Navigating web analytics configuration in 2026 requires balancing data utility with strict privacy enforcement. Quick answer: The optimal configuration is to enable Google Signals in the Data Collection settings (to feed remarketing audiences into Google Ads), but change the Reporting Identity setting to Device-based. This keeps the background data pipeline active for Google Ads while fully preventing GA4 from applying data thresholds that suppress rows in your reports. Let's explore how this works below.
What Exactly Does Google Signals Do in GA4?
By default, GA4 identifies site visitors using browser cookies (Device ID). If the same person visits your site from their mobile browser in the morning and their desktop browser in the afternoon, GA4 records two separate users. Google Signals solves this by leveraging Google's massive database of signed-in accounts. If users have enabled ads personalization in their Google settings, Google can identify and stitch their cross-device journeys together without requiring you to build your own user login system.
This provides two main benefits: accurate cross-device path analysis (tracking users from initial mobile research to final desktop purchase) and Google Ads remarketing audience building. This allows you to serve highly targeted ads to users who explored products on their phones but have not yet completed their order.
What Is Data Thresholding and Why Are Rows Disappearing?
Stitching user identities across devices is a massive advantage, but it creates reporting issues due to user privacy. Because Google Signals deals with personal Google account details, Google enforces strict policies to prevent analysts from reverse-engineering reports to identify individual visitors based on combinations of demographics or device types.
To prevent this, GA4 applies data thresholding. If a report row in your standard reports or Explorations contains fewer than a minimum user threshold (usually between 10 and 50 users), GA4 suppresses that row entirely, replacing it with empty rows or a yellow warning banner stating "Data threshold applied." For low-volume websites, this privacy feature can silently hide 30% to 50% of conversion and campaign data, skewing your reporting.
Blended vs. Observed vs. Device-based Reporting Identity
The way GA4 handles user identity in reports and determines whether thresholds are applied depends on the Reporting Identity setting. Under the Admin configuration panel, you can choose from three options:
- Blended: The default option. GA4 matches identities using User-ID (if active), Google Signals, modeled data, and finally Device ID. It offers the most complete cross-device pathing but triggers the most aggressive data thresholding.
- Observed: Similar to Blended, but excludes machine-learning modeling. It still relies on Google Signals, meaning thresholding persists.
- Device-based: GA4 ignores Google Signals for reporting purposes, displaying data based purely on cookies (Device ID) or User-ID. The primary benefit: it completely eliminates Google Signals data thresholding. Your reports will show 100% of tracked events and conversions.
Comparison of GA4 Reporting Identity Types
Review the impact of each setting on report data quality and ad remarketing reach:
| Reporting Identity | Risk of Data Thresholding (Row Suppression) | Cross-Device Stitching Accuracy | Google Ads Remarketing Integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blended | High risk for low-volume reports | Highest (utilizes all signals) | Fully Functional (if Signals is enabled) |
| Observed | Medium to high risk | Good (excludes predictive modeling) | Fully Functional (if Signals is enabled) |
| Device-based | None (0% suppressed rows) | Dependent purely on cookies / User-ID | Fully Functional (if Signals is enabled in data collection) |
Google Signals vs. User-ID: Which Is Better?
If your website allows users to sign in (such as an e-commerce store with account access or a SaaS application), you should implement first-party User-ID tracking. Unlike Google Signals, which relies on Google-owned data, User-ID uses your own secure, hashed identifier assigned to logged-in customers. When sent to GA4, cross-device pathing works reliably regardless of whether the user is signed in to a Google account. Crucially, first-party User-ID does not trigger the same privacy thresholds as Google Signals, providing clean reports without sacrificing cross-device accuracy.
Privacy Compliance (GDPR & Consent Mode v2)
Enabling Google Signals carries legal responsibilities. Because it collects personalized ad data from visitors, you cannot collect this information without explicit user consent. In Europe, this requires a correctly implemented cookie banner integrated with Google's Consent Mode v2. Google Signals will only load if a visitor explicitly grants consent for both analytics and advertising cookies (analytics_storage and ad_storage). Collecting this data without active consent is a direct GDPR violation.
Google Signals Setup Checklist
- Enable Signals: Turn on Signals in Admin → Data Collection for audience sharing.
- Adjust Identity: Set Reporting Identity to Device-based to prevent thresholding.
- Verify Compliance: Confirm that your cookie banner blocks Signals if consent is denied.
- Link Google Ads: Verify that your GA4 property is linked directly to Google Ads.
- Check Audiences: Make sure GA4 audiences populate correctly inside Google Ads.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Will I lose remarketing audiences if I switch my Reporting Identity to Device-based?
No. The Reporting Identity setting only changes how data is processed and displayed inside the GA4 reporting interface. In the background, Google Signals still collects data and shares audiences with your linked Google Ads account.
Why does GA4 still show thresholding warnings after changing settings?
Changing the Reporting Identity applies to your reports immediately and retroactively. If you still see the warning, verify that your Exploration report does not contain sensitive demographics or extremely narrow segments that trigger system-wide GA4 privacy rules unrelated to Signals.
Is Google Signals enabled by default?
No. Due to privacy regulations, Google Signals must be activated manually under the Data Collection panel in GA4 Admin. Make sure your website privacy policy clearly discloses this data collection before turning it on.
Conclusion: Clean Reports, Better Decisions
The Google Signals Reporting Identity setting is a prime example of how a single configuration change can alter your data quality. Avoid default settings. Configure GA4 to power your Google Ads campaigns with remarketing data while maintaining unthresholded, complete reports. Submit an inquiry. I will audit your GA4 settings and ensure you are working with clean, reliable analytics.