Android Attribution Reporting: status versus Privacy Sandbox retirement copy

Buyers should not treat Chrome-only Privacy Sandbox headlines as if Android Attribution Reporting (ARA) were still a separate, continuing app-measurement bet. Google’s own status matrix now lists Android Attribution Reporting under Deprecate and remove, matching Chrome ARA. Design-overview docs may still describe app/web trigger paths; status and retirement posts govern planning.

What the documentation currently requires

Privacy Sandbox feature status (last updated 14 August 2026) includes an Android table row for Attribution Reporting with status Deprecate and remove. The same status applies to Android Protected Audience, Topics, SDK Runtime and related rows. Chrome Attribution Reporting is likewise Deprecate and remove.

Update on Plans for Privacy Sandbox Technologies (17 October 2025, Anthony Chavez) states Google will retire listed technologies including the Attribution Reporting API (Chrome and Android), following Chrome and Android phase-out processes, with updates on the developer status site.

Attribution Reporting for mobile overview still describes the Android ARA design (app-to-app, app-to-web, web-to-app, web-to-web on a device) and carries the site-wide notice that some Privacy Sandbox technologies are being phased out, linking status and the plans update. Treat that overview as historical/design reference under retirement, not as a promise of ongoing product investment.

Surface × status (as of status page 14 Aug 2026)

Who should act, and how

1. Measurement leads: stop roadmap dependence on Android ARA as a long-term MMP replacement; track Google’s phase-out notices.
2. Separate Chrome cookie/ARA news from Android app attribution only for chronology—both ARA surfaces are in Deprecate and remove.
3. Keep SKAN, Play install referrer, and MMP stacks as the practical app paths unless a new interoperable standard ships.

Applicability table

Download the applicability table.

Limits of this record

Body-reads Privacy Sandbox status, retirement blog and Android ARA overview. Exact OS removal build numbers and final dates were not listed as a single calendar day on these pages and stay unknown until Google publishes phase-out milestones. This is Android-specific relative to Chrome-weighted archive follow-ups.

Research checked 19 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review and byline assignment pending.