Basic or Advanced? What Version of Consent Mode v2 Do You Have?

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Vibeke Specht
Have you installed the basic version of Consent Mode v2 or the advanced version? Let's find out.
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It is not super easy to do this, but it’s not rocket science, either. All you need is some coffee and focus time. (We believe in you!)
Please note that you can install Google Consent Mode v2 in different ways, such as via Google Tag Manager, a WordPress plugin , or by inserting the script on the page. However, you can only install one with a proper Consent Management Platform (CMP).
Regardless of how you have implemented Google Consent Mode v2, the method for checking whether you have implemented the basic or advanced versions is the same.

How to check if you have installed the advanced version of Consent Mode v2?

So, when you begin this “investigation,” you need to keep the following in mind: If you have the basic version installed, it may look like you don’t have Consent Mode v2 installed at all when you look at the so-called network requests.
This means it may look like you “only” have a CMP in place that does its job by the book , meaning it blocks signals to Google when a visitor denies consent and sends them when consent is granted.
Therefore, the first thing you need to do is see if Consent Mode v2 is installed.

Have you installed Consent Mode v2?

To determine whether you have installed Consent Mode v2, open your web page in incognito mode. I will guide you through this using the Chrome web browser.
Right-click on the webpage and select “Inspect.”

Go to the Sources tab and go to scripts and look for the consent mode parameters.

The image shows a screenshot of the Chrome DevTools interface, specifically the Sources tab. The script file displayed is named "gtm-default-consent-mode.js". Key indicators are highlighted with arrows: 1. The "Sources" tab is highlighted in the top navigation bar, indicating the user is viewing the source code of a webpage. 2. The left arrow points to the file tree where "gtm-default-consent-mode.js" is selected. 3. The right arrow points to a code block where various types of storage (ad_storage, analytics_storage, functionality_storage, personalization_storage, security_storage) are set to "denied" or "granted". This block of code is crucial in determining the version of Google Consent Mode being used. This step is part of a process to verify if the advanced or basic version of Google Consent Mode v2 is implemented.
Go to the Sources tab and go to scripts and look for the consent mode parameters.

But how do I know if it is Google Consent Mode v2 and not the previous version of Google Consent Mode?

The code snippet has fewer parameters if it’s the outdated version of Consent Mode v2; meaning it will only have ad_storage and analytics_storage.
If it’s the updated version of Consent Mode v2, it will have 2 additional parameters, the two at the end here:
ad_storage,
analytics_storage,
ad_uster_data,
ad_personalization.

I cannot find the flags, even though I should

If your site does not have data layers, you won’t be able to find the flags as described above; chances are you can then find them in the Google Tag Manager container. To find out, go to (or stay in) the Sources tab and scroll down to find www.googletagmanager.com, and then look for the flags.

When you have Cookie Information's CMP

Also note that if you have installed Cookie Information with our latest Consent Mode v2 integration—where the link to Google’s Business Responsibility site is displayed on the consent-banner—then you can verify that you have Consent Mode v2 by searching for (pressing F5 or Command+F on Mac) data-gcm-version= “2.0” in the Sources tab. If it’s there, then you got Consent Mode v2.

Which version of Consent Mode v2 is it then? Basic or advanced?

Now that you know that you have Consent Mode v2 installed, it’s time to see if it’s the basic version or the advanced version.
Follow these 7 steps to get to the bottom of this.
1. Open the Website
  • Launch Google Chrome and navigate to your website in incognito mode.
2. Access Developer Tools
  • Right-click on the webpage.
  • Select “Inspect” to open
3. Chrome Developer Tools
  • Go to the Network Tab
  • Click on the “Network” tab in the Developer Tools panel.
  • If not visible, click the double arrow (>>) to find it.
**Title:** "Step 2: Analyzing Network Requests in Chrome DevTools" **Alt Text:** The image shows the Chrome DevTools interface with the Network tab selected. The arrow points to the Network tab in the top navigation bar, indicating that the user is analyzing network requests. The network activity table is currently empty, showing columns for Name, Status, Type, Initiator, Size, and Time, along with a timeline graph above. This step is part of a process to check the network requests related to Google Consent Mode v2 implementation.
4. Clear Existing Logs
  • Click the circle with a slash icon or right-click in the log area and select “Clear.
**Title:** "Step 2: Filtering Network Requests in Chrome DevTools" **Alt Text:** The image shows a close-up of the Chrome DevTools interface with the Network tab selected. An arrow points to the Filter bar, where users can input text to filter network requests. Various options are available, such as Preserve log, Disable cache, No throttling, and checkboxes for Invert, Hide data URLs, and Hide extension URLs. This step is part of a process to filter network requests related to Google Consent Mode v2 implementation.
5. Refresh the Page
  • Refresh the webpage by pressing F5 or clicking the refresh button.
6. Decline Cookies (If Prompted)
  • When the cookie consent prompt appears, choose to decline cookies.
7. Monitor Network Activity
If you, like me, don’t really know what a network request is, here’s how I explain it to myself:
It’s like sending a letter to a friend asking for information. When you visit a website, your computer sends these “letters” to the website’s friend, a.k.a. server, and asks for the pictures, texts, and all the information needed to show the webpage. The server then replies by sending all that information back to your computer so you can see the website as intended.
Anyway, you need to look at the tab with all the network requests now. Use the filter box to search for specific requests for Google Analytics or Google Ads. Type keywords like gtag, gtm, analytics, or ads.

Now look for requests with URLs containing for example google-analytics.com, googletagmanager.com, or googleadsservices.com, or anything that indicates consent mode.

The image shows the Chrome DevTools interface with the Network tab selected. An arrow points to the Preview tab in the right panel. Another arrow highlights the "gtm-default-consent-mode.js" file selected in the network request list on the left. The right panel displays the content of the JavaScript file, showing the dataLayer configuration with various storage types set to "denied" or "granted". This step is part of a process to review the network request preview related to Google Consent Mode v2 implementation.
In our example we found gtm-default-consent-mode.js. Click on that and go to the Preview part of the right-window.
Look for these parameters:
ad_storage, 
ad_user_data, 
ad_personalization, 
analytics_storage
If you see them, you have installed an advanced version of Google Consent Mode. If you do not see them, it is most likely the basic version. If you have set it up correctly, they should all be “denied”.
If you click the cookie banner again, press accept, and inspect the parameters again, they should all be set to “granted.”

Summary

First, ensure you have Google Consent Mode v2 by looking for the script via the web browser’s developer tool. If you find it, you can proceed to step 2.

Now look for the so-called network requests for Google Analytics or Google ads. You have the basic version if there are no requests when consent is denied. If all the parameters show up, you have the advanced version.

Also read: Is my Consent Mode v2 working?
Please also note, that in order to be compliant with Google’s requirements the first layer of the cookie-banner needs to link to Google’s Business Data Responsibility Site.

Now what?

In the world of web development things are seldom super straightforward. Follow up questions will arise. Especially if you can’t find the tags.
But fear not.
We have developed a tool for you, that checks if you have Consent Mode v2 installed or not. It will take you, at least, half-way!
Do I have Consent Mode v2?