Take your app to the next level with Affise MMP (Mobile Measurement Partner)
Join Now ⚡

English

Log in

 Sign up free
Back to Glossary

Limit Ad Tracking (LAT)

i

A privacy feature on iOS (under "Allow Apps to Request to Track") and Android (via "Opt out of Ads Personalization") that prevents advertisers from using a device's advertising identifier (IDFA or GAID) for targeted ads and attribution. When enabled, MMPs receive a blank or zeroed-out identifier, limiting user-level tracking.

How limit ad tracking works

Limit Ad Tracking, or LAT, is a privacy feature that allows users to control how their device identifiers are used for advertising and measurement. When a user enables LAT, the device’s advertising identifier, such as IDFA on iOS or GAID on Android, is no longer shared in a usable form.

Instead of providing a unique identifier that can be linked to specific users or ad interactions, mobile measurement partners and advertisers receive a blank or zeroed-out identifier. This prevents tracking at the individual user level and makes it difficult to connect app installs, in-app events, or other post-install actions to a specific user or ad campaign.

Why limit ad tracking matters

Limit Ad Tracking plays a crucial role in protecting user privacy. By giving individuals control over how their data is used for advertising and measurement, LAT prevents the creation of detailed user profiles and reduces the ability to deliver personalized ads.

Benefits of LAT for user privacy include:

  • Gives users control over the use of their data for advertising

  • Reduces the ability to track individuals across apps and campaigns

  • Prevents the building of detailed user profiles

  • Encourages privacy-first approaches to mobile advertising and measurement

  • Supports compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR and CCPA

Impact of limit ad tracking on attribution

LAT has a significant impact on how advertisers, marketers, and mobile measurement partners can measure performance. With user-level identifiers restricted, deterministic attribution is limited or impossible. Businesses must rely more on aggregated, probabilistic, or modeled attribution methods.

Key impacts of LAT include:

  • Restricts access to IDFA and GAID for targeted advertising

  • Limits user-level attribution and post-install tracking

  • Increases reliance on aggregated or probabilistic attribution techniques

  • Reduces precision in measuring campaign performance

  • Encourages the adoption of privacy-first measurement strategies that comply with regulations

Understanding how LAT works and its implications is essential for marketers and app developers who want to balance user privacy with accurate campaign measurement.