# wbraid — Google Ads' iOS web-attribution ID

- Canonical: https://linkclean.app/trackers/wbraid/
- Updated: 2026-07-20
- Author: Ken Tominaga (https://ken0nek.com)
- Get the app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/linkclean/id6758604043

Parameter: `wbraid` · Category: Ad-click identifiers · Vendor: Google Ads

> wbraid is the **post-ATT replacement for gclid on iOS web destinations**. Same era and motivation as gbraid (rolled out 2021), but used when the destination is a website rather than an app. Aggregates attribution at a campaign level instead of per-user.

## What wbraid does (and how it differs from gbraid)

wbraid and gbraid are sibling iOS-era replacements for gclid. The difference is the destination: gbraid is for iOS app-install attribution (clicks that end up at the App Store), wbraid is for iOS web attribution (clicks that end up on a normal website). Both work without needing App Tracking Transparency permission.

If you tap a Google Search ad on iPhone and the destination is a web page, the URL usually has `?wbraid=<token>`. Tap one that links to App Store, and the URL has gbraid instead. The two never coexist on the same URL.

## Why both exist

Apple treats web destinations and App Store destinations differently for privacy bookkeeping, so Google needed two parallel mechanisms — one for each side. Both aggregate clicks rather than identify users individually, both work without ATT consent, and both feed into Google Ads' same conversion-attribution dashboard on the advertiser's side.

## How LinkClean removes it

wbraid ships default-on in the ads catalog. Same pipeline as gbraid + gclid + every other vendor-specific click identifier — stripped on every host.

## Example

Looks like this in a URL: `https://example.com/landing?wbraid=ABw-xyz0123_4abcdefgh`

After LinkClean: `https://example.com/landing`

## Frequently asked

**When do I see wbraid vs gbraid?**

wbraid on iOS clicks heading to web destinations; gbraid on iOS clicks heading to the App Store. The two never coexist on the same URL.

**Is wbraid still tracking me individually?**

Not the way gclid did. It aggregates at campaign level. But it still records that a click happened from your iOS device toward a specific ad, and Google can join it back to broader signals on their side.

**Will removing wbraid hurt the page?**

No. The destination web server doesn't read it. Only Google Ads' conversion-tracking script does, on the destination, after load.


---

LinkClean removes tracking parameters from links on-device — free to clean, one-time Pro. https://linkclean.app/ · Cite freely with attribution.