Google Consent Mode v2, without the jargon

Google Consent Mode comes up in almost every conversation about cookie banners, usually wrapped in enough acronyms to make it sound harder than it is. Here is the plain version.

What it is

Without Consent Mode, a consent tool has two choices for a Google tag: let it run, or block it.

Consent Mode adds a third: let the tag load, but tell it what the visitor allowed. Google’s tags (Analytics, Ads) read those signals and adjust what they store and send. When a visitor refuses, measurement does not stop entirely — it continues in a reduced, modelled form.

The signals

Consent Mode v2 works with a handful of named signals. Each is either granted or denied:

Signal	Roughly means
ad_storage	Advertising cookies may be stored.
ad_user_data	User data may be sent to Google for advertising.
ad_personalization	Ads may be personalised.
analytics_storage	Analytics cookies may be stored.
personalization_storage	Personalisation (e.g. recommendations) may be stored.
functionality_storage	Storage the site needs to work, like language settings.
security_storage	Storage for security, like fraud prevention.

ad_user_data and ad_personalization are the two that version 2 added.

The important part: the default

The order matters. The signals have to be set to denied before any Google tag runs, and only switched to granted once the visitor agrees. A default that is set late — after the tag has already loaded — is the same problem as a banner that appears after the trackers have fired.

CookieRay sets that default first: every signal denied except functionality and security storage, with a short wait so Google’s tags can pick up the visitor’s answer.

How a visitor’s answer maps

When the visitor makes a choice, each consent category turns on the matching signals:

• Marketing → ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization
• Analytics → analytics_storage
• Functional → personalization_storage

One more safeguard: CookieRay stops other scripts on the page from sending a “granted” update before the visitor has actually answered.

What you need to do

If you use CookieRay, Consent Mode v2 is on by default and needs no setup. It is one of the checks in your dashboard’s compliance score, so you will see if it has been turned off.

The full signal table is in the Google Consent Mode docs.

This article explains how consent tools work; it is not legal advice.