Request: for the new "EU user consent policy", let Admob still show ads, just not personalized ones

[Liran Barsisa]

About this:
https://www.google.com/about/company/user-consent-policy/

https://developers.google.com/admob/android/privacy

If the user didn't approve personalized ads, offer an API to just use non-personalized ones.

It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing.

[Liran Barsisa]

The reason I say this is because the requirements aren't for ads in general, just for personalized ads:

https://www.google.com/about/company/user-consent-policy/

"You must obtain end users’ legally valid consent to:

- the use of cookies or other local storage where legally required; and
- the collection, sharing, and use of personal data for personalization of ads.
"

"If personal data of end users of a third party property is shared with Google due to your use of, or integration with, a Google product, then you must use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure the operator of the third party property complies with the above duties.
"

So it should be possible to tell Admob "show ads, just not personalized ones".

[ABQ App Source]

Take a look through this 3+ year thread:

https://groups.google.com/g/google-admob-ads-sdk/c/UcveWmtBm4Q/m/moh9hvBVCwAJ

We've been asking for this ability for years - they refuse to provide it. Their non-personalized ads still require cookies, so the user still has to select the magic combination of settings in the dialog to allow cookies - but there is nothing stopping them from adding a "Consent to Non-Personalized Ads" button to the dialog to pre-populate the cookies consent. Or to let developers add their own pre-configured buttons to the main screen (like the non-personalized ads consent button or a "Buy the Ad-Free Version" button).

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hello Liran,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Google will serve personalized ads when all of the following criteria are met:

• The end user grants Google consent to:
  • Store and/or access information on a device (Purpose 1)
  • Create a personalized ads profile (Purposes 3)
  • Select personalized ads (Purposes 4)
• Legitimate interest (or consent, where a publisher configures their CMP to request it) is established for Google to:
  • Select basic ads (Purpose 2)
  • Measure ad performance (Purpose 7)
  • Apply market research to generate audience insights (Purpose 9)
  • Develop and improve products (Purpose 10)

If the consent requirements for personalized ads are not met, Google will serve non-personalized ads when all of the following criteria are met:

• The end user grants Google consent to:
  • Store and/or access information on a device (Purpose 1)
• Legitimate interest (or consent, where a publisher configures their CMP to request it) is established for Google to:
  • Select basic ads (Purpose 2)
  • Measure ad performance (Purpose 7)
  • Apply market research to generate audience insights (Purpose 9)
  • Develop and improve products (Purpose 10)

More information in this document: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/9760862.
 

This message is in relation to case "ref:_00D1U1174p._5004Q2nu6it:ref"

Thanks,
 

Mobile Ads SDK Team

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Could you confirm if you're achieving to display non-personalized ads? If so,  Google will serve non-personalized ads when all of the following criteria are met:

• The end user grants Google consent to:
  • Store and/or access information on a device (Purpose 1)
• Legitimate interest (or consent, where a publisher configures their CMP to request it) is established for Google to:
  • Select basic ads (Purpose 2)
  • Measure ad performance (Purpose 7)
  • Apply market research to generate audience insights (Purpose 9)
  • Develop and improve products (Purpose 10)

Detailed information can be found here: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/9760862?hl=en&ref_topic=9756841.
 

This message is in relation to case "ref:_00D1U1174p._5004Q2o6psG:ref"

Thanks,
 

Mobile Ads SDK Team

[ABQ App Source]

Yes, I can display non-personalized ads IF I select "storage" permission on the second screen AND scroll through hundreds of non-alphabetical options and pick "Google" on the third screen.

However, no actual user of an app is going to know that they have to take those very specific steps, and there is nothing in the CMP dialog/UI to guide them to that selection. So the chances of anyone actually doing that are effectively 0%. People shown the CMP dialog in an app are not going to go review Google support documents to try to figure out which options to click to get non-personalized ads. 

Without any guidance in the UI, users will either pick "Consent to All" or will have no ads. The fact that it is "technically possible" to get non-personalized ads is irrelevant if it's hidden to the average user.

