ATTrackingManager Returns .denied on first install with "Allow Apps to Request to Track" on

Question

On some devices trackingAuthorizationStatus always comes back .denied, even though the "Allow Apps to Request to Track" switch is on. This means that the app can never request permission to track. In Settings > Privacy > Tracking the app does not have a switch to turn permission back on. Our team has several test devices, and two iPhones of the same model with the same version of iOS produce different results. One is able to display the requestTrackingAuthorization prompt and behaves as expected, while two others remain in the ATTrackingManagerAuthorizationStatusDenied state no matter what. We've tried General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy as well as deleting the app, reinstalling, restarting, upgrading OS. Nothing fixes the .denied state. Here's the code:

    override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()
    let status = ATTrackingManager.trackingAuthorizationStatus
    switch status {
    case .authorized:
        idfaLabel.text = "Yay"
    case .denied:
        idfaLabel.text = "Goodbye IDFA"
    case .notDetermined:
        idfaLabel.text = "You've got a choice to make"
    case .restricted:
        idfaLabel.text = "can't help you there"
    default:
        print("New case???")
    }
    ATTrackingManager.requestTrackingAuthorization(completionHandler: {_ in
        print("Tracking Requested")
    })
}

Thanks in advance for any clues.

Answer 1

This is OS level issue which is fixed in 14.5.1 release so just update your OS to get ATT dialog on first launch.

Release notes for iOS and iPadOS 14.5.1

This update fixes an issue with App Tracking Transparency where some users who previously disabled Allow Apps to Request to Track in Settings may not receive prompts from apps after re-enabling it. This update also provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.