Android Privacy Sandbox: What We’ve Learned From the Product Experts Leading the Shift to a Privacy-Centric Mobile Ecosystem

Panel discussion with Google, Dataseat, AppsFlyer, and Digital Turbine, August 14, 2024

Product leads from Dataseat, AppsFlyer, and Google joined us for a live panel on the Android Privacy Sandbox and its impact on mobile advertising. If you missed the session, here’s a quick recap of the discussion and insights into the Privacy Sandbox components.

Attributing Actions and Events in Privacy Sandbox

Even though Privacy Sandbox's general focus is on privacy, it’s a very sophisticated technology that provides the industry with a lot of flexibility and granularity. Through Attribution Reporting API, Privacy Sandbox introduces flexibility with a 30-day conversion window, detailed campaign breakdowns, and post-install event measurement. However, these features come with trade-offs. 

While the new framework enhances granularity, advertisers must now balance short-term ROI with long-term value. To comply with the Sandbox Attribution policies, advertisers would need to define key reporting metrics for each campaign.

Attribution Reporting API is not only an API on its own - it's also integrated within other APIs, like Protected Audiences API and Protected App Signals API. It makes it much easier for both DSPs and SSPs to track and attribute different actions within Sandbox.

To ensure a smooth onboarding to the new campaign reporting, start using Sandbox attribution as soon as possible in parallel with the existing reporting, see how it differs for your specific case, and learn from the add-on solutions built on top of the Attribution API, especially products built by your MMP.

Integrating APIs Based on Campaign Type

For contextual targeting, Topics API leverages user interests derived from site and app activity, enhancing targeting in a privacy-conscious way. 

Re-engagement campaigns benefit from Protected Audience API, which, together with Protected App Signals API, provides in-depth signals for user acquisition targeting.

Enabling Retargeting in Privacy Sandbox

The Protected Audience API facilitates audience activation for retargeting. Audiences are defined either by the ad network or the advertiser with help from MMP platforms, like AppsFlyer. Unlike traditional methods, this data remains on the device, ensuring user privacy.

The change to on-device audience membership means more pre-campaign planning but achieves the same end result for retargeting in a privacy-centric way.

The Role of Protected App Signals API

The Protected App Signals API is your best friend if you focus on behavioral targeting. Together with Topics API, Protected App Signals API is a solution for user acquisition and performance buyers to target specific behaviors, such as time spent or specific conversions done on different types of sites and apps, rather than just contextual interests.

Protected App Signals API offers access to detailed signals about user behavior. While essentially bringing the same results as current targeting, the mechanics are completely different from what we are used to now: instead of targeting a specific device, you’re targeting predefined “signals” stored on a device.

Collaborating for an Industry-Wide Onboarding to Sandbox

Adoption of the Privacy Sandbox is a gradual but necessary process. During the transition phase, challenges like fragmented data and delayed support of its components throughout your ad value chain are expected. However, those ahead of the curve already build and test available APIs and custom-built add-on tools, aiming to unify reporting, define the use cases for different buying behaviours, and ease the shift.

Full adoption requires collaboration across the ad tech value chain. DSPs, SSPs, and MMPs must all be ready to support the Sandbox. Early adopters will likely see success by testing APIs relevant to their specific use cases, like Topics and Attribution Reporting alongside current methods. But partners that support the connection between supply and demand, especially SSPs, must support every single component of the new framework.

Final Thoughts: Preparing for the Privacy Sandbox

Adopting the Privacy Sandbox early allows advertisers, app developers, and ad tech vendors to influence the development of these new tools. Start exploring how to integrate the relevant APIs into your products and test them now to be ready when the shift happens.

Watch the full panel recording for more insights!