Privacy Sandbox

Privacy Sandbox was Google’s vision for replacing third-party cookies, but now the company is giving up and moving on from the idea. First launched six years ago, Privacy Sandbox suffered with low-adoption, and Google has gradually snuffed out various technologies relating to the system. Now it has taken things further.

Google says that “after evaluating ecosystem feedback about their expected value and in light of their low levels of adoption”, it has taken the decision to retire more Privacy Sandbox technologies. But this does not really paint a true picture of what is happening.

Today, Google releases Android 15… sort of. You see, it is not a stable release, but instead, it is the official Developer Preview. And most likely, you cannot run it on your phone or tablet either. Right now, it is only available for certain Google Pixel devices -- the Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7 series, Pixel 8 series, Pixel Fold, and Pixel Tablet. Got a different Android device? Sorry, you must wait.

Android 15 continues to focus on elevating developer productivity while introducing new capabilities for creating superior media experiences. The platform is designed to minimize battery impact and maximize app performance, all while maintaining a strong emphasis on user privacy and security.

Google has been busy working on Privacy Sandbox for some time, and now the company is ready to unleash some of its tools on the public.

Starting with Chrome 115, Google says that it will be making the Privacy Sandbox relevance and measurement APIs available to all users of the browser. The move gives developers a better chance to work with the APIs, and is part of Google’s drive to deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome in the second half of next year.