Privacy & Consent

Intelligent Tracking Prevention

Safari ITP

In short

Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) is Apple's tracking protection in Safari. It blocks third-party cookies and shortens first-party cookie lifetimes.

Also known as: ITP, Safari ITP

Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) is the tracking protection Apple has built into Safari since 2017. It blocks third-party cookies and limits how long cookies set by a website's own JavaScript can live.

How does Intelligent Tracking Prevention work?

ITP has evolved over many releases. The key rules today, depending on the Safari version:

  • Third-party cookies have been fully blocked since 2020.
  • First-party cookies set via JavaScript, which almost every tracking snippet uses, expire after 7 days at most.
  • Link decoration: if a visitor arrives via a link with click parameters from a domain Safari classifies as a tracker, the lifetime of such cookies can drop to 24 hours.
  • Newer Safari versions strip known tracking parameters from URLs in certain modes, such as private browsing.

Apple changes these rules regularly, so avoid depending on any single detail.

What does ITP mean for advertisers?

Depending on the market, Safari accounts for a large share of mobile traffic, especially on iPhone. With ITP, returning visitors stop being recognised after a few days. On longer buying cycles, the link between ad click and conversion breaks, attribution develops gaps and signal loss grows.

Together with App Tracking Transparency on iOS and ad blockers, ITP is one of the main reasons purely browser-based tracking undercounts conversions.

Example

Someone clicks your Meta ad on a Monday, browses your site in Safari and buys on Tuesday of the following week. The JavaScript cookie holding the fbclid expired after 7 days, or after 24 hours with link decoration. The browser pixel can no longer connect the purchase to the click.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention with LeadSignal

LeadSignal captures click IDs such as gclid and fbclid plus UTM parameters on the first visit and stores them per session. With consent, LeadSignal also sends conversions for Meta, LinkedIn and TikTok server-side, including hashed contact details from forms. That improves matching on the platform side even when browser cookies are short-lived. For background, read why your Meta Pixel is not tracking conversions.

Frequently asked questions

How long do cookies last in Safari?+

Under ITP, first-party cookies set via JavaScript expire after 7 days at most. If the visitor arrives via a link with tracking parameters from a domain classified as a tracker, that can drop to 24 hours. Apple adjusts these rules regularly.

Does ITP only affect Safari on iPhone?+

No. ITP applies to Safari on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Because every iOS browser uses the WebKit engine, similar limits often apply to other browsers on iOS as well.

How do I work around ITP?+

You should not try to circumvent it. You can make your tracking more resilient, though, by capturing click IDs on the first visit and sending conversions to ad platforms server-side.

Guides on this topic

Tracking
Server-Side Tracking Without Google Tag Manager: A Simpler sGTM AlternativeServer-side tracking setup without a server container: what sGTM really costs, when it is worth it, and a simpler way to connect Meta, LinkedIn and TikTok.11 min read
Tracking
Simple Conversion Tracking: How to Set Up Ad Tracking Without a Developer (2026 Guide)How to set up conversion tracking without a developer or Google Tag Manager: what simple tracking must cover, three setups compared and a step-by-step guide.10 min read

Articles on this topic

Related terms

Privacy & ConsentThird-Party CookiesThird-party cookies are set by a domain other than the site you are visiting. They enable cross-site tracking and are increasingly blocked by browsers.TrackingFirst-Party DataData you collect yourselfFirst-party data is information you collect directly from your visitors and customers, through your website, forms or a first-party cookie on your own domain.Privacy & ConsentApp Tracking TransparencyiOS ATTApp Tracking Transparency (ATT) is Apple's iOS opt-in prompt: apps must ask before tracking users across other apps, or the IDFA stays locked.TrackingServer-Side TrackingServer-side tracking sends conversion events from a server straight to ad platforms instead of the browser, so ad blockers and cookie limits matter less.TrackingClick IDAd click identifierA click ID is a unique identifier that ad platforms append to the URL when someone clicks an ad. It ties a later conversion back to that exact click.MetricsSignal LossSignal loss describes conversions and user data that never reach ad platforms because of ad blockers, cookie limits, missing consent or broken tracking setups.