Google AdMob cuts historical data retention periods for mobile publishers
AdMob limits historical data to 7 years for ads activity and 90 days for user activity starting September 2025.
Google AdMob will significantly reduce historical data retention periods starting September 2025, limiting publishers' access to long-term performance analytics in a move that contrasts sharply with the company's 11-year retention policy for Google Ads.
Google announced the data retention changes in an email sent to publishers on June 23, 2025. According to the notification, "Starting September 2025, AdMob will begin reducing retention of historical data in Activity and User Activity reports." The changes establish strict time limits for two key reporting categories that mobile app publishers rely on for performance analysis and monetization optimization.
The new policy introduces a seven-year retention limit for data in the Ads Activity report, down from previously unlimited historical access. More dramatically, User Activity report data will be restricted to just 90 days, representing a substantial reduction for publishers who previously had access to extended user behavior patterns. According to the announcement, "Data older than these limits will be removed to comply with new data retention policies."
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Summary
Who: Google AdMob and mobile app publishers worldwide who use the platform for advertising monetization and performance reporting.
What: Google is implementing new data retention limits that will restrict Ads Activity report data to seven years and User Activity report data to 90 days, requiring publishers to manually export older historical data.
When: The changes were announced on June 23, 2025, and will take effect in September 2025, giving publishers approximately two months to export historical data they wish to preserve.
Where: The policy affects all AdMob publishers globally, with data retention limits applying to both CSV downloads and API access for reporting data.
Why: Google cited compliance with new data retention policies as the reason for the changes, reflecting broader industry trends toward defined data lifecycle management and regulatory requirements around data storage and privacy.
These restrictions stand in stark contrast to Google's approach for its primary advertising platform. In October 2024, Google Ads announced an 11-year data retention policy, providing advertisers with over a decade of historical performance data for trend analysis and strategic planning. The disparity highlights different data retention philosophies between Google's advertising products, with mobile publishers receiving significantly shorter data access periods than traditional advertisers.
The technical implementation requires publisher action to preserve existing historical data. Publishers who need data older than seven years from Ads Activity reports must download it using AdMob's CSV export feature or the AdMob API before September 2025. Similarly, User Activity report data older than 90 days requires manual export before the retention period expires.
The announcement provides specific instructions for data export. According to the email, publishers can "export data from your AdMob reports, open a report, click the three dots in the top right corner, then select 'Download CSV'." For API users, Google references documentation for setting up and generating reports through the AdMob API to preserve historical Ads Activity data.
This data retention change occurs amid broader industry trends toward defined data lifecycle management. In February 2025, Google set a 540-day limit for Customer Match data retention across Google Ads and Display & Video 360 platforms, demonstrating the company's systematic approach to standardizing retention policies across its advertising ecosystem.
The mobile advertising sector has experienced significant policy changes throughout 2025. Google enhanced AdMob's ad controls with new high-engagement settings in February, allowing publishers to configure interstitial ads with skip times up to 12 seconds and rewarded ads extending to 60 seconds. These changes provided publishers with greater control over user engagement while the new data retention limits reduce their analytical capabilities.
AdMob's policy center also underwent improvements in April 2025, introducing new classification labels for policy, regulatory, and advertiser preference issues. The system now categorizes ad serving problems more clearly, helping publishers understand which issues require immediate attention versus those that may affect revenue without violating policies.
The data retention changes affect publishers' ability to conduct long-term performance analysis. Ads Activity reports, which track advertisement performance metrics, revenue patterns, and optimization trends, will lose data beyond seven years. This limitation may impact publishers who rely on multi-year comparisons for seasonal analysis, long-term growth tracking, or strategic planning initiatives.
User Activity reports face more severe restrictions with the 90-day limitation. These reports provide insights into user engagement patterns, session duration, and interaction behaviors that publishers use for app optimization and user experience improvements. The shortened retention period eliminates publishers' ability to analyze user behavior trends across quarters or identify seasonal usage patterns that extend beyond three months.
The policy change reflects ongoing regulatory pressures surrounding data retention and privacy compliance. European regulations, including GDPR, have influenced data management practices across digital advertising platforms. Google's reference to compliance with "new data retention policies" suggests regulatory considerations may have influenced these limitations.
For publishers operating international applications, the retention changes may create operational challenges. Publishers serving global audiences often require extended historical data for market analysis, seasonal trend identification, and regional performance comparisons. The seven-year Ads Activity limit may still accommodate most analytical needs, but the 90-day User Activity restriction significantly constrains behavioral analysis capabilities.
The announcement timing provides publishers with approximately two months to download historical data before the September 2025 implementation. This preparation window allows organizations to assess their data preservation needs and implement export procedures for critical historical information.
Technical implications extend to third-party analytics platforms and reporting tools that integrate with AdMob data. Publishers using external systems for consolidated reporting or advanced analytics may need to modify their data collection processes to accommodate the new retention limits. The change requires publishers to actively manage their historical data rather than relying on platform-based storage.
AdMob's approach to data retention reflects broader industry considerations around storage costs, regulatory compliance, and platform maintenance. While the company provides specific technical guidance for data export, the responsibility for long-term data preservation shifts to individual publishers.
The policy represents a significant departure from traditional assumptions about data availability in digital advertising platforms. Publishers accustomed to unlimited historical access must now implement proactive data management strategies to maintain their analytical capabilities beyond the new retention periods.
For the mobile advertising ecosystem, these changes may influence how publishers approach performance analysis and strategic planning. The compressed historical data availability requires more immediate action on insights and trends rather than extended analytical periods that previously supported long-term optimization strategies.
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Timeline
- June 23, 2025: Google announces AdMob data retention changes via email to publishers
- September 2025: New retention limits take effect - Ads Activity reports limited to 7 years, User Activity reports to 90 days
- April 2025: Google implements AdMob Policy center improvements with new issue classification system
- February 2025: Google launches AdMob high-engagement ad settings for interstitial and rewarded formats
- February 2025: Google sets 540-day Customer Match data retention limit for advertising platforms
- November 2024: Google Ads announces 11-year data retention policy for comprehensive historical analysis