Turn Off Tracking Secria

How to delete your advertising ID on Android

Apps use the advertising ID to recognize your phone for ads. Delete it, and Google says apps that ask for it get a string of zeros instead.1

Checked 28 October 2026 against the sources.

Turn it off

The advertising ID and Android's newer ad settings are in two different menus.

Advertising ID

Privacy › AdsDelete Advertising ID

Checked against Google's Play Console Help.1

  1. Open Settings on your phone or tablet.1
  2. Tap Privacy › Ads.1
  3. Tap Delete Advertising ID and confirm.1On some older Android versions: Settings › Privacy › Advanced › Ads, then turn on Opt out of Ads Personalization.1

Google's tip: the ID is deleted, but apps may have their own settings, which can also affect the ads you see.1

Ad privacy

Google › All servicesAds privacy

Checked against Android Help.2

  1. Open Settings › Google › All services.2
  2. Under Privacy & security, tap Ads › Ads privacy.2
  3. Tap Ad topics and turn off Allow ad topics.Android notes topics of interest from the apps you use and shares up to 3 at a time with an app.2
  4. Go back, tap App suggested ads and turn off Allow app-suggested ads.Apps can store ad suggestions with Android, for ads in other apps you use.2
  5. Go back, tap Ad measurement and turn off Allow ad measurement.Apps may share limited data, such as the time of day an ad was shown.2

Google's Privacy Sandbox status page (last updated 14 August 2026) lists Android's Topics, Attribution Reporting and Protected Audience as scheduled for phaseout.4 Android Help still shows the switches.2

Delete or reset?

Both are in the same menu. They do different things.

Reset Advertising ID

Replaces the current ID with a new one. Google says apps can still show you personalized ads, though for a while they may be less relevant.3

A fresh start, not an opt-out.

Delete Advertising ID

Deletes the ID and doesn't assign a new one. You won't see ads based on it, but you may still see ads based on other things, such as what you've shared with apps.3

Apps that ask get zeros.1

Questions people ask

Should I delete my advertising ID on Android?

It's your choice. Google says that after deletion you'll still see ads, but they may not be as relevant to you.3

Does deleting work on every Android phone?

Google rolled it out from late 2021 on Android 12 and extended it to all devices that support Google Play from 1 April 2022.1

Does Android delete ad topics by itself?

Yes. Google says Android deletes your ad topics after 4 weeks, and deletes ad suggestion data regularly.2

Sources 4
  1. Advertising ID, Play Console Help, Google, undated. Read 28 October 2026.
  2. Manage your ad privacy settings on Android, Android Help, Google, undated. Read 28 October 2026.
  3. How personalized ads work, My Ad Center Help, Google, Android version, undated. Read 28 October 2026.
  4. Privacy Sandbox feature status, Google, last updated 14 August 2026. Read 28 October 2026.

Every step comes from Google's own help pages. How we check