ADscore
Adscore TrueUA
Adscore enhanced User-Agent header that contains corrected information of the visitor’s browser as well as additional, never-possible-before details.
The HTTP User-Agent header was created to allow HTTP clients like a web browser to identify itself to the
server it sends requests to. This allows websites to know basic information about the visitor like operating
system, browser or device model (for mobile traffic).
In recent years, due to Google’s push for illusionary privacy improvements*, called User-Agent freezing,
this header started often offering outdated and inaccurate information.
As an alternative to the now-obsolete User-Agent header, Client Hints headers were created, but their
implementation is spotty and some browsers that froze User-Agent header did not even implement them. As a
result, for example making it impossible to identify Mac OS X versions of visitors using Safari.
Impossible until now - introducing Adscore TrueUA - an Adscore enhanced User-Agent header that contains
corrected information of the visitor’s browser as well as additional, never-possible-before details.
* What do you think is worse for your privacy:
- The fact that advertising companies know that you are using Windows 11 (which basically narrows you down to one of hundreds of millions of Windows 11 users)
- or
- That Google Chrome and some other Chromium based browsers send a fixed Installation ID (which is fully unique to your computer, identifying you with 100% accuracy) which is generated during browser installation and is always and only sent when browser sends requests to one of whitelisted Google-only domains that are hardcoded in Chromium source code?
Windows 11
Windows 11 has a system-wide User-Agent OS version freeze. This means that any browser running on Windows 11, in User-Agent will falsely claim to be Windows 10. Adscore TrueUA transparently corrects this inaccuracy.
Mac OS X Version
Same as Windows 11, Mac OS X has a system-wide User Agent OS version freeze. This means that all browsers on Mac OS X 11 and later will pretend to be Mac OS X 10.15.7. While on some browsers like Google Chrome, it is possible to find out the true Mac OS X version using Client Hints, on browsers like Safari that do not support Client Hints, that is not possible at all. At least without Adscore TrueUA.
Chrome Build Version
Chrome build version is automatically restored in its rightful format and placed in the User-Agent.
Android OS Version and Device Model
Android also started the User-Agent freeze process by fixing Android version to 10 and setting the device model to “K”, hiding the real information. Adscore TrueUA corrects this misinformation on the fly.
iOS Device Model Identification
Adscore TrueUA is the only technology in the world that can accurately identify the vast majority of Apple device models like iPhones and iPads. For visitors where we have high confidence of model detection, the exact Apple device model is injected into the User-Agent.
Request as Desktop Detection
Mobile devices, both running Android and iOS have a Request as Desktop mode in their browsers which spoofs the User-Agent header in order to pretend the visitor is using desktop OS like Linux or Mac OS X. Adscore TrueUA can see through this deception and recreate original and true User-Agent.
Desktop PC and Notebook Detection
Based on data like GPU details, screen resolution and screen size, Adscore algorithms are capable of detecting if a visitor is using a fixed Desktop PC or a mobile device like a notebook.
Smart TV and Gaming Console Detection
There are many non-branded Smart TV Android dongles available in the market, often misconfigured and not identifying themselves at all or providing only cryptic model numbers for which no details can be found. Adscore TrueUA heuristic algorithms can accurately and instantly identify such devices and append a SmartTV keyword in the User-Agent for easy targeting. Apart from that, some gaming consoles like Xbox that provide fake User-Agent (in case of Xbox, pretending to be a Windows PC) can also be properly identified by Adscore TrueUA.
Adscore TrueCH
Client Hints headers were created as the alternative for the forcefully deprecated User-Agent header. Sadly,
they are poorly designed (for example they have to be requested first, therefore won’t be available during
first request) and the implementation is rather spotty with some major browsers like Safari not supporting
them at all.
Adscore TrueCH bridges the gap and provides virtual Client Hints headers for visitors that do not even send
Client Hints at all.
Example (for normal Client Hints, without Adscore, none of these would exist as Safari does not send Client
Hints):
| Sec-CH-UA-Arch | arm |
| Sec-CH-UA-Bitness | 64 |
| Sec-CH-UA-Model | iPhone 14 Pro Max |
| Sec-CH-UA-Platform | iOS |
| Sec-CH-UA-Platform-Version | 16.6.0 |
| Sec-CH-UA | "Safari";v="16.6" |
| Sec-CH-UA-Full-Version | 16.6 |
| Sec-CH-UA-Mobile | ?1 |
Adscore TrueUA opening possibilities
- No mistargeted traffic - easily detect Request As Desktop mobile traffic, despite faked User-Agent.
- New targeting options - be able to target specific iPhone and iPad models.
- Backward compatibility for legacy User-Agent parsers.
- Enhanced fraud detection at Adscore - we run statistical analysis on Adscore TrueUA output which for example allows us to identify traffic from iOS device farms that use many devices of the same model or identify traffic that has incorrect distribution of desktop and notebook devices.
How to access Adscore TrueUA and TrueCH
Adscore TrueUA and TrueCH is available without any additional cost to Adscore users. Please contact support for details.