Category Archives: AdMob Blog

News, tips, and information on the AdMob developer platform

Mobile Ads Garage: Episode 14 – AdMob Rewarded Video in Unity

Episode fourteen of The Mobile Ads Garage is live on YouTube! If you haven't seen it before, The Mobile Ads Garage is a video tutorial series that covers how to use the Mobile Ads SDK to display ads from AdMob and DoubleClick for Publishers. Each episode covers one aspect of the SDK, breaks down the feature, and shows screencasts of real implementations on both Android and iOS – all in a friendly format.

This video is a special one for two reasons. Not only is it the first to feature AdMob's open source plugin for Unity, but it's also the Garage debut of AdMob's own rewarded video ads! Previously, publishers who wanted to use the Mobile Ads SDK to integrate rewarded video ads had to use mediation to source ads from other networks. Now, however, AdMob has its own rewarded demand, which means you can take advantage of the format with no mediation required.

In this episode, you'll see screencasts and a breakdown of how to request and show rewarded video ads with the AdMob Unity plugin. Unity is one of the most popular tools for game development, and allows publishers to write engines once in C#, then build for multiple platforms (including Android and iOS). With the AdMob plugin, apps can load and display ads from AdMob using a single, cross-platform C# interface.

If you like the video, save the Mobile Ads Garage playlist to your YouTube Playlist collection and you'll never miss an episode.

We’d love to hear which AdMob features you’d like to learn more about. The comment sections for the videos are open, and you're welcome to toss out ideas for new episodes and examples you'd like to see. If you have a technical question relating to something discussed in one of the episodes, you can bring it to our support forum.

Remember to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Posted by: Andrew Brogdon, Mobile Ads Developer Relations Team

Source: Inside AdMob


Using Splash Pages to Avoid Unexpected Launch Interstitials

In this post, we’re going to discuss an easy way to help avoid violating our policy against interstitial ads that unexpectedly launch (Layout Encourages Accidental Clicks - Unexpected Launch Interstitials): implementing a splash page (Loading/Title Screen) in your app. A splash page is a static screen, containing no clickable content, which launches before the user gets to the ‘Home Screen’ of your app.

First, we’ll talk about the violation itself. If you choose to implement interstitial ads in your app, you need to ensure that your implementation won’t encourage users to click on it accidentally. An example of a violating implementation can be found below (Fig.1):

Fig.1: This interstitial ad implementation violates our policies, as an interstitial launches on the ‘Home Screen’ of the app without any action by the user.

In the example above, an interstitial ad launches while the user is idle on the ‘Home Screen’ of the app. This implementation is in violation of our policies, as interstitial ads should only be implemented at logical breaks in between your app's content . One potential way to fix this violation, without removing the interstitial ad altogether, would be to implement a splash page that launches as the first screen of the app, before the ‘Home Screen’. This page will show while the interstitial ad pre-loads. The Interstitial ad should then launch in the transition between the splash screen and the ‘Home Screen’. You can find an example of this correct implementation below (Fig.2):

Fig.2: This implementation does not violation policy. The first screen the user sees is a splash page, followed by an interstitial. Then, when the user closes the interstitial, they are shown the ‘Home Screen’ of the app.

Now that the user sees that content is loading, they won’t be encouraged to accidentally click on the interstitial ad once it launches. Then, when the user closes the ad, they are shown the ‘Home Screen’ of the app.

NOTE: When the user closes the interstitial ad, they must be shown a new screen. Interstitial ads are only to be implemented at logical breaks in between your app's content, so you can’t have the splash page still be there when the user closes the ad. That would be a policy violation.

To have the interstitial ad trigger at the right time, you may need to preload it. You can find more information about preloading interstitials here. As mentioned, as the developer of your app, the design of your splash page is up to you. The only requirement is that the screen doesn’t contain any elements that might encourage users to accidentally click on the interstitial ad once it launches.

It is important to note that, as a developer, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with our policies. You can consult our Help Centre for even more helpful information regarding our policies and best practices.

Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Posted by: Tom Ambrose, AdMob Publisher Quality Team

Source: Inside AdMob


3 reasons to use AdMob rewarded video demand and mediation

Implementing in-app ads can be time-consuming and complicated, but with AdMob you can start integrating rewarded ads quickly and simply. Aside from making rewarded ads easy to set-up and available to everyone, we also incorporated other features that are unique to AdMob. Here are 3 reasons why you should be using AdMob rewarded video demand and mediation.

