Changes are coming to the popular social media app Tik Tok as the company is set to start offering personalized ads to users, whether they want them or not.

Currently, Tik Tok has a setting that allows its users to choose if they want generic ads or ads targeted at the user based on their activity on the app. Starting April 15, the app is changing its settings and ads will start targeting users based on what they watch.

“To help Tik Tok stay free, we partner with advertisers to show you ads… You still have control over whether the ads can be more tailored to you based on data from our advertising partners,” read part of Tik Tok’s statement.

Tik Tok said it is still committed to respecting the privacy of its users and will be transparent about its data privacy practices.

“Our goal is to help businesses reach the people they care about in a creative and meaningful way, while also respecting the privacy of our users. As our advertising platform matures, we continue to be transparent with our users about their choices with respect to personalized advertising on our platform,” Tik Tok told Recode

The move will put Tik Tok in similar standing to its social media counterparts. Tech giants like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter already track their users’ activity to better target them with ads. Users will still be able to opt-out of tracking across different sites, but not the personalization based on activity within the sites themselves.

The timing of the policy change matches up with the upcoming release of iOS 14.5. The new update from Apple will require all app developers to ask explicitly for permission from users to track their devices across different websites and apps. 

The impending Apple update has forced app developers to adapt their advertising policies. Over fears that users will opt-out of all tracking, many companies are trying to find ways to keep their lucrative personalized ad businesses intact.

Tik Tok’s advertising business has been steadily growing. According to a report from Reuters, since then-President Donald Trump threatened to ban Tik Tok from the U.S. over connections to the Chinese government in 2020, its ad business has ballooned.

The report suggests that big advertisers backed away from Tik Tok when the news of the potential ban happened, but once it became clear President Joe Biden had won the U.S presidential election and the ban faded away, they returned to the platform.