Apple IDFA / Google GAID (Advertising ID) Regex for Java

What this pattern does

This page provides a well-structured, multi-part regular expression for matching apple idfa / google gaid (advertising id), ported and verified for Java. Identity and credential patterns need both correctness and safety, since they're frequent targets for adversarial input. The snippet below is ready to drop into your Java project — whether you're validating in a Spring Boot controller, a Jakarta EE service, or a standalone utility class.

Java Implementation

// Apple IDFA / Google GAID (Advertising ID)
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Identity & PII > Digital Identity

import java.util.regex.Pattern;

public class AppleIdfaGoogleGaidAdvertisingIdValidator {
    private static final Pattern PATTERN =
        Pattern.compile("^[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-4[0-9a-f]{3}-[89ab][0-9a-f]{3}-[0-9a-f]{12}$");

    public static boolean validate(String input) {
        return PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
    }

    // Example
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(validate("6D92078A-85A5-4F7E-A9D7-1A9A5A5A5A5A")); // true
    }
}

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Identity & PII > Digital Identity category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for Java developers because critical in Java applications since the JVM regex engine uses backtracking and is susceptible to ReDoS without careful pattern design. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

IDFA (iOS) and GAID (Android) are UUID v4 format advertising identifiers. The nil IDFA (00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000) indicates the user has opted out of tracking (iOS 14+ ATT framework). Google allows users to reset GAID at any time.