What Is gbraid? Google's iOS Click ID Explained

Why gbraid exists

When Apple launched App Tracking Transparency (ATT) with iOS 14.5 in 2021, apps had to ask permission before tracking users across other companies' apps and sites. Most users declined. That broke Google's normal measurement path on iOS, because the standard gclid depends on identifiers ATT restricts.

Google's answer was two new privacy-preserving click IDs — gbraid and wbraid — that carry enough signal to measure campaigns in aggregate without identifying an individual. They're appended automatically by auto-tagging (the same account setting that adds gclid) and they work with conversion modeling, where Google estimates the conversions it can't observe directly.

gbraid vs wbraid — get the direction right

This is the single most-confused point, and a lot of agency blogs (and AI summaries) state it backwards. Google's Ads API documentation is the authoritative source:

gbraid vs wbraid click direction per Google Ads API documentation
Parameter	Click direction	Meaning
`gbraid`	Web → App	User clicks an ad on the web, lands in your iOS app
`wbraid`	App → Web	User clicks an ad in an iOS app, lands on your webpage

A memory hook: the b in gbraid isn't directional — don't infer it. Just anchor on the docs: gbraid is the web-to-app parameter. See wbraid for the reverse case.

How gbraid behaves

Campaign support: gbraid currently applies to Search, Shopping, Display, and Performance Max campaigns.
Privacy model: it's aggregated and privacy-preserving — you get modeled conversions, not one-to-one, individually attributed clicks the way gclid allows.
With gclid: a click can sometimes carry both a gclid and a gbraid; Google recommends passing both when both are available in a conversion upload.
Processing time: gbraid- and wbraid-keyed conversions can take up to 72 hours to process, versus under 12 hours for a standard gclid. Don't panic if iOS conversions lag.

What affiliates should do with gbraid

If you run Google Ads to iOS users through a bridge page, treat gbraid exactly like gclid: capture it from the landing URL, preserve it through your flow, and include it when you report conversions via offline import or enhanced conversions. Because it's privacy-preserving, don't expect it to reconcile click-for-click — judge iOS performance on modeled, campaign-level numbers.

For the full picture of how click IDs move through a tracking stack, see the click ID explainer and the tracking-setup playbook.

Frequently asked questions

What is gbraid?

gbraid is a URL parameter Google Ads appends to a destination URL when a user clicks an ad on the web and is taken to your iOS app. Google introduced gbraid (and wbraid) in 2021 to measure iOS 14.5+ traffic under Apple's App Tracking Transparency, where the standard gclid isn't available without user consent. It's added automatically when auto-tagging is on, it's privacy-preserving and aggregated rather than tied to an individual, and it feeds Google's conversion modeling.

What is the difference between gbraid and wbraid?

They mark opposite directions of an iOS click. Per Google's Ads API documentation: gbraid is present when a user clicks an ad on the web and is directed to your iOS app (web-to-app); wbraid is present when a user clicks an ad in an iOS app and is directed to your webpage (app-to-web). Many third-party blogs reverse this — Google's developer docs are the authoritative source.

How is gbraid different from gclid?

gclid is Google's standard click ID and can be tied to an individual click for offline conversion import. gbraid is the iOS-specific, privacy-preserving variant used when App Tracking Transparency limits gclid — its conversions are modeled and aggregated rather than individually identified. gbraid currently applies to Search, Shopping, Display, and Performance Max campaigns. In some cases a click has both a gclid and a gbraid, and Google recommends passing both when available.

Do I need to handle gbraid as an affiliate?

If you run Google Ads to iOS users, yes — preserve gbraid through your landing/bridge page exactly like gclid so your conversion imports and enhanced conversions can use it. Note that gbraid-keyed conversions can take up to 72 hours to process (versus under 12 hours for gclid), and because gbraid is privacy-preserving you'll see modeled/aggregated conversions rather than one-to-one matches.