App do not have an advantage here. the EU 'cookie law' doesn't mention cookies at all. All it says is that you cannot track users without permission, and that this permission must be freely and explicitly given. It's just that this is usually done using cookies on websites, but the specifics don't matter. Apps absolutely have to ask for permission before tracking a user.
Now if this is actually enforced or not is a different matter.
The usability nightmare is not caused by lawmakers. The usability nightmare is caused by businesses who think they need to put Google analytics on every single page.
It is possible to create websites completely without cookie banners. You just have to not track your customers unnecessarily.
I love how GDPR apologists love to deflect blame from the law and lawmakers who were the initial cause of the problem.
And what affect did have? Did the 99 section 11 chapter law have any deleterious affect on adTech? Did it make browsing better or worse?
We see the effect that of an effective strategy, when Apple made tracking opt in, publicly traded companies like FB admitted that it caused billions in lost revenue.
The only thing the GDPR did was give us cookie banners.
