Security researchers say the App Store sends Apple granular analytics that capture each letter of a search—down to fractions of a second—along with the active tab and operating system version. They argue users can’t opt out, and the data is stored in a way tha
He starts typing “Tim Cook” into the App Store, and what Apple receives isn’t a finished search query—it’s the trail of every letter getting there.
During WWDC in early June, Apple announced changes to how the App Store works to help developers. But on June 9. security researchers known as Mysk published findings suggesting those App Store changes are paired with a level of data collection that tracks how people search. They discovered identifiable analytics the App Store app sends to Apple. and they showed what that looks like when a user types.
In an X post on June 9. 2026. Mysk posted an image of the data stream the App Store sends to Apple during a search for “Tim cook.” The screenshot shows a process spread across ten timestamped records. Each record corresponds to a different letter in “Cook,” typed one at a time. The timestamps are precise down to fractions of a second—detailed enough. the researchers say. for Apple to calculate how long it takes for a user to type an entire word. including the time between individual letters.
The same records also indicate which tab the user is on, and the version of the operating system in use.
Mysk’s explanation of what this represents is careful: the researchers say the data is app analytics sent to Apple, not an endpoint that returns search results in real time as someone types. In other words, it’s a copy of what the user types—not the search results displayed while typing.
There’s also a practical limit to how much users can escape. Mysk says the data can be requested by users via Apple’s Privacy site, but that there is “simply no way” to avoid the app behavior that generates the record and Apple’s storage of the typing data.
Apple is putting this analytics in place alongside features for Personalized Recommendations in the App Store. Mysk notes that Apple already collects analytics data, and that the newly identified information is being used to handle recommendations under Personalized Recommendations.
For Apple, there is a justification for needing some of the search-related input. As a user types into the App Store search box. suggestions appear based on the partial text entered—generated from the first letter and updating after each change to the string. Apple needs the text string users are building in order to produce those suggestions.
What Mysk argues is harder to justify is the granularity and persistence of what’s captured. They say it’s odd that the app stores details granular enough to reflect that someone typed “T” and then “Ti” before arriving at the term “Tim. ” especially if that intermediate step doesn’t need to be identifiable to a particular user. They also point to the situation outside the EU and other markets that have third-party app storefronts. arguing that in those places users don’t have alternative options that might collect different kinds of search data.
Alternative app stores may have different rules and ways of working, including what user data gets collected. But in countries where Apple isn’t compelled to allow third-party storefronts, Mysk says users are effectively stuck with the App Store.
In the grand scheme of data collection, Mysk portrays the issue as narrower than headline fears might suggest. They argue it’s a relatively small concern for Apple and for users because Apple is not directly monetizing user data. and the researchers frame this as less alarming than scenarios where a company would profit directly from user tracking.
Still. there’s one detail that lands differently than typical privacy debates: Apple. the researchers say. can determine typing speed and keep a record of it. For users trying to protect their privacy. the uncomfortable part isn’t just that the App Store suggests what you might want—it’s that the typing itself appears to be what’s being stored.
Apple App Store search analytics keystrokes typing speed WWDC Personalized Recommendations privacy security research Mysk
Apple really doesn’t let you opt out of anything, do they.
So they’re recording every letter you type? That seems like spyware-ish. I thought the WWDC changes were supposed to be privacy better but now it’s like nah lol.
Wait, is this why my App Store search keeps suggesting stuff I was thinking about? Like they can see the letters before results even load, so technically they know your mind or whatever.
I’m not even surprised. I mean every time I open the App Store it’s like it’s reading my screen. Also the title says “every keystroke” but in the article it’s “analytics not real-time search results”… so which is it, are they getting the letters or just timing? Either way Apple gonna Apple.