GAID (Android advertising ID)

The GAID is Android's equivalent of Apple's IDFA. Provided through Google Play services, it lets apps recognise a device for ad targeting, frequency capping and install attribution, while giving users controls to reset it or opt out of personalised ads.

Unlike iOS, Android has not required a pop-up permission for the ID. Instead, users can reset or, on Android 12 and later, delete it entirely, after which apps receive a string of zeros. Google Play policy requires apps to declare a specific permission to access it, restricts its use to advertising and analytics, and forbids linking it to persistent identifiers or personal data without explicit consent.

Because most Android users still share the GAID, it remains central to in-app advertising and MMP attribution globally, especially in Android-heavy markets such as India, Indonesia and Brazil. Google had planned a Privacy Sandbox on Android to reduce reliance on it, but in October 2025 it announced it would retire most of those APIs. Resettable GAIDs are also abused in device farm fraud.

Think of it like this

The GAID is like a locker number your phone uses at a gym: advertisers can recognise the locker, and you can ask for a new number whenever you like.

An example

A food delivery app in India, where most smartphones run Android, attributes installs mainly through GAIDs and the Play Install Referrer, and flags devices whose GAID has reset 20 times in a month.