The old consent management SDK had a button users could click to select non-personalized ads, which would then confirm with them that they wanted to grant storage permission. They had three options: 1) personalized ads, 2) non-personalized ads, 3) pay for the ad-free version. Now, we have effectively two options: 1) personalized ads, 2) no ads at all without paying.

-TV

[Liran Barsisa]

Actually Google contacted me via email and what you all wrote is incorrect according to them:

Whether the user has accepted the consent dialog or not, or even hasn't seen it yet - Admob should use non-personalized ads.

It was advised to use mediation in this case, as it's expected to have much lower fill-rate.

What's left to request of it?

To have it officially written and not confusing in the instructions. 

Even the function "canRequestAds" is misleading. 

In addition, Admob SDK should be much more automatic. Each time we request an ad, it should check by itself about the consent status, and then choose if it's personalized ads or not.

There shouldn't be a need for us to even use "canRequestAds" anywhere, and initialization of the SDK shouldn't need to be related to consent, either, as it's not requesting any ad yet.

[ABQ App Source]

Try it and see - do you get any ads if you deny consent?

Per the other thread, they will show "Limited Ads" in that scenario. They cannot show "non-personalized" ads without getting storage consent. In practice, I have never seen a "Limited ad" served - it is always just a no fill error. There is a table at the bottom of the page linked below that discusses the differences:

https://support.google.com/admob/answer/10105530?hl=en

If someone told you they could serve "Non-Personalized Ads" without any user consent, they probably meant "Limited Ads". 

[Luke Taylor]

I don't know why the Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor never mentions Limited Ads? Is it because they simply don't exist? And if so, why is that?

Luke

[Luke Taylor]

Answering my own question, there is a very good article at: https://headerbidding.co/google-ad-manager-limited-ads/

This clarifies that "...‘Limited Ads’ [are served] when the permission for Purpose 1 is missing but the consent for Purposes 2, 7, 9, and 10 has been obtained...". So, there is another 'magic combination' users would have to select to receive Limited ads.

The article goes on to say: "Fabien Scolan, VP of advertising at French online classifieds company Leboncoin Group says that through Limited Ads, Google is essentially asking users whether ads should be served or not. The skepticism exists because of the assumption that most users either accept all purposes or deny all purposes, the chances of selecting a few are very slim.

The lack of features like frequency capping can make it difficult to deliver campaigns effectively. Lack of tracking can hinder in preventing ad frauds. But Google is aware of the challenges and it may come up with better solutions in the future."

And ends with a quote from Eric Lo, Product Manager, Google Ad Manager: "We’ll continue to invest in longer-term solutions to address these issues, in the interim, we want to launch a feature to help our publishers continue to monetize when a user declines the usage of cookies.".

So, what I take from the article is that Google's ability to serve non-personalised Ads to users who don't consent is currently broken. But they are trying to find a better solution.

Luke

[ABQ App Source]

They mention Limited Ads as a solution in the thread here, and in the support article I linked.

However, the article you posted also says: "Adsense ads are not supported by Google’s Limited Ads feature because they need cookies. Admob ads won’t serve in the absence of consent."

So maybe this is why they haven't worked when I've tried them? Can the Forum Advisor confirm this, or tell us if this information is out-of-date? Is mediation required to use Limited Ads?

[Test Dvd]

Hello ABQ,

1) If the user rejects the consent, they should show limited ads instead of personalized ones, right?

2) Do you mean that Adsense will only show personalized ads and that if the user rejects the consent, another ad network must be used to show non-personalized ads??

[Test Dvd]

Hello Advisor,

you say this:

If the consent requirements for personalized ads are not met, Google will serve non-personalized ads when all of the following criteria are met:

• The end user grants Google consent to:
  • Store and/or access information on a device (Purpose 1)
• Legitimate interest (or consent, where a publisher configures their CMP to request it) is established for Google to:
  • Select basic ads (Purpose 2)
  • Measure ad performance (Purpose 7)
  • Apply market research to generate audience insights (Purpose 9)
  • Develop and improve products (Purpose 10)

We understand that, but, there is no human way to set a default option with that configuration so that non-personalized ads are displayed??

