Google sets new 540-day limit for Customer Match data retention

In a significant technical update announced on February 12, 2025, Google will implement new data retention limitations for its Customer Match advertising features. The changes, scheduled to take effect on April 7, 2025, establish a maximum membership duration of 540 days for Customer Match lists across Google Ads and Display & Video 360 platforms.

According to Da Yang from the Google Ads API Team, the modification will affect existing lists configured without membership expiration or those set to exceed 540 days. The system will automatically adjust these lists to comply with the new maximum duration, applying the 540-day limit retroactively to all existing members with longer durations.

The technical implications of this change extend to both API implementations. Starting April 7, any attempts to set the UserList.membership_life_span field in the Google Ads API to a value greater than 540 will trigger a RangeError.TOO_HIGH error. Similarly, for Display & Video 360 API users, requests to firstAndThirdPartyAudiences.create and firstAndThirdPartyAudiences.patch with membershipDurationDays exceeding 540 will return a 400 error.

Trevor Mulchay from the Display & Video 360 API Team notes that the membershipDurationDays field setting becomes mandatory when creating Customer Match lists. This requirement necessitates a thorough review of current implementations to ensure compliance with the new maximum duration.

The impact on advertising campaigns could be substantial. As memberships expire, list sizes will decrease naturally. When campaigns target segments that become too small, they may automatically pause, potentially disrupting active advertising efforts. This automatic pausing mechanism serves as a protective measure against ineffective campaign delivery.

For developers and advertisers using the Google Ads API, the technical specifications remain consistent whether the membership_life_span field is explicitly set or left unspecified. In both scenarios, the system will default to the maximum 540-day value. However, regular data refreshes become crucial for maintaining effective campaign performance.

The implementation timeline follows a gradual rollout approach beginning April 7. During this transition, existing Customer Match lists with extended membership durations will undergo automatic migration to the new 540-day maximum. This process affects both Google Ads and Display & Video 360 platforms equally.

Technical support channels remain available for implementation assistance. Google Ads API users can access support through the Google Ads API forum, while Display & Video 360 API users have access to a dedicated Technical support contact form.

The structural changes to data retention policies reflect broader industry trends toward more defined data lifecycle management. These modifications require organizations to implement regular data refresh mechanisms, ensuring their customer lists remain current and effective for advertising purposes.

For existing implementations, the technical requirements vary based on current configurations. Systems with unset membership duration fields require no immediate action, provided they maintain regular list refreshes. However, implementations explicitly setting duration fields must undergo updates to ensure compliance with the new maximum value.

The automation aspects of this change extend to the migration process itself. Starting April 7, both platforms will automatically adjust any non-compliant membership durations to the 540-day maximum, ensuring systematic alignment across all Customer Match implementations.

Support documentation includes detailed implementation guides for both APIs, providing examples and technical specifications for updating Customer Match lists within the new constraints. These resources outline the necessary steps for maintaining continuous campaign operation under the updated policies.

The announcement represents a standardization of data retention practices across Google's advertising platforms, establishing consistent technical parameters for Customer Match functionality. Organizations must adapt their data management strategies to accommodate these new technical specifications while maintaining effective advertising campaigns.