Turning off personalized advertising does not remove ads. It limits the activity, account information, identifiers, or location signals a particular advertising system may use to choose them. For the broadest practical result, change the controls on the phone, remove or reset the device advertising identifier where available, and review Google account or individual-app settings separately.
Android and iPhone expose different switches. Android’s controls are under Google services and include ad topics, app-suggested ads, measurement, and the advertising ID. iPhone’s Personalized Ads switch applies to ads delivered by Apple in the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks. Google services, including YouTube, have their own account-level controls on either phone.
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What each control actually changes
There is no universal “stop personalized ads” switch for every app. Each setting applies to a defined advertising system or data layer. Use this map before changing anything:
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| Android Ads privacy | Android’s ad-topic, app-suggested-ad, and measurement features, where available | Stops the selected Android features from being used for ad personalization or measurement | Does not control every app’s own advertising system |
| Android advertising ID | Apps and ad systems that use Android’s device advertising identifier | Resetting creates a new identifier; deleting removes it | Apps may use other identifiers, information shared with them, or their own settings |
| Apple Personalized Ads | Apple-delivered ads in the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks | Reduces personalization of those Apple ads | Does not promise fewer ads or govern every third-party app |
| Apple Location Services for App Store or News | Location-based Apple ads in those services | Prevents the selected service from using location permission for this purpose | Does not replace the Apple Personalized Ads control |
| Google My Ad Center | Personalized ads on Google services for a signed-in account | Stops Google from using saved account activity and My Ad Center choices to personalize those ads | Does not change Apple-delivered ads or every non-Google app |
| YouTube ad controls | YouTube on iPhone and other supported platforms | Changes personalization for signed-in or signed-out YouTube use, depending on the control used | Does not change ad settings in unrelated apps |
These layers are complementary. A person can disable Apple’s Personalized Ads and still see personalized ads in a Google app, or delete Android’s advertising ID while an app uses information it collected under its own policy.
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Limit personalized ads on Android
1. Turn off Android’s ad topics, app-suggested ads, and measurement
On current Android releases, open:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Google.
- Tap All services.
- Under Google services, open Privacy & security.
- Tap Ads.
The Ads privacy screen can contain three separate controls. Availability depends on the Android release, manufacturer software, and Google’s rollout, so a phone may not show every item.
Ad topics
Android may infer advertising topics from the apps used on the device. Apps can ask Android for those topics. Turn Ad topics off to stop this Android feature, or remove individual topics when the topic list is offered. Google notes that a topic list may not appear until the feature is available on the device and apps begin using it.
App-suggested ads
Some apps can suggest ads to Android or store app-suggested ads for later use. Turn off App-suggested ads if the option is present. This setting addresses the Android feature; it cannot override an app’s separate advertising logic or privacy controls.
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Turn off Ad measurement to limit the Android measurement feature where it is available. Measurement is separate from the choice of which ad is displayed, so changing it does not mean ads will disappear.
2. Reset or delete the Android advertising ID
The advertising ID is a device-level identifier that participating apps and ad systems may use. In the same Android Settings > Google > All services > Privacy & security > Ads area, look for the advertising-ID controls. The exact button wording can differ by Android version and manufacturer.
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- Reset the advertising ID: replaces the current ID with a new one. This breaks the continuity of systems that relied on the old identifier, but it does not prevent future activity from being associated with the new ID.
- Delete the advertising ID: removes the identifier instead of issuing a replacement. Google says ads will not be based on that advertising ID after deletion.
Deletion is the stronger device-identifier action, but it is not a universal opt-out. Apps may use information shared with them, app-specific identifiers, or other signals. An app can also provide its own advertising or privacy switch. If an app’s behavior does not change after deletion, review that app’s settings and privacy notice rather than assuming the Android control failed.
3. Review Android app permissions and in-app controls
Android’s system controls do not replace settings inside individual apps. For apps that continue to show highly tailored ads, open the app’s account, privacy, advertising, or consent settings and look for a personalization choice. You may also review the app’s permissions in Android Settings and remove access that is not needed for the app’s function. Permission changes affect the information an app can access; they do not automatically erase data already held by the app.
Limit personalized ads on iPhone
1. Turn off Apple Personalized Ads
For current iOS versions, use this path:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Apple Advertising.
- Turn off Personalized Ads.
Apple identifies this switch as applying to ads delivered in the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks. With personalization off, Apple says ads may be less relevant but the number of ads may not decrease. This is therefore a relevance control, not an ad-volume blocker.
On older iOS and iPadOS versions, the section may be labelled Privacy rather than Privacy & Security. If the labels differ, use Settings search for “Apple Advertising” or “Personalized Ads.”
2. Limit location-based Apple ads separately
Location-based advertising has its own permission path:
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- Open Settings.
- Tap Privacy & Security (or Privacy on older versions).
- Tap Location Services.
- Choose App Store or News.
- Set access to Never, or turn off Location Services altogether.
This prevents the selected Apple service from using location permission for location-based ads. It is separate from the Personalized Ads switch: someone who wants to limit both must review both paths. Turning off Location Services globally also affects navigation, weather, photos, and other features, so changing only App Store or News is the narrower option.
3. Check third-party apps individually
Apple’s Personalized Ads setting governs Apple-delivered advertising, not every ad shown inside an app downloaded from the App Store. Open the app’s privacy or advertising settings when ads remain personalized. The app may use its own account data, contextual information, or identifiers under its own policies.
Turn off personalization for Google services on either phone
Google account controls are separate from both Android’s device settings and Apple’s Apple Advertising setting. They apply to Google services for a signed-in user.
