Android Question Upcoming Advertising Policy Update (Android)

[Computersmith64]

It seems that after all the noise & protests Google made about Apple introducing the changes in iOS14 that force developers to ask for permission to use the advertising id for any purpose (including analytics, install attribution, etc...), it appears Google are now going down the same path. Considering the negative revenue impact I'm seeing in my iOS apps, I'm guessing my Android advertising revenue will also take a hit.

Hello Google Play Developer,​

We’re always looking for ways to make Google Play a safer and more trustworthy experience for both developers and consumers. We’re writing to let you know about upcoming changes to our Advertising policy that will provide users with more control over their data, and help bolster security and privacy.​

With advertising ID, we offer users meaningful controls like allowing them to reset their identifier at any time and / or to opt out of using the identifier for personalized ads.​

As part of Google Play services update in late 2021, the advertising ID will be removed when a user opts out of personalization using advertising ID in Android Settings. Any attempts to access the identifier will receive a string of zeros instead of the identifier.​

This Google Play services phased rollout will affect apps running on Android 12 devices starting late 2021 and will expand to affect apps running on devices that support Google Play in early 2022. In July, we will provide more details and an alternate solution to support essential use cases such as analytics and fraud prevention.​

Learn more about advertising ID in our Help Center and best practices for unique identifiers on our developer site.​

The Google Play Team​

- Colin.