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Plain-English summary
The Apple TV app retains personal data from purchases and downloads for up to 30 years in some regions (risk_flags-1) and keeps transaction data as business records even after account closure (risk_flags-2). Apple collects approximate phone call/email counts for device trust scores when you make a purchase (data_use-1) and shares non-personal data, including inferred demographics, with advertisers and partners (data_use-2). When using the app on a non-Apple device, information may be shared with the platform provider to enable features (data_use-3), and your watch history can be shared with these third-party platform providers (data_use-4). Payment card and billing information may be automatically updated and retained for future transactions (data_use-5). Browsing activity and searches are retained for up to two years (data_use-7). You may automatically grant permission for multiple third-party apps to connect during setup (gotchas-1), and clearing play history in the Apple TV app does not remove data held by third-party providers (gotchas-2).
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Risk Flags
Critical issues and red flags that could lead to significant harm or privacy loss.
medium95% confidence
Extended Data Retention: Purchases and Downloads for Up to 30 Years
Apple retains personal data related to purchases and downloads for a minimum of 10 years, and potentially up to 30 years in certain regions, or as long as an account is active to allow content re-download.
Why it matters: Your personal data related to purchases and downloads, such as titles and transaction history, may be stored for a very long period, up to 30 years, depending on regional requirements or as long as your account remains active.
We retain personal data associated with your purchases, downloads, and viewing activity on the Apple TV app for different lengths of time depending on business need, contractual obligations, and legal requirements. For purchases and downloads, that often requires at least a 10-year retention period, but in regions such as China that period can be 30 years. We also retain a record of your purchase and downloads of content for at least as long as you have an account with us to allow you to download that content in line with our applicable terms.
Some information, such as transaction details (excluding stored card details), may be retained as business records even after a user closes their account or stops using the Apple TV app.
Why it matters: Even if you close your account or stop using the Apple TV app, your transaction data (but not stored credit card details) may still be retained by Apple as business records.
Some information, such as transactions but not your stored card details may be retained as business records even after you close your account or stop using the Apple TV app.
Policies related to how your data is collected, processed, and shared.
medium90% confidence
Collection of Device Usage for Fraud Prevention: Phone Calls/Emails
Apple uses information about how a user interacts with their device, specifically including the approximate number of phone calls or emails sent and received, to compute a device trust score for fraud prevention during purchases.
Why it matters: Your device usage details, including approximate call and email counts, are used to create a 'device trust score' when you make purchases, intended for fraud prevention.
To help identify and prevent fraud, information about how you use your device, including the approximate number of phone calls or emails you send and receive, will be used to compute a device trust score when you attempt a purchase. The submissions are designed so Apple cannot learn the real values on your device. The scores are stored for a fixed time on our servers.
Sharing of Non-Personal Data with Advertisers and Partners
Apple provides non-personal data to advertisers and strategic partners to help market to customers and sell ads, including data about transactions, viewing activity, region, and aggregated demographics like age group and gender (potentially inferred from Apple Account information).
Why it matters: Non-personal data, including transaction and viewing activity, region, and inferred demographics (like age and gender from your Apple Account), may be shared with advertisers and partners for marketing and advertising purposes.
For example, we may share non-personal data about your transactions, viewing activity, and region, as well as aggregated user demographics such as age group and gender (which may be inferred from information such as your name and salutation in your Apple Account), to Apple TV strategic partners, such as content owners, so that they can measure the performance of their creative work, meet royalty and accounting requirements, and improve their associated products and services.
Sharing Information with Non-Apple Platform Providers
When signing into the Apple TV app on a non-Apple device, Apple may share information with the platform provider to enable the app to function, display content, and support features like search results and personalized recommendations.
Why it matters: If you use the Apple TV app on a non-Apple device, information like whether you've opened the app or subscribed to Apple TV may be shared with that platform's provider to make the app work and personalize its features.
If you sign in to the Apple TV app on a non-Apple device, Apple may share information with the platform provider to enable the app to function, so that content from your Apple TV subscriptions appears on the platform, and to support platform features such as providing search results and personalized recommendations. This may include information about whether you have opened the Apple TV app and, where available, whether you have subscribed to Apple TV and Apple TV channels. You can choose to stop sharing your subscription information in the Apple TV app settings on your non-Apple device, although doing so may limit the ways that Apple TV content appears on the platform.
