[GA4] Verify and update consent settings in Google Analytics

This article is for customers who use Google's online and offline solutions and receive data from end users in the European Economic Area (EEA).

As a part of Google’s ongoing commitment to a privacy-centric digital advertising ecosystem, we are strengthening the enforcement of our EU user consent policy. Advertisers must adhere to the EU consent policy to use ad personalization. In 2024, our enforcement action will also impact measurement features and apply to data from:

Websites: Tags that send data to Google.
Apps: SDKs that send data to Google.
Data uploads: Tools to upload data from non-Google sources, such as offline conversion imports or store sales.

To keep using measurement, ad personalization, and remarketing features, you must collect consent for use of personal data from end users based in the EEA and share consent signals with Google.

Affected Analytics features

If you are using Analytics data with a Google service, such as Google Ads, Play, Display & Video 360 or others, and you take no action, only end users outside the EEA will be included in audiences used by your linked advertising products starting early March, 2024.

Review your Analytics properties to learn if you are sending the necessary consent signals to Google. Notifications in your Analytics property will guide you to your next steps. Go to the next section on this page to check if an Analytics property is receiving consent signals.

Check if Analytics is receiving consent signals

If your Analytics property is linked to another Google service that requires consent to share data and one or more data streams has EEA-based visitors, Analytics may notify you if it isn’t receiving affirmative end-user consent for ads measurement or ads personalization. For ads measurement consent, Analytics expects the ad_user_data consent mode parameter. Ads personalization consent is sent using the ad_personalization consent mode parameter. Personalized advertising and remarketing will require affirmative end-user consent signals.

Check the list of data streams in each of your Google Analytics 4 properties to learn if you are sending the required consent signals:

In Admin, under Data collection and modification, click Data streams.
In the list of data streams, check for Action required labels.
- If none of your data streams have an Action required label, you are either already sending the required signals or have a low distribution of visitors based in the EEA. Go to Next steps in this article to check if any of the situations apply to you.
Click a data stream with an Action required next to it.
Under Consent settings look for the following sections:
- Ads measurement consent signals not detected
- Ads personalization consent signals not detected
- Manage data use across Google services
An Action required label next to any section means that you must update your settings. Follow the instructions in Analytics, or go to Next steps in this article.

If more than one data stream has Action required label, check each one.

After you update your website or app to collect the required consent signals and send them to Google, Analytics will detect the signals and the notifications for that data stream will also update.It may take up to 48 hours for the notifications to update.

Next steps

After you check if Analytics is receiving consent signals, find your situation on the list and follow the instructions.

Web stream setup

Find instructions for collecting and sending consent signals from your websites.

If you don't have a consent banner: Set up a consent banner on your website. If you choose a banner provided by a Google-certified partner, make sure you enable consent mode in the banner settings. Learn how to set up a consent banner.

If you have a consent banner but don't use consent mode: If you use a Google-certified consent management platform (CMP), enable consent mode in your banner settings. Learn more about Google-certified consent management platforms.

If you maintain your own consent banner but don't use consent mode: Implement consent mode for your website. Learn how to implement consent mode for a website with your own consent solution.

If you use a Google-certified consent management platform (CMP), your CMP provider will automatically update to the newest version of consent mode. Learn more about Google-certified consent management platforms.

If you maintain your own consent banner, upgrade to consent mode v2 to collect ad measurement and ads personalization consent signals.