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    Reset Your Phone's Ad Tracking ID

    Your phone has a unique advertising ID that follows you across apps. You can reset it — or turn it off entirely — in just a few taps.

    2 min read3 stepsChecked Mar 2026

    Every smartphone has an advertising ID (IDFA on iPhone, GAID on Android) that advertisers use to track your behavior across apps and target you with ads. On iPhone: go to SettingsPrivacy & SecurityTracking and turn off "Allow Apps to Request to Track." On Android: go to SettingsPrivacyAds and tap "Delete advertising ID." Resetting or deleting this ID breaks the trail of data advertisers have built on you. You can also reset it periodically rather than deleting — reinstalling apps also resets it.

    1. Step 1: Turn off ad tracking on iPhone

      Go to SettingsPrivacy & SecurityTracking. Turn off "Allow Apps to Request to Track." This prevents any app from even asking to track your activity across other apps and websites for advertising purposes. Apps that previously had tracking permission will no longer be able to use it.

      Quick Tip

      This is one of the highest-impact privacy settings on an iPhone. Apple introduced it in 2021 with iOS 14.5 and it works on all iPhones running iOS 14.5 or later (including iOS 18).

    2. Step 2: Delete your advertising ID on Android

      Go to SettingsPrivacyAdsDelete advertising ID. On older Android versions, this option may be called "Reset advertising ID" — tap it to assign yourself a new random ID, breaking the existing trail of data. On Android 14 and later, you can delete it entirely.

      Quick Tip

      The exact path varies by phone brand. On Samsung phones: SettingsPrivacyAds. On Pixel phones: SettingsPrivacyAds.

    3. Step 3: Why this matters

      Ad tracking IDs allow advertisers to build detailed profiles of your interests, habits, and behavior by watching which apps you open, how long you use them, and what you search for. Deleting or resetting the ID breaks that profile. Your apps still work normally. You just see less targeted advertising.

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