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It is similar to a web cookie, but instead of tracking a person's activity across websites, it helps track it across apps installed on their device. Advertisers can use the activity linked to an advertising ID to create profiles, which they then use to deliver targeted ads within ad-supported apps. Users can reset their device's advertising ID to start over with a new identity or disable them entirely to replace targeted ads with non-personalized ones.","image":"https://techterms.com/img/md/advertising_id_1614.png","url":"https://techterms.com/definition/advertising_id"} </script> </head> <body> <div id="full"> <header id="siteheader"> <div class="content"> <a href="#main" class="visuallyhidden">Skip to main content</a> <a href="/" class="logo"><img src="/svg/logo.svg" width="212" height="24" alt="TechTerms.com"></a> <div class="siteheader-middle"> <div class="searchwrapper collapsed"> <form id="search" class="search" action="/search" method="post"> <div class='autocomplete' role='combobox' aria-expanded='false' aria-owns='autocomplete-results'> <input type="text" id="term" name="term" placeholder="Search (e.g. advertising id, 5G, ISP, USB-C)" aria-label="Search (e.g. psd, docx, exe, jpg, zip)" autocomplete="off" class='autocomplete-input term' aria-autocomplete='both' aria-controls='autocomplete-results'> <button id="searchsubmit" class="searchsubmit"></button> </div> <ul id='autocomplete-results' class='autocomplete-results hidden' aria-label='Search'> </ul> </form> </div> <a href="/random" class="headerbutton random" id="random"><img src="/svg/random.svg" alt="random" width="16" height="16"></a> <button id="searchtoggle"><img src="/svg/search-white.svg" alt="search" width="18" height="18"></button> </div> <div class="siteheader-right"> <button id="menuopen"><img src="/svg/menu.svg" alt="open menu" width="18" height="16"></button> <nav id="sitemenu" class="collapsed"> <button id="menuclose"><img src="/svg/close.svg" alt="close menu" width="14" height="14"></button> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/">Terms</a></li> <li><a href="/quiz/">Quizzes</a></li> <li><a href="/help/">Help Center</a></li> <li class="mobile"><a href="/random">Random Term</a></li> <li class="settings"><button id="settings"><img src="/svg/settings.svg" alt="settings" width="22" height="22"></button> <div class="settingsmenu"> <fieldset> <legend>Theme</legend> <input id="theme-default" value="default" type="radio" name="theme" checked> <label for="theme-default">Light</label> <input id="theme-dark" value="dark" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-dark">Dark</label> <input id="theme-hc" value="hc" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-hc">High Contrast</label> </fieldset> <div class="fontsizewrapper"><label for="fontsize">Font Size<input type="range" id="fontsize" name="fontsize" min="14" max="26" step="2" value="20"></label><span class="currentsize">20</span></div> <button id="resetsettings">Reset</button> </div> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </header> <main> <div class="adTopLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589388248615-0'> </div> </div> <div id="main" class="def"> <div id="left"> <div class="card hasheader"> <div class="cardheader"> <div class="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Home</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg><a href="/category/software">Software Terms</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg>Advertising ID Definition</div> </div> <article> <h1>Advertising ID</h1> <div class="adDefRect"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589302365809-0'> </div> </div> <p>An advertising ID is a unique identifier <a href="/definition/string">string</a> assigned to a device by its <a href="/definition/operating_system">operating system</a>. It is similar to a web <a href="/definition/cookie">cookie</a>, but instead of tracking a person's activity across <a href="/definition/website">websites</a>, it helps track it across <a href="/definition/app">apps</a> installed on their device. Advertisers can use the activity linked to an advertising ID to create profiles, which they then use to deliver targeted ads within <a href="/definition/adware">ad-supported apps</a>. Users can reset their device's advertising ID to start over with a new identity or disable them entirely to replace targeted ads with non-personalized ones.</p> <p><a href="/definition/android">Android</a>, <a href="/definition/ios">iOS</a>, and <a href="/definition/windows">Windows</a> platforms all use advertising IDs to help <a href="/definition/developer">developers</a> and advertisers track users' behavior, including which apps they have installed and how they use them. By analyzing usage patterns, advertisers can build a profile for each advertising ID based on the user's interests and demographics. With this data, advertisers can show ads that are relevant to the user and more likely to get engagement. For example, an outdoorsy person may see an ad for a kayak, whereas a music fan may see a new set of headphones instead.</p> <div class="baguetteBox gallery"> <figure class="deffig"> <a href="https://techterms.com/img/xl/advertising_id_1614.png"> <img src="https://techterms.com/img/il/advertising_id_1614.png" alt="The option to enable or disable the use of Advertising IDs in the Windows settings app" width="750" height="423" class="defimg"> </a><figcaption class="caption">The option to enable or disable the use of Advertising IDs in the Windows settings app</figcaption> </figure></div> <p>Each <a href="/definition/platform">platform</a> uses a different name for them — Android calls them Google Advertising IDs (GAIDs), iOS uses Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) strings, and Windows calls them Advertising IDs — but they all perform the same function. Android and iOS advertising IDs are randomly-generated <a href="/definition/uuid">UUID</a> strings consisting of 32 <a href="/definition/hexadecimal">hexadecimal</a> digits, while Windows generates a slightly longer 33-character string. While the data linked to advertising IDs should not be specific enough to identify a specific person, many people are still concerned about the privacy implications of extensive tracking. To give their users more control over their information, these platforms all provide ways to reset a device's advertising IDs at any time or opt out of ad personalization entirely.</p> <div class="adBotLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589236206757-0'> </div> </div> <div class="cardfooter"> <div class="upDate"><div class="author">Updated <span class="pdate">November 30, 2023</span> by <a href="/authors/brian_pickle">Brian P.</a></div></div><div id="citations"> <div class="tabs"> <div role="tablist" aria-label="citations"> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="apa" tabindex="-1">APA</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="mla" tabindex="-1">MLA</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="chicago" tabindex="-1">Chicago</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="html" tabindex="-1">HTML</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="link" tabindex="-1">Link</button> </div> <div 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0 11.6 5.2 11.6 11.6v325.7c0 6.4-5.2 11.6-11.6 11.6-7.5 0-13.5 6-13.5 13.5s6 13.5 13.5 13.5c21.3 0 38.6-17.3 38.6-38.6v-325.7c0-21.3-17.3-38.6-38.6-38.6z" stroke-width="15"/></svg></button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div id="defquiz" class="card"> <h2 class="heading logoheading"><img src="/img/main/quiz.png" alt="quiz" style="width:45px">Test Your Knowledge</h2> <div class="quizBox"> <div class="quizBody"> <p class="quizQuestion">A data type that can store multiple values is called what?</p> <div class="quizTable"> <div id="ansButtonA" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Anum" data-date="2022-08-12"><span class="ansLetter">A</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerA" class="quizAnswer">Enum</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarA" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercA" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonB" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Bnum" data-date="2022-08-12"><span 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If you would like to reference this page or cite this definition, please use the green citation links above.</p> <p>The goal of TechTerms.com is to explain computer terminology in a way that is easy to understand. We strive for simplicity and accuracy with every definition we publish. 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