What is GAID? (Google Advertising ID)

What is a GAID Used For?

App marketers use Google advertising IDs to understand their ad campaign performance. It helps advertisers deliver relevant and targeted ads based on user segmentation & personalization. 

Ad networks use GAID to understand user behavior and monitor engagement and conversions. It helps MMPs in marketing performance measurement or attribution. 

While advertisers used GAID to monitor engagement, CTR, ROAS, and lifetime value. GAID helps track ad views, app installs, re-installs, purchases, or sign-ups for their subscription. It also flags fake app installs or clicks for accurate analytics and fraud prevention.

Android users have the option to ‘Opt out of ad personalization’ after the rollout of iOS 14.5 and Android 12 OS users. It prevents advertisers from accessing device-level data.

Android Advertiser ID also enables a marketer to target specific individuals.

• Re-engagement (engage users who’ve installed to apps, or retain drop-off users)

• Look-alike audiences (Identify users who are deeply engaged and profitable in your app)

• In-app promotions (add offers for users to complete a transaction or in-app event)  

How to Find My GAID?

Here’s how to find your Google Advertising ID (GAID). 

1. Open your Settings app on your Android device. 
2. Tap on Google under the Personal subhead. 
3. Select Ads under Services 
4. You’ll see your Advertising ID at the bottom of the screen.

From this screen, you can:

• Reset your ID to get a new one
• Turn off ad personalization
• Delete your advertising ID (on newer Android versions)

//  The ‘Reset advertising ID’ gives users a new code, but it doesn’t delete the data linked to the old one.

The Privacy Sandbox: Google’s Alternative to GAID

Google’s Privacy Sandbox for Android is a replacement for Google Advertising ID (GAID), a new way to show ads and measure performance. 

In 2022, Google announced it would phase out GAID and replace it with the Privacy Sandbox for Android devices, a new, privacy-first approach to mobile advertising. This is part of Google’s plan to reduce the amount of personal data shared across apps. 

The news marked industry shifts, pushing advertisers to rethink user tracking & measurement without user IDs. Here are some common concerns: 

• How would advertisers run better campaigns without user-level data? 
• How will MMPs handle attribution without GAID?
• How will personalization and segmentation work without GAID?

To answer these, let’s look at the future of GAID.

What Does the Future Look Like Without GAID?

App marketers have long used GAID for measurement, attribution, segmentation, and personalization. But with Google’s Privacy Sandbox on Android, GAID use will sharply decline.

Google plans to add four new privacy-focused tools that work mostly on-device:

• Topics: Helps target relevant ads based on user interests without sharing personal data.

• Fledge: Enables retargeting to users who showed interest before, using on-device audience lists.
  

• Attribution Reporting API: Allows advertisers to measure which ads perform well without exposing individual user data.
  

• SDK Runtime: Creates a secure device space to isolate ad tools and protect user privacy.
  

Alongside Google Play Referrer, these tools will help MMPs provide accurate, privacy-safe attribution.

Combined with methods like incrementality testing and predictive analytics, marketers can optimize campaigns effectively using aggregated data.

User privacy may limit the data marketers can access and share. However, Google’s privacy solutions and efforts from ad networks like adjoe, MMPs, are implemented to ensure advertisers have impactful campaigns and attributions. 

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