User Experience
Google’s rewarded video ad format is focused on delivering a great user experience. Rewarded ads offer users the choice to watch a video in exchange for an in-app reward, like a new life in a game. To do this successfully, this experience needs to complement rather than interrupt a user’s flow. With intuitive user prompts and clear options to opt-out, our rewarded ad format puts your user in control of their in-app experience.

Yield optimization
In order to ensure an optimal user experience and avoid ad blindness due to repetition, you need to ensure that you have a diverse set of ads to show users. Rewarded mediation allows you to manage multiple third party demand sources via one platform, in addition to Google demand. This helps ensure there is always an ad available to show and that the ad shown is also the most valuable. By choosing to work with multiple demand sources and managing them optimally, publishers can increase revenue through competition between sources.

Beyond that, our rewarded mediation solution gives publishers maximum control over their users’ rewarded ad experiences. Experimenting and optimizing the rewarded setup is easy with ad unit level configuration, which lets publishers try different, customized rewarded settings at different places in their apps. Server side settings mean there’s no need to republish the app after changes are made, so experimenting is easy.

Firebase Analytics
Using Firebase Analytics to analyse the effectiveness and impact of your rewarded ads is unique to AdMob. The first step is to check out the Firebase Audiences tab to segment your users in ways that are important to your business. It’s then possible to analyse the impact on the experiences of these different user segments.  Experimentation and understanding what resonates with your high value users is key to the success of rewarded.

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Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Source: Inside AdMob


Join us live on May 23rd as we announce the latest Ads, Analytics and DoubleClick innovations


What: Google Marketing Next keynote live stream
When: Tuesday, May 23rd at 9:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET.
Duration: 1 hour
Where: On the Inside AdWords Blog


Be the first to hear about Google’s latest marketing innovations, the moment they’re announced.

Watch live as my team and I share new Ads, Analytics and DoubleClick innovations designed to improve your ability to reach consumers, simplify campaign measurement and increase your productivity. We’ll also give you a sneak peek at how brands are starting to use the Google Assistant to delight customers.

Register for the live stream here.

Until then, follow AdWords on Twitter, Google+, Facebook and LinkedIn for previews of what's to come.

Posted by Sridhar Ramaswamy Senior Vice President, Ads and Commerce

Source: Inside AdMob


Help the AdMob team help you

We often hear from developers that you’re looking for tips and ideas for growing your app. Our team of apps experts are constantly building new resources and insights to help developers like you grow your business. We regularly share personalized suggestions for your app via email in addition to news on the latest product features. Additionally, we send periodic invitations to live video sessions and events offering personalized tips for your region.

To ensure you’re getting this information from us, we need to have up-to-date contact details and communication preferences for you. Here are a few quick and simple steps you should take when you log in to your AdMob account, to make sure we can get in touch:

Step 1:

Make sure that the email address you've listed in your account to receive communications from us is correct and is one that you’re regularly checking. You can check which email address we’re using to reach you by logging into your AdMob account and going to your Personal settings under the Account section on the left menu bar.

Step 2:

Opt in to receive emails from us. We categorize the emails we send based on the content they include. Here’s a quick breakdown:

  • Customized help and performance suggestions - Includes personalized revenue and optimization tips customized specific for your website. 
  • Periodic newsletters with tips and best practices - Includes general AdMob tips, best practices and product updates.
  • Occasional surveys to help Google improve your AdMob experience - Gives you a regular opportunity to share your feedback on AdMob.
  • Special Offers - Includes invitations to events in your country and live YouTube events..
  • Information about other Google products and services which may be of interest to you - Occasional updates on other Google products like Firebase Analytics or Google Cloud Platform.

You can update your email preferences by checking the boxes in your Personal settings section.

Step 3:

Choose your language preference. Did you know that AdMob emails are available in 38 different languages? You can choose the language that suits you best by using the Display language drop-down menu directly under the email preferences checkboxes.

Remember, updates to your personal settings and contact information won’t change the email address you use to sign in to your AdMob account or other information you’ve provided to AdMob, such as the information shown in your Payee profile.

Get the most from the AdMob team and ensure you can hear from us. Log in to your account now and check your contact details and communication preferences. It takes no more than two minutes.

Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Posted by: Suzy Headon - Inside AdMob Team

Source: Inside AdMob


A beginners guide to implementing AdMob rewarded ads

With faster devices and more bandwidth come richer apps with more immersive ads. AdMob has cutting-edge formats to help you deliver high quality ads that load fast. AdMob can help you build audiences by integrating rewarded ad formats into your app mechanics. Using the right technology you could earn money and enhance your user experience. Here’s a quick guide to help get you started, it’s easy – we promise.