Use Google Account Ad Settings or My Ad Center
Open your Google Account’s ad settings or My Ad Center, then turn off personalized ads. When personalization is off, Google says it does not use information and activity saved to the Google Account, or the choices saved in My Ad Center, to personalize ads on Google services. Ads can still be selected using general context such as the time of day or the subject of the content being viewed.
This account-level change follows the Google account across supported Google services. It does not turn off Apple-delivered ads, and it cannot force an unrelated app to adopt Google’s settings.
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Google’s iPhone data boundary
Google states that, on iOS, it does not use Apple’s Advertising Identifier (IDFA), or other information covered by Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy, for personalized ads and ad-related measurement. That statement concerns Google’s own use of those Apple-controlled signals; it does not mean every app on an iPhone follows the same practice.
Change YouTube settings on iPhone
The YouTube app exposes a route for signed-in users:
- Open YouTube and tap Account.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Privacy.
- Tap Google ad settings.
- In My Ad Center, turn off Personalized ads.
For signed-out YouTube use, the separate route is History & Privacy > Allow personalized ads. The signed-in and signed-out controls are not interchangeable. Google says signed-out ads may still use contextual signals such as the time of day, location, recently watched videos, or active searches.
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| If you change… | It primarily limits… | You may still see personalization from… |
|---|---|---|
| Android Ads privacy controls | Android ad topics, app-suggested ads, or measurement | App-owned systems, account data, contextual signals, or other identifiers |
| Android advertising-ID deletion | Use of that specific device advertising ID | Information shared with an app, app-specific identifiers, and other signals |
| Apple Personalized Ads off | Personalization of Apple ads in App Store, News, and Stocks | Third-party apps and non-Apple advertising systems |
| App Store or News location permission set to Never | Location-based Apple ads in that service | Non-location signals and ads from other systems |
| My Ad Center personalization off | Account-based personalization on Google services | General context and advertising systems outside Google |
| YouTube signed-out control | Personalization for signed-out YouTube use | Context such as time, location, recent viewing, or active searches |
Because the controls have different scopes, changing one and seeing a tailored ad elsewhere is expected rather than proof that the setting was ignored.
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You will generally continue to see ads
Both platforms describe these controls as limits on relevance or data use. They do not promise a smaller number of ads. Advertising-supported apps can continue to display the same number of placements, with selection based on broad context, app information, location permission, or other permitted signals.
Ads can remain familiar for a while
Previously collected activity, an app’s own profile, or a signed-in account can continue influencing what you see under that service’s policies. A device switch also cannot retroactively erase information held by an app or account. Use that service’s account controls or data-deletion process if your goal includes removing stored history.
Feature availability is not identical on every phone
Android labels and Ads privacy features vary by operating-system release, manufacturer, and rollout. Apple’s older operating systems use different menu names. If a path is missing, update the phone where practical, search Settings for the exact label, and check whether the setting is exposed by the app or account instead.
A practical order for maximum coverage
- Identify the ads you want to change. Ads in App Store, News, and Stocks point to Apple controls; ads in Google services point to My Ad Center; ads inside another app point first to that app’s settings.
- Change the platform control. On Android, review Ads privacy. On iPhone, turn off Apple Personalized Ads if Apple-delivered ads are the concern.
- Change the identifier layer. Android users can reset or delete the advertising ID. iPhone users should not expect Apple’s switch to control identifiers used by unrelated apps.
- Change the signed-in account. Turn off personalization in My Ad Center for Google services, and review YouTube’s signed-in or signed-out control according to how you use it.
- Limit location only where appropriate. On iPhone, set App Store or News location access to Never if location-based Apple ads are the specific concern; avoid a global Location Services change unless you accept its wider effects.
- Audit individual apps. Check each app’s privacy and advertising menus, especially when its ads remain tailored after system and account changes.
Troubleshooting when ads still seem personalized
The ad appears in a different app
Confirm which company delivered the ad. A Google account setting does not govern an independent app, and Apple’s Personalized Ads switch does not govern every third-party advertising network. Open the app’s own privacy settings.
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Android’s topic list is missing
Google says the list may not appear until the feature is available on the phone and participating apps begin using it. In that case, use the controls that are present and revisit the Ads screen after an Android or Google-services update.
You deleted the Android advertising ID but targeting continues
Deletion removes that identifier, not other data. Check the app’s account profile, app permissions, in-app ad controls, and any separate identifier or login used by the service.
iPhone shows the same number of ads
That is consistent with Apple’s description: Personalized Ads may make ads less relevant without reducing their quantity. Review the separate Location Services permission if location-based Apple ads are the concern.
YouTube behaves differently when signed in
Use the signed-in path through Account > Settings > Privacy > Google ad settings. For signed-out use, change History & Privacy > Allow personalized ads. The two modes have separate controls and can use different contextual signals.
Privacy trade-offs to consider
- Relevance versus privacy: less use of activity and identifiers can produce broader, less relevant ads rather than no ads.
- Granularity versus convenience: changing only App Store or News location access preserves location features elsewhere, while a global switch has wider consequences.
- Reset versus deletion on Android: reset starts a new identifier; deletion removes the identifier but still leaves app-level and contextual methods available.
- Platform versus app control: system settings are easier to manage centrally, but an app’s own account and privacy settings may be necessary for that app’s data and ad behavior.
The documented controls therefore work best as a layered approach: platform setting, identifier or location setting, account setting, and finally each app’s own controls. Their scope—not the number of switches—is what determines the result.
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