Latest Update to Google's AdMob SDK for iOS Drops UDID Support

In a recent update to its AdMob software development kit for iOS, Google finished the process of removing UDID access in accordance with Apple?s privacy policies, completing the transition that began over six months ago. The move was announced recently in a post to the Google Ads Developer blog, which comes just a few weeks ahead of Apple?s mandated May 1 deadline for developers to update their apps calling for the deprecation of all assets accessing unique device identifier (UDID) information. The company announced in March that it would begin the rejection of iOS App Store submissions and updates that leverage the data.

For those of you who don?t know, all cellular devices have a UDID, making the identifier a useful tool for advertisers seeking highly detailed data to be used toward ad targeting. Privacy concerns including an iOS location tracking kerfuffle in 2012 ended up prompting Apple to begin cutting off access to the data. At the time, advertising agencies claimed the restriction would lead to a revenue hit of 24% or less. Since then, the company reported started initial App Store rejections of software using the identifiers, with blanket refusals expected to start on May 1. Apple first announced plans to remove UDID access in August 2011, saying developers would see tighter restrictions once iOS 5 launched later that year.

Along with the UDID changes, version 6.40 of the Google AdMob SDK contains a number of bug fixes and enhancements. The release notes can be found below:

Today we?re releasing version 6.4.0 of the Google AdMob SDK for iOS developers. In addition to the maintenance and bug fixes listed below, this version of the SDK completes the transition away from UDID, which began with version 6.2, in compliance with relevant Apple policies.

? There are a number of maintenance updates and bug fixes including:
? No longer accesses the UDID
? Fix for GADInterstitial crash that occurs when app is running in the background
? Fix for GADMRAIDInterceptor threading crash
? Renaming symbols to prevent duplicate symbol errors
? Support for receiving test ads when using AdMob through mediation
? Test ads are only available on devices running iOS 6 and above

Source: Google Ads (Developer Blog)

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