It is what we are asking for ALL the editors in hundreds of threads in this forum.

Is it so difficult to implement that or do you not want to?

Thank you.

[ABQ App Source]

Test Dvd,

1) According to the other thread, that is what should happen, but in practice I don't get any ads served in that case. Perhaps it is because you have to use mediation in order to serve Limited Ads, since the articles suggest that AdSense/AdMob cannot serve Limited Ads?

2) I think practically, that is the case. Keep in mind "Limited ads" are not the same thing as "Non-Personalized Ads". AdMob/AdSense can show Non-Personalized ads if the user picks the unlikely set of options to give Google consent for Purpose 1. Based on their support docs, it sounds like AdSense cannot show Limited Ads - so if the user denies consent it shows nothing (unless you have mediation on and can provide "Limited Ads").

I don't currently use mediation, but I may have to start doing so if that's the only way to actually show Limited Ads. I would be curious to hear from others which mediation partners were most effective at serving Limited Ads.

-TV

[Test Dvd]

ABQ,

Ok, that's what I understood in your previous post.

Adsense can show non-personalized ads because if you choose the magic combination in the options, they are shown.
They should put a default option with that configuration for the user to accept, but they won't.

We do not know for sure about the mediation for limited ads, although it is already a small hope. It should be tested and see if it really is the solution.

Let's see if someone who uses mediation can check it and tell us which partners we can use.

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hello everyone,

For more information regarding when Personalized & Non-Personalized Ads will be served, kindly refer to this link: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/9760862.

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hello Test Dvd,

Under the Google EU User Consent Policy, you must make certain disclosures to your users in the European Economic Area (EEA) along with the UK and obtain their consent to use cookies or other local storage, where legally required, and to use personal data (such as AdID) to serve ads. This policy reflects the requirements of the EU ePrivacy Directive and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Consent has to be deliberately set by the user. Setting defaults would defeat this purpose. 

[Test Dvd]

Hello Advisor,

So you mean we have to settle for NOT displaying ads if the user doesn't agree to consent?

That means that most of us will lose a large part of our current revenue.

And you don't need to rewrite the magic formula that users have to put in to get non-personalised ads.

It's absurd, no one will do it, and you know it.

As you understand, this is the death of monetizing with ads.

You don't listen to publishers ...

[Test Dvd]

Hello ABQ App Source,

Have you found out anything about limited ads and mediation if the user does not accept consent???

El miércoles, 23 de agosto de 2023 a la(s) 15:14:13 UTC+2, ABQ App Source escribió:

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi,

Kindly note that Publishers and developers using Google AdSense, Ad Manager, or AdMob who serve ads to users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and/or the UK will be required to use a Google-certified CMP that integrates with the TCF when serving ads to users in the European Economic Area or the UK. As per this article (https://support.google.com/admob/answer/13554020?hl=en&sjid=14715188072162491627-AP), it mentioned that "If a partner does not adopt a Google-certified CMP, only limited ads will be eligible to serve.  

[ABQ App Source]

> Consent has to be deliberately set by the user. Setting defaults would defeat this purpose. 

You seem to be fundamentally misunderstanding what we are requesting here. We are not requesting that consent be automatically applied, or that there be a default consent state that allows for cookies/storage. On the main screen of the CMP, there are already two pre-configured consent options ("All" and "None"). Nothing in the GDPR prevents you from adding another pre-configured option the user can choose to click ("Non-Personalized", or something like the "Only Necessary" option many web sites have started showing) that activates the correct storage consent if the user selects it, but nothing more. Without something like that to guide the users to the right combination of choices, they will NEVER successfully select the required consent for non-personalized ads in the current UI. 

Please stop re-posting that same support article - we all know it is technically possible to show non-personalized ads. The issue is that the user interface provided for doing so in the current CMP makes it virtually impossible for an end user to actually do so.

There are also un-answered questions in here about limited ads. Specifically:

Can Limited Ads be shown when using AdMob without mediation? If so, how can we test this to verify that they are working?