Sharing Watch History with Third-Party Platform Providers
On supported non-Apple devices, users can choose to share their watch, buy, or rent activity (including subscriptions) with the third-party platform provider, which may include profile names or other identifying information to match data.
Why it matters: If you use the Apple TV app on a non-Apple device, you can choose to share your viewing, purchasing, or rental activities, potentially including your profile name, with the third-party platform provider, allowing them to use this data for their platform features and recommendations.
On supported non-Apple devices, you can choose whether to share what you watch, buy, or rent in the Apple TV app, including your Apple TV subscription, Apple TV channels, and other content (where available) with the provider of your third-party platform. This may include your profile name or other information used to match your data from the Apple TV app with your account or profile on your non-Apple device. Your platform provider may use your information from the Apple TV app to enable platform features such as displaying the shows you have in progress and personalized recommendations.
Apple may retain and automatically update payment card numbers and billing information for future purchases, recurring transactions, or other authorized uses, obtaining this information from financial institutions or payment networks for fraud prevention and verification.
Why it matters: Your payment card and billing information may be automatically updated and retained by Apple for future transactions, using data from your financial institution or payment network, and also for fraud prevention purposes.
When you use a payment card, Apple may retain and automatically update your card number and billing information for future purchases, recurring transactions, or other uses you authorize. Apple may obtain this information from your financial institution or payment network, and also use it for fraud prevention and verification.
Sharing Playback History with Third-Party Providers Through Connected Apps
When third-party apps are connected to the Apple TV app, Apple collects and stores information about what users watch from those apps, including subscription status.
Why it matters: If you grant permission, Apple will collect and store what you watch from connected third-party apps and your subscription status, associating it with your Apple Account.
If you grant permission for a third-party app to be connected to the Apple TV app, Apple will collect and store information about what you watch from that app on any of your supported devices, as well as your subscription status. Apple apps with supported content, such as Apple Music and Remote, will be automatically connected when you start using the Apple TV app.
Policies related to account cancellation, subscription renewal, and associated terms.
✓
Looking good
No billing surprises spotted
Verbaterm only flags concerns it can cite. No cancellation, auto-renewal, or refund terms needed attention here.
Gotchas
Unexpected or less-than-obvious clauses that may be detrimental to the user.
medium90% confidence
Third-Party Apps May Be Connected Automatically During Setup
When setting up the Apple TV app, users may be asked to grant permission for multiple third-party applications to connect simultaneously, even for apps not yet installed.
Why it matters: During setup, you might grant blanket permission for multiple third-party apps, potentially including those you haven't installed yet, to connect to the Apple TV app and share your watching data with Apple.
When you set up the Apple TV app, you may be asked to grant permission for multiple applications at one time. Some of the apps may be apps that you do not yet have installed on that device, and your preferences will be applied if they are installed later.
Clearing Play History Does Not Affect Data Held by Third-Party Providers
Clearing play history within the Apple TV app only affects data held by Apple, not play data stored separately by third-party app providers if the user has chosen to share with them.
Why it matters: Clearing your play history in the Apple TV app will only remove your data from Apple's records. It will not delete play data that a third-party app provider has stored separately if you have shared your information with them.
If you use a non-Apple device and have chosen to share what you watch with that platform’s provider, clearing your play history will not affect the play data that is stored by the platform’s provider. You should review the terms, privacy policies, and practices of the platform’s provider to understand whether you can delete the data stored by that provider.
Commitments and features that protect user interests.
Protection95% confidence
Option to Opt-Out of Personalized Recommendations
Users can opt out of personalized recommendations by turning off 'Use Play History' in Settings, which prevents Apple from using viewing information for personalization across all devices.
Why it helps: You have control over whether your viewing history is used to personalize recommendations, allowing you to maintain more privacy regarding your content consumption.
If you do not want Apple to use information about what you watch on this device in the Apple TV app for personalization on all devices that support the Apple TV app, you can turn off Use Play History in Settings.
Users can choose to turn off 'Personalized Ads' to prevent Apple from using their information for ad targeting, though it may not reduce the number of ads, only their relevance.
Why it helps: You can control whether your information is used to target ads to your interests, giving you a choice in the relevance of the advertisements you see.
If you do not want to receive ads targeted to your interests from Apple’s advertising platform, you can choose to turn off Personalized Ads. Turning off Personalized Ads will prevent Apple from using your information for ad targeting. It may not decrease the number of ads you receive, but the ads may be less relevant to you.
