Apple’s new Personalized Collections feature is designed to help users discover apps and games tailored to their interests. Introduced alongside the company’s latest App Store updates, the feature creates recommendations based on factors such as downloads, purchases, subscriptions, and App Store activity.
While Apple positions Personalized Collections as a better way for users to find relevant apps and for developers to improve app discovery, the feature is already raising questions about how much user behavior is being tracked behind the scenes.
According to security researchers Mysk, Apple collects highly detailed App Store analytics data, including every character typed into App Store search. The researchers shared examples showing that Apple records each keystroke individually, along with precise timestamps, making it possible to determine how quickly a user types and how they interact with search.
The discovery came shortly after Apple announced Personalized Collections during WWDC 2026. The recommendation system appears across the Apps, Games, and Search tabs of the App Store and evolves over time based on a user’s activity.
Mysk argues that Apple is now putting its extensive App Store analytics data to work for personalization. The researchers claim there is currently no option to disable the collection of this data for App Store recommendations, a detail that has sparked debate among privacy-conscious users.
The analytics records shared by Mysk do not appear to be search results or search suggestions themselves. Instead, they show telemetry data sent from the App Store to Apple. In one example, a search for “Tim Cook” generated multiple timestamped records as each letter was entered into the search field.
Some of the collected information includes the text being typed, timestamps down to fractions of a second, the section of the App Store being used, and operating system details. Researchers say this information is also included in the data users can request from Apple through the company’s privacy portal.
At the same time, not everyone sees the practice as a major privacy concern. Search suggestions in the App Store require Apple to process what users type in real time. As users enter letters, the App Store generates autocomplete suggestions and related search recommendations. Some level of search data collection is therefore necessary for the feature to function.
The debate centers less on whether Apple needs search data and more on how much information is retained, how detailed that information is, and whether users should be given an option to opt out. Critics argue that storing individual keystrokes and typing patterns goes beyond what many users would expect from a search feature.
The controversy also highlights a broader challenge for Apple. The company has built much of its brand around privacy, often contrasting its approach with advertising-driven technology companies. As Apple expands personalization features across its ecosystem, it faces increasing scrutiny over where the line between useful recommendations and excessive data collection should be drawn.
For now, Personalized Collections remains enabled as part of the App Store experience, and Apple has not announced any plans to make the feature opt-in or provide additional controls over the analytics used to power it.
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