Flutter How to Implement the UMP SDK

[Dmitri Kozlov]

Hello

I am using Flutter with google_mobile_ads package for my free app. As the app publisher who uses Admob, I need to Implement the UMP SDK to comply with the requirement to use a Google-certified Consent Management Platform (CMP).

I need to update my app code to comply.

Google says ask user consent for:
a) Cookies and analytics
b) personalized vs non-personalized ads

Consent is required if:
a) a user is located in the EU or UK
b) a user is located in the EU or UK and the user is under age 18

Implementation Steps:

1. if the user is not in the EU or UK, then no consent form on app launch is needed
2. if the user is in the EU or UK, then show consent form(for cookies and analytics and using personalized ads vs non-personalized ads). In this case, the user cannot proceed without accepting the consent form.
3. if the user is in the EU or UK and under age 18, then show consent form(cookies and analytics and using personalized ads vs non-personalized ads). In this case, the user cannot proceed without accepting the consent form.

There are 4 questions:
1. google ads are all use cookies for analytics. This question answer should always be yes otherwise, the consent will be declined, and the app should not launch. Do you agree?
2. How do we determine the user location using the code or we ask the user a question whether a user is located in the EU or UK?
3. How do we determine the user age or we ask the user to a question whether a user age is under 18?
4. Users have no control whether they are using personalized ads vs non-personalized ads b/c this is based on the admob account setting for the app. I don't think there is a way to check admob setting using the code. Is this correct?

How do we Implement the UMP SDK using Flutter?

There is package: user_messaging_platform (16 months old)

There are instructions how to implement UMP SDK in Java/Kotlin. 

I think Google should at least like explain how to implement UMP SDK in Flutter.

I came up with questions about based on the UMP SDK in Java/Kotlin.

Please provide your thoughts.

Thank You

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Please see our responses below.

1. google ads are all use cookies for analytics. This question answer should always be yes otherwise, the consent will be declined, and the app should not launch. Do you agree?

• The UMP SDK handle your consent for your automatically. If your users denied the consent, it will serve non-personalized ads but most likely you will get a no fill error due to no ad inventory for non personalize ads.

2. How do we determine the user location using the code or we ask the user a question whether a user is located in the EU or UK?

• UMP SDK also handles this for you. You will just need to do the following:
  • Request consent information: https://developers.google.com/admob/android/privacy#request-consent
  • Load and show consent form if required: https://developers.google.com/admob/android/privacy#load-and-show-form

3. How do we determine the user age or we ask the user to a question whether a user age is under 18?

• As mentioned, UMP SDK handles this for you. However, if you app is for children, you will also need to comply with Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). For this, you will need to follow Child-directed settings: https://developers.google.com/admob/flutter/targeting#child-directed_setting

4. Users have no control whether they are using personalized ads vs non-personalized ads b/c this is based on the admob account setting for the app. I don't think there is a way to check admob setting using the code. Is this correct?

• Yes, you're correct. If your users don't consent to your app, then AdMob will served non-personalized ads. Otherwise, it will served personalized ads

5. How do we Implement the UMP SDK using Flutter?

• Unfortunately, there's no direct implementation of the UMP SDK via Flutter. For this, you will need to export your flutter project into a Native platform (Android or IOS), then follow the UMP SDK installation for that specific platform. This is the reason why I added Android UMP SDK link on your first question. You may check the UMP SDK implementation below:
  • iOS : https://developers.google.com/admob/ios/privacy#prerequisites
  • Android: https://developers.google.com/admob/android/privacy#prerequisites

This message is in relation to case "ref:_00D1U1174p._5004Q2mwZSs:ref"

Thanks,
 

Mobile Ads SDK Team

 

[Test Dvd]

Hello Dmitri,

A youtube video abut implement gdpr in flutter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv5hTY6gyq0

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hello Test Dvd,

Thank you for your input on this thread. Should you have any concerns or inquiries, feel free to reach out to us and we'd be happy to provide you assistance.
 

This message is in relation to case "ref:_00D1U1174p._5004Q2nZFqj:ref"

Thanks,
 

Mobile Ads SDK Team

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi Dmitri,

Some additional clarifications here:

a) Flutter documentation is currently available at https://developers.google.com/admob/flutter/eu-consent
b) For child users, if the user is under 16, you should set https://pub.dev/documentation/google_mobile_ads/latest/google_mobile_ads/ConsentRequestParameters/tagForUnderAgeOfConsent.html when creating ConsentRequestParameters. This will indicate to the UMP SDK that the form shouldn't be presented, but still let the UMP SDK write to local storage per the IAB TCF spec that the user is a child.
c) Once you show the form (or don't show it because after calling requestConsentInfoUpdate, the status was not_required), as long as the status not_required or obtained, you can make ad requests. The status will still be "obtained" if you show the form and the user doesn't consent to anything. But in that case, the ad server would drop the request if nothing is consented, or handle partial consent depending on what is set. If your app gets a no fill, from there you can act accordingly.
d) https://support.google.com/admob/answer/9760862 explains what purposes are required for both personalized and non-personalized ads. If neither of those requirements are met (i.e. user consents to no purposes), ad requests will fall back to limited ads mode (https://support.google.com/admob/answer/10105530) which today effectively means AdMob won't serve an ad, but your waterfall mediation partners might if you integrate mediation.
e) Just this past month, we made some simplifications to the Android/iOS UMP SDKs (https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/2023/08/weve-made-updates-to-user-messaging.html). These haven't graduated to Flutter yet, but is on the roadmap for later this year. So some of the above steps should hopefully be even easier to implement once that launches.

Thanks,
Eric, Mobile Ads SDK Team

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