-TV

[Test Dvd]

Hello ABQ App Source,

Very well explained!!!
You couldn't have said it better.

We want an option to add to the 2 that is "Only what is necessary" or something like that.

I hope they listen to us because it is what we have ALL been asking for for 3 YEARS.

We will see ...

(Now they will answer you with the typical support message that is worthless)

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi TV,

Thank you for responding back with the detailed context of your concern. What I can do at this point is to submit a feature request to a wider team. Before I can proceed, would you able to provide your business use case (or benefit) to the said feature/functionality?

[ABQ App Source]

Sure,

The business use-case is that I would like users of my free ad-supported app to be able to provide consent for non-personalized ads as easily as they can provide consent for personalized ads. This lets them use the app without limitations, keeping the app profitable, even if they do not want to provide consent for personalized ads.

I would also like to be able to customize the options shown on the main screen, as in the old consent form, to be able to show a "Pay for Ad-Free Version" button instead of the "None" option. I understand these options may not be what every app wants, so giving developers options to customize the CMP main screen options will make it more useful for different app monetization strategies. The actual TCF (https://iabeurope.eu/iab-europe-transparency-consent-framework-policies/) requires an "All" and a "Customize" option to be shown on the main screen, but it does not require a "None" option (Sections C.b.X and C.b.XI) nor does it prevent other call to action configurations.

As it is currently implemented, a large fraction of users will simply chose "None" and use the app entirely without ads - which leads to lost revenue for both the app developer and Google's ad business, and is not financially sustainable. So, the feature request is:

1. Allow developers the option to show a "Consent to Non-personalized" button on the main screen that selects only the minimum storage consent required for non-personalized ads from AdMob. This could be pre-configured, or something developers can configure per their specific needs.

2. Allow developers the option to remove the "Consent to None" button and replace it with a "Pay for the Ad-Free Version" button (like the old consent dialog had).

-TV

[ABQ App Source]

Also, please do see if you can find an answer to the questions about Limited Ads.

Can Limited Ads be shown when using AdMob without mediation? If so, how can we test this to verify that they are working?

The documentation suggests that AdMob/AdSense cannot actually serve limited ads (which has been my experience as well) but we would like to confirm that this is actually true.

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi,

Thank you for your response.

With regard to your concern for the consent, we have raised a feature request for this to become available in Mobile Ads SDK. Kindly note this will be subject for review. What we can do is to advise you to keep an eye on our blog for any future updates on this: https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/search/label/admob. Then, for your question for the limited ads without mediation, can you confirm if you're referring to the ad serving limit that can be seen in your account if the Google evaluate your traffic quality, or it might be because we've identified invalid traffic? 

[ABQ App Source]

Thanks for sending the feature request along.

With regards to limited ads, I am not talking about any sort of ad serving limit. I am asking if AdMob is capable of serving limited ads or not (without mediation). the Google docs here say:

    Campaigns will not serve in AdMob in the event of a limited ad signal.  [...]  

    AdSense (AdSense for Search and AdSense for Content) will not be supported and will continue to require cookie consent to serve any ads.

The article here, states:

  

     Adsense ads are not supported by Google’s Limited Ads feature because they need cookies. Admob ads won’t serve in the absence of consent.

In my testing so far, I have not seen a limited ad yet (other kinds of ads work fine in testing). When I deny consent, there is no ad shown. Is there something we need to configure in order to be able to show Limited Ads, and how can we test that Limited Ads are working in our apps?

-TV

[ABQ App Source]

Also, in the Google support docs here it says:

    If consent is missing for Google for Purpose 1 in the TC string, Google will drop the ad request and no ads will be served.

So again, can you confirm when/how limited ads can actually be shown? And how developers can test that they are working?

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hello,

If the following conditions are met for Google as an ad technology provider, we will serve limited ads:

• No consent for Purposes 1, 3, and 4
• Legitimate interest or consent for any other purpose

Currently, LTD on apps will only be supported with the IAB TCF v2.0 consent framework.  If a publisher is utilizing a custom consent tool and a user declines consent for the use of device identifiers, the publisher should not make an ad request as we do not currently have a method for the publisher to signal LTD outside of the IAB TCF v2.0 framework.