Control Over Sharing Subscription Information on Non-Apple Devices
Users can choose to stop sharing their subscription information in the Apple TV app settings on non-Apple devices, though this might limit how Apple TV content appears on the platform.
Why it helps: You can prevent your subscription information from being shared with non-Apple platform providers, giving you control over this data.
You can choose to stop sharing your subscription information in the Apple TV app settings on your non-Apple device, although doing so may limit the ways that Apple TV content appears on the platform.
Users can clear their play history in the Apple TV app settings, which removes TV shows and movies from their Watchlist and disassociates past playback history from their account, applying to data held and used by Apple.
Why it helps: You can delete your viewing history within the Apple TV app, which helps manage your privacy by disassociating past playback activities from your account.
You can clear your play history in the Apple TV app in Settings. In the Apple TV app on your iOS, iPadOS, or visionOS device, go to Account > Privacy & Access > Clear Play History. In the Apple TV app on your Mac, go to TV > Settings > Advanced > Clear Play History. On tvOS, go to Settings > Apps > TV > Clear Play History. This will remove all TV shows and movies from your Watchlist and disassociate any past playback history from your account. This will apply to your play data that is held and used by Apple on devices that use the same Apple Account.
Ability to Remove Individual Items from Watchlist and Recently Watched
Users can remove individual items from their Watchlist, and by selecting 'Remove from Recently Watched,' can prevent that episode from being used for personalized recommendations.
Why it helps: You can individually manage your Watchlist and prevent specific viewing choices from influencing future personalized recommendations.
You can remove individual items from your Watchlist by long-pressing the episode and selecting Remove from Watchlist. In the same menu, if you select Remove from Recently Watched, that will also remove the episode from being used to generate personalized recommendations.
Users can change their preferences for each third-party app in Settings, allowing them to control which apps are connected to the Apple TV app.
Why it helps: You have the ability to manage permissions for each third-party app individually, giving you granular control over which apps share data with Apple TV.
Whether or not you grant permission, you will be able to change your preferences for each app in Settings.
Disconnect Third-Party Apps and Delete Associated Play Data
Users can disconnect third-party apps from the Apple TV app at any time, stopping data collection and offering an option to delete all play data collected from that specific third-party app.
Why it helps: You can stop Apple from collecting data from connected third-party apps and delete previously collected play data from those apps, enhancing your data privacy.
If at any time you decide you no longer want one of your third-party apps to be connected to the Apple TV app, you may disconnect that app from the Apple TV app and Apple will stop collecting your play data from that third-party app. In the Apple TV app on your iOS, iPadOS, or visionOS device, go to Account > Connected Apps, select the third-party app and turn it off. On tvOS, go to Settings > Apps > TV > Connect to TV, select the third-party app and turn it off. When removing a third-party app from the Apple TV app, you may also choose to delete all play data information Apple has collected about content you’ve watched from that app by choosing the Remove and Clear Play History option.
Profiles, including kid profiles, can be deleted at any time by the managing profile in Settings, which will also remove the profile's watch history.
Why it helps: You have the ability to delete profiles and their associated watch history, providing a way to manage personal data and account usage.
A profile can also be deleted at any time by the managing profile in Settings. On tvOS, go to Settings > Profiles and Accounts, select the profile, and select Delete Profile. Once deleted, the profile and its watch history will no longer be available to the managing profile’s Apple Account.
Kid Profiles Ensure Age-Appropriate Experience with Limited Data Use
For kid profiles, Apple collects a persistent identifier and activity data (search and watch history) to provide an age-appropriate experience, improve the feature, and for fraud/security, but takes measures to ensure this information isn't used or disclosed for unrelated purposes.
Why it helps: Kid profiles are designed to offer an age-appropriate experience, and Apple commits to not using or disclosing the collected identifier and activity data for unrelated purposes, helping to protect children's privacy.
For kid profiles, we will collect a persistent identifier associated with the kid profile to provide an age-appropriate experience on the Apple TV app to the user of that profile. We will use the identifier and the kid profile’s activity data (like search and watch history) for the purposes of providing the Apple TV app to the user of that profile, improving the profiles feature and the Apple TV app, and for fraud and security purposes. Apple will take appropriate measures to ensure that the identifier and associated information is not used or disclosed for unrelated purposes.