To turn off personalized ads in mobile games, stop apps from using your phone’s advertising ID. On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking and turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track. On Android, open Settings, search for Ads, and tap Delete advertising ID. You’ll still see the same number of ads, but they’ll be based less on what you do in other apps.
What “personalized” means in a mobile game #
Two different things get called personalization, and your phone’s settings only control one of them.
Personalized ads from ad networks. Free games show ads supplied by ad networks. To target those ads, the networks use your phone’s advertising ID, a code that links what you do across different apps. That’s how a puzzle game ends up showing you ads for a game similar to the one you installed yesterday. iPhone calls this ID the IDFA, and Android calls it the advertising ID.
Personalized offers inside the game. Many free-to-play games also tailor their own shop offers based on how you play that game. A player who’s about to quit might see a cheap bundle, and a big spender might see premium packs. Developers increasingly use machine learning to decide which offer, price and timing to show each player. This uses the game’s own data about you, not the advertising ID, so the phone settings below don’t switch it off.
How to turn off personalized ads on iPhone #
- Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Tracking.
- Turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track.
- If iOS asks what to do about apps you previously allowed, choose Ask Apps to Stop Tracking.
Once it’s off, every app that wants to track you is treated as if you tapped “Ask App Not to Track,” and apps can’t read your advertising ID. The same screen lists apps you’ve allowed before, so you can turn tracking off for one app at a time instead. Apple explains the details on its app tracking support page.
Apple’s own ads, in the App Store and Apple News, are controlled separately under Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising.
If the Tracking switch is greyed out, the phone is probably on a child account, restricted by Screen Time, or managed by a work or school profile.
How to turn off personalized ads on Android #
The menu moves around between Android versions and phone brands, so the quickest route is to open Settings and search for “Ads.” The usual paths:
- Recent Pixel and stock Android: Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy controls > Ads, or Settings > Google > Ads.
- Samsung Galaxy: Settings > Security and privacy > More privacy settings > Ads.
Then:
- Tap Delete advertising ID and confirm.
- If you see an Ads privacy section, turn off Ad topics, App-suggested ads and Ad measurement as well.
Deleting the ID has been possible since Android 12. After you delete it, apps asking for your advertising ID get a string of zeros instead (Google’s advertising ID documentation). On older Android versions you can only reset the ID, which gives you a fresh one but doesn’t turn it off. For ads Google shows across its own services, use My Ad Center.
What changes after you turn it off? #
| What changes | What doesn’t change |
|---|---|
| Ads are less tailored to your interests | You see the same number of ads |
| Ad networks can’t link your activity across apps through the ad ID | In-game offers based on how you play that game |
| Ads may feel more random or repetitive | Data a game collects about your play inside it |
| The ad-based rewards, like watching an ad for an extra life |
So turning off personalization is a privacy win, not an ad-reduction trick. If you want fewer ads, see how to stop ads in mobile games.
Can you stop personalized in-game offers? #
Not with a setting. You can limit how much they work on you:
- Ignore the pop-ups. Personalized offers are tuned to catch you at weak moments, like right after a loss or when you’re nearly out of lives.
- Check the privacy label before you install. The App Store’s App Privacy section shows “Data Used to Track You” and “Data Linked to You,” and Google Play has a Data safety section.
- Choose games that don’t sell much. Premium games and ad-supported games without shops have little to personalize. Our guide on spotting pay-to-win games shows what to look for.
How Flappy Kittens handles personalized ads #
Flappy Kittens is free and supported by ads through Google AdMob. On iPhone it asks through Apple’s standard tracking prompt, and if you choose “Ask App Not to Track,” it serves non-personalized ads. On Android, where it’s called Flappy Cat, your phone’s advertising ID settings apply the same way they do for any app. Either way the game plays exactly the same, fully offline if you like, and it has no shop that sells anything for money, so there are no personalized paid offers to dodge.
Frequently asked questions #
Does turning off personalized ads reduce the number of ads? #
No. Free games show ads to make money, and turning off personalization changes which ads you see, not how many. Some players find the untargeted ads more repetitive.
Is it bad to allow apps to track me? #
It’s a trade-off. Tracking lets advertisers build a profile of your activity across apps in exchange for more relevant ads. Many people prefer to keep that profile thin. The games themselves work the same either way.
Why is the “Allow Apps to Request to Track” switch greyed out? #
Usually because the device belongs to a child account, Screen Time restrictions are on, or a work or school profile manages the phone. Apple’s support page lists the specific cases.
Will deleting my Android advertising ID break my games? #
No. Games keep working and ads keep showing. They’re just less targeted. You can generate a new advertising ID later from the same menu if you change your mind. Always install games from the official stores, too. Unofficial “no ads” versions carry their own risks, which we cover in are mod APKs safe.