Android is introducing a new set of ad privacy settings

The new Ad privacy settings are now rolling out to more users globally. This rollout is taking place gradually, and it’d help give Android users more control over the ads that they get to see. More interesting is the fact that users get a wide range of choices when it comes to the type of ads they see directly from their smartphones.

Yes, with this new Android settings feature, you can customize your ad preferences to suit your needs. By tweaking a few toggles in the settings page, you can control what ads you receive while using apps on your device. This user privacy-focused feature has been undergoing testing for quite a while.

For a few months now, a few users have got the opportunity to try out this feature. Now, after successful testing and adjustments, the Ad privacy settings are ready for global usage. Despite it being ready, this new feature might take a while before making its way to your device.

Details on the new Ad privacy settings feature to help give you control over ads

The ads that this new setting gives users control over are ads that can be found within apps. Some apps on the Play Store often show users ads on various topics. However, at times these ads can be annoying as they might be unrelated to the viewers’ interests.

Now, the Google Privacy Sandbox initiative is giving apps the room to show users more private ads. This means that the user gets the opportunity to pick ads they want to interact with while using various apps. Android users that have already got this feature will get a notification informing them that the new ad privacy feature is available on their device.

Tapping on the notification will take users to a page where they will get more information about this feature. The choice for ads will be based on topics that users possibly have an interest in. Android will be able to identify this by the apps these users actively make use of.

Users can also pick between a wide range of topics to identify where their interest lies. Pixel users with Android 13 will be able to access this feature from their settings page (still rolling out via a Play Store update). Under ad privacy, these individuals will be able to pick the ads they are interested in.

More than that, they’d also be able to allow or prevent apps from suggesting ads to show them. Lastly, these new Ad privacy settings will give Pixel users control over ad measurement, which can be accessible to app developers. The introduction of this new feature gives users control over the ads they see while using their device, hence helping them block out unwanted ads.