The news: Some mobile apps are leaving significant revenues on the table by treating user consent as a legal checkbox rather than a growth lever, per a Usercentrics and Business of Apps study on how consent strategy directly affects app revenues.

In the US, consented users bring in about 50% more ad revenues than those who didn’t consent to app tracking. Worldwide, they contribute about 45% more.

Two apps in the European market, analyzed by GameBiz and Usercentrics, had the same reach of 100,000 daily active users (DAUs), the same ad partners, and similar creative. 

• The app with no consent management platform (CMP) generated annual revenues of $584,000.
• The other app—with a CMP and 90% opt-in—earned $1.1 million annually.

Why it’s worth watching: Consented users are retargetable, accurately attributable, and feed smarter bidding models that make every subsequent campaign more efficient. 

That compounding effect is what turns a single opt-in rate improvement into a structural revenue advantage and why brands that treat consent as a growth discipline can optimize engagement and convert it. 

Implications for brands: The ad tech stack is restructuring around data consent. Studies consistently show that design, messaging, and onboarding flows affect Apple’s native App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt‑in rates, while the legal requirement itself stays constant.

• With that in mind, brands can surface beneficial calls to action such as, “Allow tracking so we can show you items, deals, and content tailored exactly to your taste.” 
• Similarly, timing prompts after users complete an onboarding process, make their first purchase, or unlock a new feature can increase the chance of consent.

As consent optimization evolves into a lever for revenue strategy, brands that can successfully increase opt-in rates can optimize future campaigns and unlock additional value from their users.

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