Apple’s new privacy features introduced with iOS 18 have social media giants worried. Emphasizing the importance it attaches to privacy at every opportunity, Apple has taken the privacy of users one step further by further detailing the guide sharing permissions this time. So, what does this innovation mean?

Apple’s iOS 18 update will prevent social media apps from seeing all your contacts

In the past, apps like Instagram or WhatsApp, for example, gave you a simple choice when they wanted to access your contacts: “Allow” or “Deny”. That is, you could either share your entire contacts or nothing at all. Now, with iOS 18, Apple is giving users more control. You can now decide which contacts to share. This is good for users, but not so good for social media apps.

Social media platforms know how critical the process of adding friends is, especially in their growth phase. The more friends people add to the platform, the more they interact with it, which increases retention. With Apple’s new move, it seems likely that users will choose fewer people from the contacts list. In this case, users of social media apps will be able to add fewer friends and interaction rates will decrease.

In conclusion, while Apple’s privacy move may be seen as a positive development for users, it could be the beginning of a challenging period for social media giants. It will be interesting to watch how the big platforms adapt, especially as these changes make it harder for startups to grow.

What do you think? Is Apple really protecting user privacy or is it playing to its advantage? Don’t forget to share your comments with us.