This article describes the GDPR message that Google will set up for you if you don’t publish your own by 16 January 2024.
Beginning 16 January 2024, publishers will be required to use a Google-certified consent management platform (CMP) that integrates with the IAB’s Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) when serving ads to users in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK and Switzerland. If you don't currently have a suitable GDPR message, you'll be invited to choose a GDPR message option when you sign in to your AdMob account.
If you choose to create a GDPR message but don't publish it by 16 January 2024, we’ll attempt to publish a default GDPR message that will show in your existing interstitial or app open ad units, when possible. You can customise this GDPR message later.
For the published message to show, you must install the latest Google Mobile Ads SDK to use ad unit deployment (Version 22.5.0+ for Android or Version 10.8.0+ for iOS). Ad unit deployment requires an app open or interstitial ad in order to show a GDPR message. Note that it's your responsibility to add a consent revocation link to your app.
Note: Ad unit deployment is an intermediate solution to help you meet the requirement deadline. To continue serving personalised ads to users in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, we strongly recommend that you adopt a Google-certified CMP as soon as possible.
If you decide to use Google’s CMP, you can create a message in AdMob and add the Google user messaging (UMP) SDK to your app. If we create a message on your behalf using ad unit deployment, you can still use this message after you upgrade to the UMP SDK.
You can switch to another CMP at any time. You're welcome to use any Google-certified CMP. If you choose to use another CMP, our systems will detect this and we won't set up a GDPR message for you on 16 January 2024.
Confirm your GDPR consent options
Before your GDPR message goes live, you'll need to sign in to AdMob to finish setting up your message. We’ll need some information about the consent choices that you want to show your app users.
In the 'Confirm consent options in your GDPR message' dialogue, decide on the options that will be presented to your users, including whether you want to include the Do not consent option. If included, your message will present your users with a choice to not consent to your ad partners and your ad partners’ purposes with a single click on the first page of the message.
Your message will either show:
- Consent and Manage options
Your message will include two choices. Learn more about the elements included in a 2-button GDPR message.
Or - Consent, Manage options, and Do not consent
Your message will include three choices. Learn more about the elements included in a 3-button GDPR message.
If you don't sign in to your account before 16 January 2024, your consent message will show Consent, Manage options and Do not consent. Note that you can change your GDPR settings at any time.
Default GDPR message settings
If we publish a GDPR message for you, it will have the following default settings. Remember that you can always customise your GDPR settings later.
| GDPR setting | Description | Default value |
| Your apps | The apps in which this message will be displayed. | We’ll attempt to detect which of your apps do not have a CMP implemented. |
| Ad unit deployment | Enables the message to be shown on interstitial and app open ad units. | Turned on. |
| Language | The language in which the message will be displayed. | We'll create messages in all EEA, UK and Swiss languages available for messages in Privacy & messaging. If we can't match the language with the user's language, we will use English as the default language. |
| User consent options | The user consent options displayed to app users in the message. |
This will be set to the consent options that you choose in AdMob. If you don't choose an option, then your consent message will show: ‘Consent, Do not consent, Manage options’. Your message won't include a 'Close' option. |
| Styling | The format and styling of the message. | No customisation of fonts, styles, colours, etc. |
| Privacy policy URL | Your app’s privacy policy URL. |
For apps that are listed in the Play Store or App Store, the privacy policy URL will be set to your app's store listing. To direct users to your specific privacy policy, you should update the URL. For apps listed in third-party stores only, we'll use a blank URL. You will need to update the URL. Note: A privacy policy page is required by the Google EU user consent policy. |
| Logo | The logo associated with your app. |
Turned off. Note: Logos are not available on apps using ad unit deployment. To show a logo on your consent message, you must implement the UMP SDK and customise your message. |
| Consent revocation link | A link to allow the app user to revoke consent for the use of cookies/personalised ads on your app. | It's your responsibility to add a consent revocation link to your app. |
| Ad partners | Under the Google EU user consent policy, you must identify each ad partner that receives the personal data of users in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK and Switzerland and provide information about the use of that data. |
'Commonly used ad partners'. This is a preselected list of ad partners (formerly referred to as 'ad technology providers'). If you previously selected 'custom ad partners' in your GDPR settings, we will use your selected ad partners. If you use both Ad Manager and AdMob to monetise your apps, the consent message will show the combination of ad partners selected in both products. |
| Legitimate interest controls | The legitimate interest controls displayed to app users in the message. | All options will be turned on and displayed. |
View an example of a GDPR message with three buttons (Consent, Do not consent, Manage options).
Customise your GDPR message
You can change the text and format elements of your default message at any time. Some settings that you might want to update include:
- Styling: You can edit and format your message to match your app’s editorial and visual standards.
- User consent options: You can change the button options in your message, for example, if you don't want to show a 'Do not consent' button.
- Logo: If you have a logo associated with your app, you can add a logo to your message. Note that you must implement the UMP SDK to add a logo.
- Ad partners: You can add or remove any ad partners from the preselected list. Learn how to manage GDPR ad partners.
- Legitimate interest controls: You can decide whether to display the legitimate interest controls to visitors and if you want to turn them off. Learn how to manage legitimate interest settings.
Learn more about GDPR messages.