[godelski]

> Phone users can currently disable the IDFA, but have to do so manually; Android users aren’t even given this option

This actually false. You can change your Ad ID on Android. I just looked (and checked)If you go to Settings > Privacy > Ads you can see this IDFA. At the top (it looks like a header and not an option, so I will not fully fault Mozilla because this is a dark pattern) it says "Reset advertising ID". If you press it you can see the grey "Your advertising ID" (at the bottom) change.

Additionally, there's the option "Opt out of Ads Personalization". It has the text "Instruct apps not to use your advertising ID to build profiles or show you personalized ads." I would love if someone here could clarify this for me. Is this a suggestion to apps or is this a strict and enforceable thing? As in "Hey app, you should ignore this ID that I'm handing to you" vs "Hey app, you don't get to have this ID. Sorry." Does anyone know which it is? The language suggests to me that it is the former.

Edit: This was done on a phone running Android 10

[milankragujevic]

I interpreted Mozilla's claim that Android users cannot disable the advertising identifier, but can reset it. The sentence talks about periodic resetting. I might be wrong in the intention of the author(s), but that is my interpretation.

[godelski]

I definitely read it differently. But I can see your interpretation. Though it gets to my question about what the opt out means. Does this mean that apps don't see it? Or does it just ask that apps don't use it. Because those are two very different things. I was hoping someone on HN would know.

[COGlory]

My Android 8 Pixel 2 XL has no privacy option in the settings. Upgrading would unfortunately come at the cost of losing root and AdAway (for the moment). I wonder which is more beneficial to have.

[godelski]

Well I'm also using a Pixel 2. So the good news is that this exists if you upgrade. I didn't realize root was not available on 10 (this is the first phone I haven't rooted and so I haven't been keeping up)

[freedomben]

Root isn't available on on a Pixel 2 on Android 10? I also haven't upgraded yet but was going to, though that's a deal breaker for me. That said my light googling hasn't turned up verification of this yet.

Root does work just fine on Android 10 on the OnePlus 7 Pro (which is the best phone I've ever owned).

[godelski]

Well thanks for verifying. I'm not sure what the gp meant then. When my phone runs into EOL I plan on rooting it again so I can keep getting updates.

[maple3142]

I have this option on my Android 9 phone, and I can remember that this option has been there for a long time. Even older Android version have this option too.

[bibyte]

For me it is on Settings > Google > Ads. Thank you.

[dredmorbius]

This is not available (at least not at that, or other obvious settings areas) on a huge number of Android devices.

Knowing where and when this was added to Android would be helpful.

[godelski]

This is actually really interesting to me. That versions would be so different. I assumed you tried the other paths that other users noted? What phone are you using? Android version?

[dredmorbius]

5.0.2.

A Samsung device.

Obsolute when new, no OS update ever available.

I am less than pleased.