How to stop targeted ads: the settings that work, and the tracking that remains
Tracking / ads. Updated 2026-09-13. About 6 minutes to read.
Delete or block your phone's ad ID, turn off personalised ads in Google My Ad Center and Meta Accounts Center, and switch on Global Privacy Control in your browser.
You cannot stop seeing ads, but you can stop a lot of them being built from your personal data. Targeted ads rely on three things: identifiers on your phone and browser, activity data that platforms collect about you, and data that advertisers and brokers upload or share. Each has its own off switch, and none covers the others.
This guide goes platform by platform, with menu paths checked in September 2026. Expect about 30 minutes for the full set. Start with your phone and your Google account, which together cover the largest share of ad tracking for most people.
The last section is the honest part: what continues to target you after every setting is off, and why you will still see ads that feel uncomfortably specific.
Your phone's advertising identifier
iPhone: open Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Tracking, and turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track. Apps are then treated as if you asked them not to track, and they cannot access your advertising identifier.
iPhone: in Settings, then Privacy and Security, open Apple Advertising and turn off Personalised Ads for ads Apple shows in the App Store and Apple News.
Android 12 and later: open Settings, then Privacy, then Ads, tap Delete advertising ID and confirm. Apps then receive a string of zeros instead of an ID. On Samsung phones the Ads menu is under Security and privacy, then More privacy settings.
Android: under Settings, then Google, then All services, then Privacy and security, then Ads, open Ads privacy and turn off ad topics, app suggested ads and ad measurement if they appear on your phone.
Google, Meta and Amazon account settings
Google: go to myadcenter.google.com while signed in and switch Personalized ads off. This applies wherever you are signed in to that account. You will still see ads based on general context, such as the video you are watching.
Google: in your Google Account, open Data and privacy and review Web and App Activity and YouTube History. Pausing or auto-deleting them reduces the data available for ads.
Meta: open Accounts Center, then Your information and permissions, then Activity from other businesses, and choose not to let Meta use that activity for personalised ads and content. Then open Accounts Center, then Ad preferences, and review ad topics and the advertisers you have seen.
Amazon: go to Your Account, then Advertising preferences, and choose Do not show me interest-based ads provided by Amazon.
In July 2026 Meta removed its Your activity off Meta technologies control in the US and a number of other countries. The replacement setting only limits how Meta uses data from other businesses. Businesses may still send it to Meta, so blocking trackers in your browser now matters more.
Turn on Global Privacy Control in your browser
Global Privacy Control, or GPC, is a signal your browser sends to every website saying you opt out of the sale and sharing of your data. Under California's privacy regulations businesses must treat it as a valid opt out, and several other states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Texas and Oregon, require businesses to honour it.
Brave and the DuckDuckGo browser send GPC by default.
Firefox: open Settings, then Privacy and Security, and under Website Privacy Preferences turn on Tell websites not to sell or share my data.
Chrome, Safari and Edge did not include a built-in GPC setting in early 2026. If yours still does not, add the signal with an extension such as EFF's Privacy Badger. California's Opt Me Out Act requires browsers to include an opt out signal setting from 1 January 2027.
While in settings, block third party cookies. Google decided not to remove them from Chrome by default, so you have to switch this on yourself under Privacy and security.
Industry opt outs and your smart TV
US: use optout.aboutads.info from the Digital Advertising Alliance and optout.networkadvertising.org from the NAI. These work by setting opt out cookies, so repeat them after clearing cookies and on each browser.
UK and Europe: youronlinechoices.com offers the equivalent industry opt out.
Australia: youronlinechoices.com.au covers participating ad companies.
Smart TVs track what you watch through automatic content recognition. Turn it off in the TV's privacy settings: Samsung calls it Viewing Information Services and LG calls it Live Plus.
Cut the data supply behind the ads
A large share of targeting now uses data you never gave to the platform showing the ad. Retailers and brands upload customer lists of emails and phone numbers so platforms can match them to accounts. Data brokers sell audience segments built from loyalty cards, purchase records and location data.
Opt out of data brokers and people search sites, and in California submit a DROP request to reach every registered broker at once.
Use email aliases for shopping and loyalty programs so uploaded customer lists do not match your main accounts.
Decline loyalty tracking you do not value, and turn off location access for apps that do not need it.
Use your privacy law rights to opt out of sale and sharing with retailers you shop with, which GPC does automatically for websites.
What still targets you after every setting is off
Contextual ads based on the page, video or search you are looking at. These need no personal data.
First party data. Google still sees your searches, Amazon still sees your purchases, and both can use them within their own services under their own terms.
Your IP address, which can place you in a city or a household.
Browser fingerprinting, which identifies a device from its settings and hardware without cookies.
Advertiser customer lists matched to your account from an email or phone number you gave a store.
A VPN hides your IP address but does nothing about signed in activity, customer list matching or fingerprinting. Tracker blocking, GPC and broker opt outs do more to reduce targeting than a VPN on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Will turning off personalised ads stop ads completely?
No. You will see the same number of ads, but they will be based on context, such as the site or video, rather than your profile. Only ad blockers or paid ad free tiers reduce the number of ads.
Why do I still see targeted ads after opting out?
Opt outs cover one company or one identifier at a time. Ads can still come from first party data, customer lists uploaded by stores you shop with, industry opt out cookies that were cleared, or another device where you did not change settings.
Is Global Privacy Control legally binding?
In California and several other US states, businesses covered by their privacy laws must treat GPC as a valid request to opt out of sale or sharing. Elsewhere it is a request that some companies honour voluntarily.
How do I reset or delete my advertising ID?
On Android 12 and later, go to Settings, Privacy, Ads and tap Delete advertising ID. On iPhone, turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track under Privacy and Security, then Tracking, which blocks apps from accessing the identifier.
Do ad blockers also stop tracking?
Good content blockers such as uBlock Origin block many tracking scripts as well as ads, which reduces data collection. They do not stop tracking inside apps, first party tracking by the site you are on, or fingerprinting, so combine them with the settings above.