Apps taking your data to push ads to you is a tale as old as time itself (or at least since the invention of the smartphone). However, with newer and more transparent pro-consumer policies as late, customers are now getting a say in reducing the ads pushed to them on their Android Smartphones. With this guide, we will outline how you too can opt-out of sharing data with apps with Google on Android smartphones.
Take back your privacy on your Android Smartphone
There is a clever detail hidden in the majority of Android smartphones where Google has been silently tracking your usage to deliver ads to you. In recent years, new laws have been made to allow customers to opt-out of this forced data tracking, but many did not know how to reach it. This guide will walk you through the steps you need to follow if you want to reduce the tracking your phone is doing on you courtesy of Google.
This step works if you are using an Android phone that requires you to use your Google account, as we are looking to change a setting within Google’s settings on the device.
Start off by opening the Settings app, and going all the way to the bottom until you find Google.
When you open up Google, tap on Ads, and depending on your OEM or Android version, this menu can vary for a lot of users. However, on a Pixel 4A (5G) and an S21 Ultra running Android 12, the menu was the same.
When you have the option to, tap on Delete Advertising ID, Opt out of Ads Personalization, or whatever option is the closest.
You will be met with a confirmation prompt where you will have to confirm the deletion and from then, you will now have a clean slate. Just remember to do this once in two months or so to ensure the best data protection possible, as over time this can build up again in some OEMs.
This method can vary between different versions of Android and smartphone manufacturers, and while some say it permanently goes away, there are reports that it does come back. It is best to just check in on it once in a while and ensure that the data is once again deleted.
