Google has released version 24.1 of the Google Ads API, a significant update that introduces deeper reporting segmentation, expanded support for campaign experiments, and new security features. The release arrives as advertisers continue to navigate increasingly automated campaign environments, and it also serves as a preparatory step for Google’s upcoming data retention policy changes, which are set to take effect next year. For brands and developers who rely on granular performance data and creative control, this update carries substantial practical implications.
Why This Release Matters for Advertisers and Developers
The v24.1 update focuses on three areas that have become increasingly critical for advertisers: visibility into performance, creative control, and testing automation. As Google’s platforms lean more heavily into AI-driven optimization, advertisers have often found themselves with less direct oversight over how their campaigns run and how their creatives are assembled. This release pushes back against that trend in several meaningful ways. It gives brands more control over how creatives appear in Demand Gen campaigns, an area where automation has historically limited customization. It also expands the experimentation framework, allowing advertisers to test AI-driven campaign types more rigorously. For developers and data teams, the update introduces new reporting dimensions that make it possible to isolate performance by mobile operating system, a capability that has been widely requested. At the same time, Google is signaling a major shift in data retention policy, moving to a 37-month limit for granular reporting data. Advertisers and developers who rely heavily on reporting infrastructure will need to prepare for this change before it begins affecting historical performance analysis in 2026.
Mobile Reporting Gets More Granular with Operating System Segmentation
One of the most immediately useful additions in v24.1 is a new mobile device platform segment that lets advertisers break out reporting by operating system. Using the new segments.mobile_device_platformcodecodecodecodecode field, developers can now isolate campaign and customer-level performance across iOS and Android traffic. This is a significant improvement over previous reporting capabilities, which often lumped mobile traffic together or required workarounds to separate performance by OS. The ability to distinguish between iOS and Android performance matters because user behavior often varies significantly between operating systems. For app marketers, the difference can be stark, with conversion rates, average order values, and retention patterns diverging sharply between the two platforms. Ecommerce advertisers and brands optimizing for conversion value will also benefit from this granularity, as it allows for more precise budget allocation and bid adjustments based on platform-specific performance. This feature effectively gives advertisers a new lens through which to analyze their mobile traffic, and it opens the door for more sophisticated optimization strategies that account for the distinct user behaviors associated with each operating system.
Demand Gen Campaigns Gain Classic Image Support for Stricter Creative Control
Google is also giving advertisers more creative control inside Demand Gen campaigns, an area where automation has often taken the lead in assembling ad creatives. The release adds support for static image ads through the classic_display_imagescodecodecodecodecode field in DemandGenMultiAssetAdcodecodecodecodecode. This allows brands to upload creatives that run on the Google Display Network exactly as designed, without AI-generated asset combinations or automated cropping. The feature appears targeted at advertisers who want stricter control over branding and asset presentation. In recent years, Google’s automated creative tools have been powerful but sometimes unpredictable, generating combinations that don’t always align with brand guidelines. The classic image support in Demand Gen campaigns gives advertisers a way to opt out of that automation when it matters most. For brands with strict visual identity requirements, or for campaigns where specific imagery is central to the messaging, this feature provides a welcome safety valve. It also signals that Google is listening to advertiser feedback about the need for more manual control within its AI-driven campaign products.
Passkeys Come to Google Ads for Enhanced Account Security
Security is another major focus in v24.1. Google has introduced a new passkey_enabledcodecodecodecodecode field that indicates whether a user has enabled passkey authentication for their Google Ads account. This follows Google’s broader push toward passwordless authentication and increased protection around sensitive account actions. Passkeys represent a significant step forward in account security. Unlike traditional passwords, which can be phished, stolen, or reused across services, passkeys are cryptographic keys that are tied to a specific device and biometric authentication. For Google Ads accounts, which often control substantial advertising budgets and access to sensitive business data, the addition of passkey support is a meaningful security enhancement. The new field in the API allows developers and account managers to programmatically check whether passkey authentication is enabled, which can be useful for compliance monitoring, security audits, and internal policy enforcement. This is particularly relevant for agencies and large organizations that manage multiple Google Ads accounts and need to ensure consistent security practices across their portfolio.
Experiment Support Expands Across AI-Driven Campaign Types
Google is significantly expanding support for Experiments, one of the platform’s core testing frameworks. With v24.1, advertisers can now run and compare experiments across a broader range of campaign types, including AI Max campaigns, Video campaigns, Demand Gen campaigns, and Performance Max campaigns. This expansion is notable because it brings experimentation capabilities to some of Google’s most automated and opaque campaign products. Performance Max, in particular, has been a black box for many advertisers, making it difficult to isolate the impact of specific changes. By enabling experiments across these campaign types, Google is giving advertisers a structured way to test hypotheses and measure incremental impact. The release also adds more transparent reporting across experimental arms, including metrics such as clicks, conversions, and impressions, making side-by-side analysis easier. This move reflects Google’s broader strategy of standardizing experimentation across its AI-driven campaign products. For advertisers, it means they can now apply the same rigorous testing methodologies to their most automated campaigns that they have long used for search and display campaigns. This is a significant step toward making AI-driven advertising more accountable and measurable.
Preparing for the 37-Month Data Retention Limit
Perhaps the most consequential change in v24.1 is not a feature but a policy reminder. Google has reiterated that beginning June 1st, Google Ads and related measurement APIs will move to a 37-month retention limit for granular reporting data, including daily, weekly, and hourly statistics. This represents a major shift in data availability. Historically, advertisers have been able to access granular performance data going back several years, which has been essential for long-term trend analysis, seasonality modeling, and historical benchmarking. The new 37-month limit means that any data older than that window will no longer be available at the granular level. To support the transition, v24.1 introduces a new error code: DateRangeError.REQUESTED_DATE_GRANULARITY_NOT_SUPPORTEDcodecodecodecodecode. Developers who query older granular datasets will need to update their reporting workflows before the policy change takes effect. This is not a change that can be addressed at the last minute. Advertisers and developers should begin auditing their current reporting infrastructure now to identify any processes that rely on granular data older than 37 months. For those who need to preserve historical data for long-term analysis, the solution will involve exporting and storing the data locally before the cutoff date takes effect. Google has indicated that aggregated data may still be available beyond the 37-month window, but the granular daily, weekly, and hourly statistics will be subject to the new limit.
What’s Next for Google Ads API Users
Google has already made updated client libraries and code samples for v24.1 available, so developers can begin integrating the new features immediately. The company is also hosting a live walkthrough of the release across Discord, YouTube Live, and LinkedIn Live, providing an opportunity for the developer community to ask questions and get hands-on guidance. For advertisers and developers, the immediate next steps are clear. First, evaluate the new mobile device platform segment and determine how it can improve your reporting and optimization workflows. Second, explore the classic image support for Demand Gen campaigns if creative control is a priority for your brand. Third, review your experiment roadmap and consider how the expanded campaign type support can help you test more aggressively. Fourth, and most urgently, begin preparing for the 37-month data retention limit by auditing your reporting infrastructure and planning any necessary data exports. The v24.1 release is a substantial update that addresses some of the most persistent pain points in Google Ads advertising, from reporting granularity to creative control to testing rigor. It also serves as a reminder that the platform continues to evolve, and that staying current with API changes is essential for maintaining competitive performance.
