What Apple’s iOS 14.5 Release Update Means for Call Tracking

Apple recently updated its iOS 14.5 interface to include a change to its App Tracking Transparency policy. This change impacts how Google reports and measures conversion information, meaning businesses like WildJar will no longer be able to send the Google click identifier (known as GCLID) for traffic coming from some Google apps when used on iOS 14.5 devices.

What does this mean for your business and how can you make sure you’re continuing to collect valuable marketing insights from your iOS 14.5 customers? Read on to see how Google and WildJar are responding.

How Google Is Responding

To accommodate for this change in Apple data sharing, Google has implemented two new parameters: GBRAID and WBRAID. The new parameters will be added to the landing page URL for traffic from Google apps on iOS 14.5 devices, in place of the previous GCLID parameter.

Instead of a unique GCLID being assigned to a click, the new parameters will be created and assigned to a group of users using aggregate techniques, meaning multiple users will have the same ID assigned.

• GBRAID – App measurement (deep linked campaigns). Search & Shopping campaigns.
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• WBRAID – Web measurement. YouTube, Display, and Discovery campaigns.
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How WildJar is Adapting

As a WildJar customer, this could impact the accuracy of conversion data received from Google as well as conversions being sent from WildJar to your Google account. Our team has been busy behind the scenes preparing! If you are currently using DNI to switch out numbers for Google Paid channels, then no need to worry, as we have automatically updated the script to dynamically swap the new GBRAID and WBRAID parameters.

How to Ensure Accurate Tracking in Your WildJar Account

• UTM parameters still have the ability to be read and attributed to the click activities. We recommend to continue to use them for your Google Ads traffic, or consider implementing UTM parameters if you are not using them currently. This will enrich the WildJar reporting platform with additional attribution displayed in our reports and sent into Google Analytics.
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• Update any Google Ads custom tracking source to include |wbraid=.+|braid=.+ to ensure correct attribution.

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The digital industry at large continues to grapple with how to address data usage and privacy concerns for consumers while still gathering valuable marketing insights for businesses. In response to the ever changing market environment, our team is committed to continuing to adapt and provide value for our customers. For everything you need to know regarding this update, please review our detailed support article.

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