For more information regarding limited ads, kindly refer to this document: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/10105530?hl=en. 

[ABQ App Source]

I have tried testing that - when I deny consent no ads are shown at all. And there are dozens of threads on here of other people seeing the same thing. Search for all the "No ads are shown if the user doesn't give consent" threads - if limited ads worked as you describe, why do none of us see them being shown when consent is denied?

I have read the document you linked many times (I linked it earlier in this thread - that document says AdSense does not support Limited Ads).

What steps should a developer take to test that Limited Ads work, that will show a successful limited ad (test or real)?

-TV

[Test Dvd]

Hello ABQ App Source,

In another post a person tell me that limited ads is = NO ADS.

That's what they call 0 ads.

Therefore, when there is no consent, no ads appears.

Instead of telling us that we will have 0 ads if there is no consent, they tell us that we will have limited ads.

Why do they make it so complicated and aren't clearer?

So don't look for a way to show limited ads or with mediation or anything.

Apps with ads in eee and ru are dead.

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi Test Dvd,

Thank you for your response.

With regard to consent, we've already raise a request: for the new "EU user consent policy", let Admob still show ads, just not personalized ones to the wider team. Kindly note this will be subject for review. What we can do is to advise you to keep an eye on our blog for any future updates on this: https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/search/label/admob. 

[Test Dvd]

Hello, thank you for responding.

I understand that you have submitted a request so that if the user does not accept the consent, non-personalized ads will be displayed?

And that it's currently under review.

Is that correct???

Thanks.

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hello,

Yes, a feature request has been submitted regarding this. However, please do note that not all feature request are guaranteed. Currently, this is under investigation. In the meantime, you may keep an eye on our developer blog regarding this here: https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/search/label/admob. 

[Test Dvd]

Hello, thanks for answering.

I understand that the application is being reviewed.

Hopefully you can listen to the developers and include an option so that the user can see personalized ads when they do not accept consent.

Thank you.

[diablins...@gmail.com]

Hi Test Dvd,

1- No consent = no cookies
2- Google needs cookies, even for not personalized ads, because they use them to fight fraud and other things

3- That means.. no consent = no cookies = no ads

In january revenue will drop badly for most free apps. That's all.

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Can you confirm if you have any concern regarding to the revenue for the Mobile Ads SDK? In addition to that, kindly provide us more information with regard to your concern for us to further assist you. 

[Test Dvd]

Hello diablins,

Exactly.
No consent = no cookies = NO ADS.

Death to all app developers.

That thing about cookies in non-personalized ads is going to be the downfall.

Google should not allow apps to be used without ads because it makes no sense.

Praying there is a solution... but difficult.

[Batuhan Savaş Yılmaz]

HEY TEST DVD

Try this: edit GPDR via admob and turn off "do not allow" and "turn off (confirm)" from the options on the right side and test if the ads are shown in any case. I don't have my computer with me right now, I can't. let me know the result.

14 Eylül 2023 Perşembe tarihinde saat 15:26:06 UTC+3 itibarıyla Test Dvd şunları yazdı:

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi All,

Thank you for providing your insight on this. As mentioned previously on this thread, we already created a request for the new "EU user consent policy", let Admob still show ads, just not personalized ones. Kindly note this will be subject for review. What we can do is to advise you to keep an eye on our blog for any future updates on this: https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/search/label/admob.  

[Romain Bitard]

Hello, I hope this feature arrives soon, it's mandatory for free apps.

Is there a way to subscribe to this blog or have the information pushed instead of us requesting it ?

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[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi Romain,

Thank you for your response. You can try to subscribe directly to the blog via an RSS feed product (such as installing an RSS feed reader in your Chrome browser) to be notified of updates from our blog. If that doesn't work in your end, what we can recommend is to keep an eye on our blog for any future updates on this: https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/search/label/admob.