Recommendations for using the GMA SDK with Google Play and Android changes
Dear partner,
Google Play has recently announced new policy updates to support user control, privacy and security including the new data safety section, updated controls around advertising ID, permissions for Android 12 targeting and Families policies updates.
To help you respond to these changes, Google AdMob recommends the following:
Review GMA SDK guidance for Play safety section:
Play will require that developers publishing apps on the Play Store outline key app information in the new Play data safety section. To help AdMob developers provide relevant information accordingly, we’ve explained the Google Mobile Ads (GMA) SDK’s data collection practices.
Update to the latest SDKs for app set ID support:
Starting with Android 12 devices, the advertising ID will be removed when a user opts out of personalization using advertising ID in Android Settings. Google Play has also introduced app set ID, which offers a privacy-friendly way to correlate usage or actions across a set of apps owned by the same organization.
To support reporting and fraud prevention of opt-ed out users, Google AdMob recommends taking 20.5.0 GMA SDK or later which support app set ID.
Apps updating their target API level to 31 (Android 12) need to declare new permission to use the advertising ID:
Apps updating their target API level to 31 (Android 12) will need to declare a Google Play services normal permission in the Android manifest file in order to use the advertising ID. For apps that do not request this permission and update their target API level to Android 12, the advertising ID will automatically be removed and replaced with a string of zeros.
Apps that update to 20.4.0 GMA SDK or later will automatically have the permission declared and no further developer action will be required to continue using the advertising ID.
Review Play Families policy updates and understand if additional action is needed:
Additionally, Play announced updates to clarify that if one of the target audiences for an app is children, the app cannot transmit certain identifiers (including advertising ID) for children or users of unknown age.
For apps with a target audience that includes children, we recommend updating to Android 20.6.0 GMA SDK or later and/or iOS GMA SDK 7.67.0 or later to ensure that when an ad request is tagged for child-directed treatment through tagForChildDirected (TFCD) or tagForUnderAgeOfConsent (TFUA), the advertising ID will not be transmitted.
Apps with mixed audiences may need to implement a neutral age screen in order to differentiate between children and adults. We will be launching a neutral age screen message as part of AdMob’s Privacy & messaging tool in early 2022. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, we will continue to invest in product solutions that protect user privacy and support a healthy ecosystem. We will keep you updated as new features become available.
I got this email today and all of my apps for children. I am using kodular native ad components. Do we have to do anything about this? @Diego
