Google will let Android mobile software users opt out of being monitored by marketers on their smartphone applications, following competitor Apple Inc.’s earlier effort to improve privacy on iPhones.
The option will be accessible in late 2021 as part of a Google Play services upgrade, according to the Alphabet Inc. unit’s support page. If a user has refused to receive targeted adverts, developers will no longer be able to view that user’s unique advertising ID. Unlike Apple’s functionality, users would not be automatically opted out of ad tracking.
According to Bloomberg, Google has been considering a method to give Android users more discretion over ad monitoring that is less severe than Apple’s. Google said in May that it will add a safety area to its Play Store in 2022 so that Android users can see what data developers gather and share about them, as well as get access to extra privacy and security information.
In April, Apple shook the mobile advertising business by introducing the App Tracking Transparency feature, which requires users to opt in to being followed by applications for targeted advertising. Developers anticipate income loss as a result of the move because most consumers are unlikely to consent to having their data gathered.
Google stated that the Play services deployment will begin with applications running on Android 12 devices in late 2021 and will expand to additional devices with Google Play in early 2022.
