With the new Liquid Glass Design Language and integrated on-device AI, Apple users are entering a new era. Notably, Apple is also changing its naming convention – mirroring the automotive industry, future versions will be named after the year following their release. For marketers, however, the most critical development is iOS 26’s intensified privacy measures, which once again change the landscape for tracking and attribution.
Privacy first: iOS 26 strengthens data protection
With iOS 26, Apple continues its trajectory toward on-device, privacy-focused data processing. In addition to existing tools such as Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), Link Tracking Protection (LTP), and Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection (ATFP), the new release now enables Advanced Fingerprinting Protection by default in Safari.
This feature significantly disrupts device-based recognition: by injecting deliberate “noise” into device communications, each request appears as if it originates from a new device – making identification via technical markers nearly impossible.
Additionally, iOS 26 automatically strips commonly used click IDs from URLs, including parameters like gclid (Google), fbclid (Meta), msclkid (Microsoft), and twclid (X/Twitter). This makes conversion attribution through ad networks significantly more difficult.
Tracking in iOS 26: what are the alternatives?
Marketers who don’t want to rely solely on platform-provided fallback attribution should invest now in server-side tracking and a robust first-party data strategy.
In the short term, traditional UTM parameters can still be used, as iOS 26 currently does not remove them. A clean and standardized URL parameter strategy allows for differentiated attribution by source, medium, and campaign – regardless of platform limitations.
Email marketing: the resilient channel in the privacy era
While tracking on the web and in apps faces increasing restrictions, email marketing remains largely unaffected.
Why is that?
- Links and tracking parameters are converted into unique hashes during send-out. These are decrypted only upon click, enabling precise attribution.
- LTP’s removal logic is bypassed, as hashes are both essential for functionality and not detectable as external tracking parameters.
- This means conversion attribution via email remains viable under iOS 26, as long as correct URL parameters are embedded in the links.
Thus, identifying users during the transition from email to landing page is still possible – something other channels may no longer support.
Conclusion: first-party data strategies are now essential
Organizations should audit their current tracking setups to evaluate which parameters and mechanisms are impacted. Testing environments and simulated clicks can help strengthen existing attribution models. The most reliable approaches going forward include server-side infrastructures, well-structured UTM logic, and email-based customer journeys.
Depending on your target audience and the share of Safari/iOS mobile traffic, the impact may vary – enterprises with a high proportion of iOS users are likely to feel it the most.
More information about zero- & first party data: https://www.elaine.io/en/blog/e-mail-marketing-im-zentrum-zero-u-first-party-data-renaissance/
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