How to Proactively Block Ad Tracking on Your Android Device
Later this year, Google will begin blocking advertisers and developers from accessing a device’s advertising ID if users opt out of personalized ads, reflecting the controversial changes (if anything, controversial for advertisers) Apple introduced in iOS 14.5 . However, while you wait, you can opt out of personalized ads on all Android devices right now by turning off ad tracking.
Advertisers use your unique advertising ID to create personalized ads based on your web browsing history, app usage, and other activities – which is why you seem to get incredibly accurate ads on every app you use. Companies also use these identifiers to collect data about how people use their software and services and their competitors.
However, according to a recent update from Google Support , “The advertising ID will be removed when the user opts out of personalization using the advertising ID in their Android settings. Any attempts to access the identifier will receive a string of zeros instead of the identifier. ” The new policy is effective for “Android 12 devices from late 2021 and will expand to affect apps running on Google Play-enabled devices in early 2022.”
Earlier in 2021, Apple introduced a similar change in iOS 14.5 that requires apps to ask for tracking permissions at install time and allows users to opt out of tracking entirely in their iOS settings. The wording in the Google Support Update implies that Android 12 will require apps to request similar permissions. The update also says Google plans to alert users with system notifications as soon as the privacy change is implemented, but why wait?
Opt out of personalized ads on Android now
Turning off personalized ads on your Android smartphone is easy: just turn on Opt out of personalized ads. However, this setting is in different places depending on your device manufacturer and Android OS version, so it can be difficult to find it if you don’t already know where it is. Here’s where to look:
- For most phones, this option is found in the Settings app under Google> Services> Ads .
- On other devices, it may be in Settings> Privacy> Advanced> Advertising.
- If you have the Google Settings app installed on your phone, you can find it under Services> Ads .
- If none of this does not work, search for “Failure to personalize ads” in the search bar in the application settings on your Android-device, and it should appear.
Once you find the Opt out of ad personalization option, tap the slider to turn it on (make sure it’s blue). While your Advertiser ID won’t be hidden until Android 12 and the release of the Play Store update later this year, it’s still worth enabling the setting now to prevent tracking as soon as possible – and that will prevent you from seeing personalized ads in your apps.
[ Tech2 ]