Google AdMob sends user data to Google LLC. Because the Google Mobile Ads SDK transfers device identifiers and activity data to a third party that uses them for advertising, you must disclose it in your privacy policy, your App Store privacy label, and your Google Play Data Safety form. Generate a full privacy policy with this clause built in →
Does AdMob need a privacy policy disclosure?
Google AdMob is a mobile advertising network. When you embed the Google Mobile Ads SDK, every ad request sends data to Google: your device advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS, Android Advertising ID on Android), your IP address, an approximate location derived from that IP, information about the ads you see and tap, and diagnostic and device data. Google uses this to select ads, cap frequency, measure performance, and detect invalid traffic.
This is a third-party transfer, not internal processing. Google acts as an independent controller for most of this data, and it combines signals across apps and its own services. Under Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework and Guideline 5.1.2, personalized advertising of this kind counts as "tracking," so AdMob requires an ATT prompt before it can read the IDFA on iOS.
What data does AdMob collect?
| Data type | Purpose | Linked to the user? | Used for tracking? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device advertising ID (IDFA / Android Ad ID), App Set ID | Ad selection, measurement, frequency capping, fraud prevention | Yes | Yes |
| Ad interaction data (impressions, clicks, video views) | Ad performance, analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advertising data (ads shown to the user) | Ad delivery and measurement | Yes | Yes |
| IP address and approximate (coarse) location | Ad delivery, general-location targeting, fraud prevention | Per Google: no | Per Google: no |
| Diagnostics: crash logs, performance data (launch time, hang rate, energy) | Diagnose and improve the SDK; also advertising and analytics | Performance: yes; crash: no | No |
The exact list depends on your configuration: mediation adapters, conversion tracking, rewarded ads, and Google product tests each add their own data flows, and you are responsible for disclosing everything your build actually ships.
Copy-paste privacy policy clause for AdMob
We use Google AdMob, an advertising service provided by Google LLC, to
display ads in this app. When you view or interact with an ad, the Google
Mobile Ads SDK collects and shares with Google your device advertising
identifier (IDFA on iOS, Android Advertising ID on Android), IP address,
approximate location derived from your IP address, information about the
ads you see and tap, and diagnostic and device data. Google uses this
data to select and measure ads, cap ad frequency, and detect invalid
activity. For this processing Google acts as an independent data
controller. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and
Switzerland we request your consent before AdMob loads personalized ads.
In certain US states you may opt out of the sale or sharing of your data,
which enables Google's restricted data processing mode. See
https://policies.google.com/privacy and
https://support.google.com/admob/answer/6128543 for details.Adapt it: name your company, link it from your app's settings screen and store listing, and add a row for every mediated network you enable. This text is a starting template, not legal advice; you remain responsible for its accuracy.
App Store "App Privacy" label answers
In App Store Connect, declare the following for the Google Mobile Ads SDK:
- Identifiers > Device ID — used for Third-Party Advertising; Linked to the user; Used to Track You.
- Usage Data > Product Interaction and Usage Data > Advertising Data — Third-Party Advertising and Analytics; Linked; Used to Track You.
- Diagnostics > Crash Data and Diagnostics > Performance Data — App Functionality and Analytics; performance data is Linked.
- Some publishers also declare Location > Coarse Location because AdMob derives approximate location from IP; Google's own guidance treats the IP as a fraud-prevention and delivery signal.
Because AdMob accesses the IDFA, you must answer "Yes" to the tracking question and present an ATT prompt.
Google Play Data Safety answers
- Device or other IDs — Collected: Yes. Shared: Yes. Purpose: Advertising, Analytics, Fraud prevention. Not processed ephemerally. Users can reset the Ad ID in Android settings.
- Location > Approximate location — Collected: Yes. Shared: Yes. Purpose: Advertising, Analytics, Fraud prevention.
- App activity > App interactions — Collected: Yes. Shared: Yes. Purpose: Advertising, Analytics, Fraud prevention.
- App info and performance > Crash logs and Diagnostics — Collected: Yes. Shared: Yes.
Data sharing is "Yes" for AdMob: the SDK transmits data to Google as a separate company. The Android Ad ID is optional and can be disabled in your manifest, but the App Set ID is still collected.
AdMob-specific gotchas
- Since 16 January 2024, EEA, UK, and Switzerland traffic requires a Google-certified Consent Management Platform (the Google User Messaging Platform SDK or a certified IAB TCF v2.2 CMP). Without one, only limited ads serve.
- For CCPA and other US state laws, pass the restricted data processing (RDP) signal or a valid
us_privacy/ Global Privacy Platform string; Google then serves non-personalized ads only. - Child-directed apps: set
tagForChildDirectedTreatment(COPPA) andtagForUnderAgeOfConsent, and do not request the IDFA. Publisher-provided age flags are your responsibility, not Google's. - The Google Mobile Ads SDK is on Apple's list of commonly used third-party SDKs, so it must ship a signed
PrivacyInfo.xcprivacymanifest (included from v11.2.0 onward); use a recent version and keep every mediation adapter's manifest current for Apple Guideline 5.1.2. - Each mediated network (Meta Audience Network, AppLovin, Unity Ads, and others) needs its own privacy disclosure and its own consent handling; the AdMob SDK passes signals but does not originate them.
- "Restricted data processing" reduces sharing but does not stop collection; your policy should still list the data types.
Related
See the sibling clause guides for Meta Audience Network, AppLovin MAX, Unity Ads, and ironSource (LevelPlay). For a Firebase and Google Analytics policy, see the Firebase privacy policy generator, and build the whole document with the privacy policy page generator.