Google Play's data disclosure requirements

In May 2021, Google Play announced the new Data safety section, which is a developer-provided disclosure for an app's data collection, sharing, and security practices.

This page can help you complete the requirements for this data disclosure in regards to your usage of the Google Mobile Ads SDK. On this page, you can find information on whether and how our SDK handles end-user data, including any applicable settings or configurations you can control as the app developer.

We aim to be as transparent as possible in supporting you; however, as the app developer, you are solely responsible for deciding how to respond to Google Play's Data safety section form regarding your app's end-user data collection, sharing, and security practices.

How to use the information on this page

This page lists the end-user data collected by only the latest version (version 23.0.0) of the Google Mobile Ads SDK.

If you are using a prior version of the Google Mobile Ads SDK, consider updating to the latest version to ensure your app's disclosures are accurate. The Google Mobile Ads SDK will continue to be updated over time. This article will reflect these changes, so make sure to check back and update your disclosures as necessary.

To complete your data disclosure, you can use Android's guide about data types to help you determine which data types and purposes best describe the collected data. In your data disclosure, make sure to also account for how your specific app shares and uses the collected data.

Data collected and shared automatically

The Google Mobile Ads SDK collects and shares the following data types automatically for advertising, analytics, and fraud prevention purposes.

Data By default, the Google Mobile Ads SDK...
IP address Collects device's IP address, which may be used to estimate the general location of a device.
User product interactions Collects user product interactions and interaction information, including app launch, taps, and video views.
Diagnostic information Collects information related to the performance of your app and the SDK, including crash logs, app launch time, hang rate, and energy usage.
Device and Account identifiers Collects Android advertising (ad) ID, app set ID, and, if applicable, other identifiers related to signed-in accounts on the device.

All of the user data collected by Google Mobile Ads SDK is encrypted in transit using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol.

Data handling

Android ad ID collection is optional. The ad ID can be reset or deleted by users using ad ID controls in the Android settings menu. As the app developer, you can prevent the collection of ad IDs by updating the app's manifest file.

Certain other features in the Google Mobile Ads SDK, such as the Limited Ads feature, may also disable transmission of the ad ID and other data.

Data collected and shared depending on your usage

If you are using any optional product features that involve additional data (such as advance reporting) or participating in any tests of new product features that involve additional data, be sure to check if those features or tests require additional data disclosures.

Other helpful resources

  • Blog post announcing the Data safety form in Google Play Console.
  • The Play Console's Data safety form is available on the App content page.