What Is wbraid? Google's iOS Click ID Explained

Why wbraid exists

Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT), introduced with iOS 14.5 in 2021, forced apps to ask permission before tracking users elsewhere — and most users declined. That cut off the identifiers Google's standard gclid relies on for iOS measurement.

To keep campaigns measurable without identifying individuals, Google introduced two privacy-preserving click IDs, wbraid and gbraid. Both are appended automatically by auto-tagging and both work with conversion modeling — Google's method for estimating conversions it can no longer observe one-to-one.

wbraid vs gbraid — the direction that trips everyone up

This pair is constantly stated backwards online. Google's Ads API documentation is the source of truth:

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

For affiliates, wbraid is the one you'll usually see — because your money lands on a webpage (a bridge page or offer), and the click that sent it often came from an ad inside an iOS app. See gbraid for the web-to-app case.

How wbraid behaves

Where it lands: on your webpage's URL as a query parameter, e.g. ?wbraid=... — read it the same way you read gclid.
Privacy model: aggregated and privacy-preserving; conversions are modeled, not individually attributed.
Processing time: wbraid- and gbraid-keyed conversions can take up to 72 hours to process, versus under 12 hours for a standard gclid.
Don't mix them up in uploads: report a wbraid conversion with the wbraid value — the API expects the matching identifier for the click.

What affiliates should do with wbraid

Since wbraid arrives on your webpage, treat it like any landing-page click ID: capture it from the query string on arrival, preserve it through your bridge page and flow, and include it when the conversion is reported to Google. Interpret iOS results as modeled — don't expect the click-for-click reconciliation you'd get from gclid. The tracking-setup playbook shows where this fits in the full stack.

Frequently asked questions

What is wbraid?

wbraid is a URL parameter Google Ads appends to a destination URL when a user clicks an ad inside an iOS app and is taken to your webpage. Google introduced wbraid (and gbraid) 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, and it feeds Google's conversion modeling.

What is the difference between wbraid and gbraid?

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

How do I handle wbraid in conversion tracking?

Because wbraid lands on your webpage, you capture it from the URL like any other click ID: read it from the query string on arrival, store it, and include it when you report the conversion to Google (offline conversion import or enhanced conversions). Conversions keyed on wbraid can take up to 72 hours to process, and because it's privacy-preserving you'll see modeled, aggregated results rather than one-to-one attribution.

Is wbraid the same as gclid?

No. gclid is Google's standard click ID for non-iOS-restricted traffic and supports individual, click-level attribution. wbraid is the iOS-specific, privacy-preserving parameter used when App Tracking Transparency limits gclid on app-to-web clicks. Its conversions are modeled and aggregated. If you advertise on iOS, you preserve wbraid the same way you preserve gclid — but you interpret the numbers as modeled.