Image extraction switches on for every new Performance Max campaign from 4 December

What changed

The campaign-level default will apply even if Dynamic Image Extensions are disabled at account level. Existing campaigns keep their settings. Advertisers who do not want Google to extract website images for a new campaign will need to turn off the relevant campaign-level automation.

For API implementations, the setting is GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION, with OPTED_OUT used to disable it. Google also warns that updating asset_automation_settings replaces the repeated field: integrations must preserve other entries they intend to keep, rather than sending only the changed setting.

What to review before December

Audit campaign-creation templates and any scripts that clone or generate PMax campaigns. A configuration that relied on the account-level switch may produce a different result after the effective date. Document the intended image policy alongside each template, so the person launching a campaign can check it before activation.

Review the pages used as campaign destinations for outdated offers, unsuitable crops and images that are not approved for advertising. This is an editorial preparation recommendation; the announcement does not promise that every page image will be selected or that opting in will improve results.

Keep the announcement date and effective date separate when planning the change. The operational deadline is 4 December, while the source was published on 21 October. This update concerns image extraction, not blanket permission for unrelated creative automation.

For API teams, test a full settings round-trip in a controlled configuration before changing the production creation template.