Apple has issued a significant privacy advisory that has sent ripples across the tech community, urging millions of iPhone users to stop using Google Chrome and several other Google apps due to serious concerns over “digital fingerprinting.” The advisory highlights Apple’s growing alarm over the powerful tracking techniques now being used by third-party applications, which the company claims can compromise user privacy even when traditional protections such as cookie blocking or incognito mode are in place.
Digital fingerprinting is a sophisticated surveillance method that collects multiple data points from a user’s device—such as hardware configuration, browser type, operating system version, IP patterns, screen resolution, installed fonts, and even movement patterns—to create a unique digital signature. Unlike cookies, this tracking cannot be cleared, reset, or disabled by the user, making it one of the most persistent forms of online profiling.
According to Apple, Google has recently rolled back restrictions that previously limited such fingerprinting, opening the door for Chrome and even the main Google app to profile users deeply. The company alleges that Google apps can study behavioural patterns, interests, food preferences, shopping habits, search history, and more to serve hyper-targeted advertisements, often without clear transparency or user control.