Have you ever wondered why your ads keep missing customers even after uploading a complete email list? Low match rates are a persistent pain point for anyone working with Customer Match. Recently, Google rolled out a potential game-changing solution: adding IP addresses and timestamps as new matching signals.
Don't celebrate just yet, though. Behind this feature lie legal limits, technical requirements, and a major shift in how Google operates its first-party data ecosystem. Let's break down every angle together.
What problem is Customer Match facing?
Customer Match is a tool that allows advertisers to upload customer data (email, phone number, name, address) for Google to match against user accounts across its platforms. The problem lies in the fact that match rates are often lower than expected. Users might use a different email to register with Google, or the information you collect may not be sufficient for Google to accurately determine identity.
That is why Google constantly seeks to add new signals. And this time, they have chosen IP addresses along with timestamps—the digital footprints that anyone leaves behind when interacting with your website.
How do IP addresses and timestamps work?
According to developer documentation, Google has expanded the Data Manager API to accept IP addresses in Customer Match uploads through a new field called CompositeData. This field contains two components: UserData (hashed identifiers like email, phone number) and IpData (raw IP information).
IpData includes the mandatory ipAddress field and two optional timestamp fields: observeStartTime and observeEndTime, which record the time frame when the user interacted from that IP address. Google recommends including both timestamps to maximize the match rate.
The key takeaway: IP data must be uploaded in unhashed form. While emails and phone numbers need to be hashed to protect privacy, IP addresses are sent raw. This places strict requirements on security and compliance.
When will this feature actually take effect?
This is the most important part that many people overlook. Google has clearly announced that providing IP addresses with timestamps "will help increase match rates for Customer Match starting in Q3 2026." This is not an immediate-effect feature.
In other words, if you upload IP addresses today, you might not see immediate improvements. Google is in the process of building and refining its system to leverage this new signal. The realistic expectation is that match rates will start benefiting from IP data from July 2026 onwards.
This means you should start collecting and preparing IP data right now, but do not expect a magical overnight fix.
Legal limits: Who is excluded?
This is the part that might make many advertisers sweat. The IP and timestamp matching feature is not available for users in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK, and Switzerland. Advertisers must actively exclude these regions from IP sharing and ensure proper consent and data disclosures are in place.
This stems from strict GDPR regulations and UK data protection laws, where IP addresses are considered personal data and processing them requires a clear legal basis. If you operate in these markets, you need to review your entire data collection process and ensure compliance before thinking about using the new feature.
Upload format changes: What do you need to prepare?
Adding IP addresses and timestamps means that the Customer Match file format changes. According to the updated information, upload files now need eight columns, including two new columns: "User IP address" and "User Interaction timestamp", alongside existing identifiers such as email, phone number, address, and device ID.
If you are using automated tools or API integrations to upload Customer Match, you need to update your codebase to match the new schema. For those who upload manually through the Google Ads interface, the UI will also be updated to reflect the new fields.
Another noteworthy detail: Google has changed the language on its help pages, shifting from describing customer data as "shared" to "collected." This seemingly minor change reflects a broader shift in how Google positions its role: they are not just receiving the data you send, but actively collecting and processing it as part of their advertising ecosystem.
What does this mean for Vietnamese advertisers?
Even if this feature is not yet widely deployed in Vietnam, changes from Google always carry a delay but will certainly arrive. Here is what you should do right now:
1. Start collecting IPs and timestamps systematically
If your website does not yet save user IP addresses and interaction timestamps, start doing so immediately. This is valuable first-party data that you can use in the future, not just for Customer Match but for various other analytics purposes.
2. Review your privacy policy
The collection of IP addresses and timestamps needs to be clearly disclosed in your privacy policy. Users need to know what data is collected, the purpose of use, and their rights regarding that data.
3. Update technical processes
If you are using the Data Manager API or automated integrations, get familiar with the CompositeData and IpData structures. Transitioning to the new schema will take time, and you do not want to be caught off guard when the feature is officially activated.
4. Closely monitor announcements from Google
Google frequently updates developer documentation and blogs. Make sure you stay on top of deployment roadmaps and policy changes that could affect your market.
When new signals do not replace old foundations
Google adding IP addresses and timestamps to Customer Match is a significant step forward in efforts to improve match rates and targeting effectiveness. But do not forget one thing: new signals do not replace old foundations. Emails, phone numbers, and names remain core identifiers. IPs and timestamps are merely supplementary layers that increase accuracy.
Above all, remember that everything revolves around user consent. No matter how detailed your IP data is, without clear permission, you cannot legally and sustainably leverage it.
The broader trend here is not a specific feature, but how Google is gradually consolidating first-party signals into a single ecosystem. Whoever understands and prepares early will gain the advantage.
What do you think about Google adding IP addresses and timestamps to Customer Match—is this a logical step to enhance ad performance, or a potential risk as sensitive data gets exploited more and more? If you are running ads in Vietnam, are you ready to collect and use customer IP data, or do you have privacy concerns? Share your views below, because in the first-party data era, those who understand the limits and opportunities will be the winners!
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