Google’s Android 13 Privacy Sandbox will Start Rolling Out in Early 2023

Google will start rolling out Privacy Sandbox to Android 13 mobile devices beginning in early 2023, the company announced yesterday.

Only a small percentage of devices will be allowed to test the technology at first, followed by a gradual increase until mass adoption.

“Beginning early next year we plan to rollout the initial Privacy Sandbox Beta to Android 13 mobile devices, so that developers can take the next steps in testing these new solutions,” Google’s announcement reads. “Note that Developer Previews will continue to be released and this is where we’ll first deliver the latest features for early feedback before being released on production devices.”

The company encourages app developers to complete an enrollment process that would grant them early access to Privacy-Preserving APIs. Early enrollment would allow developers to start working on integrating the APIs into their products before the system is fully adopted.

At the same time, Google says the SDK Runtime will be available only to developers as part of a closed beta to ensure better coordination in testing the development kit on production devices. Furthermore, closed beta participants are expected to “dedicate resources to support this testing.”

Privacy Sandbox for Android is an assembly of technologies that aim to limit covert tracking, show relevant content and ads, and measure digital ads without compromising users’ private data. The system promises to operate without cross-app identifiers such as the Advertising ID, thus helping apps stay free while keeping your data safe.

By using an assortment of API systems, including “FLEDGE,” “Topics” and “Attribution Reporting,” Google aims to replace Advertising IDs. These unique identifiers have long been used on Android devices and are infamous for playing a significant part in online tracking.