When Apple launched iOS 14.5, one key feature the update had was the ability for users to "opt-out" of advertising tracking.

This meant that app developers had to explicitly ask users for their permission before they are allowed to "track" users and offer them "personalized ads" — Google is now following suit.

Key Highlights

• Google is following Apple's footsteps by letting users "opt-out" of ad-tracking on Android devices.
  
• Developers will no longer have access to the device's "Advertising ID" (it will now return a string of zeroes).
• This new change will take effect late 2021, starting with Android version 12.

Why It Matters

• This new change could significantly affect companies in the advertising space, most notably Facebook.
  
• This will also affect advertisers seeking to offer more personalized ads to users, as previously apps were able to identify who the user was via an "advertising identifier".
• While Google is also in the advertising space, the severity of this change affects the company less compared to Facebook due to the simple fact that the company owns the Android operating system.
  
• Current Android phones already have the option to "opt out of Ads Personalization", however this is currently hidden in the device settings.