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

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 Python. 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 Python project — whether you're validating in a Django view, a FastAPI endpoint, or a standalone data processing script.

Python Implementation

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

import re

apple_idfa_google_gaid_advertising_id_pattern = re.compile(r'^[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-4[0-9a-f]{3}-[89ab][0-9a-f]{3}-[0-9a-f]{12}$')

def validate_apple_idfa_google_gaid_advertising_id(value: str) -> bool:
    return bool(apple_idfa_google_gaid_advertising_id_pattern.fullmatch(value))

# Example
print(validate_apple_idfa_google_gaid_advertising_id("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 Python developers because particularly important in Python web servers where CPU-bound regex operations can stall concurrent request handling. 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.