Before you get started, make sure your SDKs are updated (Android v9.0 or higher and iOS v7.9.1 or higher), then…

  1. Sign in to your AdMob account
  2. Create a new AdMob rewarded interstitial ad unit
  3. Configure your ad unit settings (this is where you can tinker with the reward amount, the reward itself, and set an ad frequency cap to ensure your users don’t see the same ad too many times).
  4. Implement the rewarded interstitial ad unit and ad unit ID where the ad will be shown in the app. Take a look at our Android implementation guide and iOS implementation guide for help.
  5. Optionally integrate the SDKs of third-party demand sources


That’s it! Once your ads are fully integrated, we recommend experimenting with Firebase Analytics to analyse the effectiveness of your rewarded ads. Experimentation and understanding what resonates with your high value users is key to the success with rewarded. With Firebase, A/B testing is simple and can ensure you are getting the most out of your exchange with the user: optimizing reward value, frequency of ads, and ad placement in app all contribute to a successful reward strategy.

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Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

The AdMob Team

Source: Inside AdMob


Rewarded 101: Important things you need to know about rewarded video

Rewarded video is changing the way publishers monetize their content. We’ve seen advertising evolve to become mutually beneficial to both the user and the publisher, while also providing a better, richer experience. This is a huge potential opportunity for app developers, but how can you use rewarded video to augment your user experience and monetize your app?  Here’s a quick overview of what rewarded advertising is, and some of its important features.

What’s rewarded? Rewarded video is a non-intrusive, short-form video that creates a value exchange between a publisher and a user: user’s voluntarily give their time to watch an ad in exchange for a reward, or in-app currency.

Rewarded video isn’t a new thing. Gaming publishers have been taking advantage of user opt-in video for several years, but we’ve recently seen rewarded video gaining traction across several different verticals. Publishers are exploring the potential of leveraging premium features, exclusive content, or upgraded services to incorporate Rewarded video ads seamlessly into their apps.

Focus on the user and all else will follow. A positive user experience is key to the success of rewarded video. Each ad should complement the user experience by appearing at an appropriate time offering a valuable reward (like gaining an extra life in your favorite game instead of the level ending, or an hour of uninterrupted listening time when streaming music) in exchange for watching a video. With AdMob, the user controls their experience by choosing to watch a video and receive the reward, or to not watch the video and forfeit the reward. It’s also easy to set a frequency cap to ensure that a user doesn’t see the same ad too many times.

You can earn more by doing less with AdMob mediation. Our ad unit level configuration allows you to try different advertising networks, network order, and reward settings at different points in your app. Our ad network also automatically fetches CPM values from these networks, and optimizes accordingly: expect high fill rates and maximum revenue. The best part? Thanks to our server-side settings you can keep tinkering in the background until you’ve got your reward settings nailed, minus the hassle of changing your code or re-releasing your app.

The most important thing to remember about rewarded video? When done well, it adds value to all parties. Users explicitly choose to opt-in and engage with an ad that complements their game or app in exchange for a reward. Publishers benefit from a non-interruptive high CPM monetisation format, increased retention, and potentially more ARPU (rewarded users play more and spend more). And advertisers reach valuable, engaged users that are more likely to complete an ad view. Everyone’s a winner!

Integrating rewarded ads into your apps is easy. Follow these simple steps to get started...
  1. Create a new AdMob Rewarded interstitial ad unit
    1. Make sure your SDKs are updated (Android v9.0 or higher and iOS v7.9.1 or higher)
    2. Implement the rewarded interstitial ad unit and ad unit ID where the ad will be shown in the app. Take a look at our Android implementation guide and iOS implementation guide for help.
    3. Optionally integrate the SDKs of third-party demand sources

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    Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.
    The AdMob team


    Source: Inside AdMob


    Native Express Video

    Cross posted from the Google Ads Developer Blog.

    If you've created a Native Express ad unit recently, you may have noticed a new template format alongside App Install and Content: Video App Install. In the past few weeks, AdMob has rolled out support for video assets in Native Ads Express, giving publishers a new way to create more engaging presentations for their users.

    How to get started

    Enabling video demand for a Native Express ad unit is easy. Just open the ad unit's settings in the AdMob console, and look for the Ad type checkboxes at the top of the editor:

    Check the checkbox marked "Video app install," and save the change. In a short while, your ad unit will start serving video creatives alongside the other two formats, with no code changes to your app required. That means you can update your existing apps to display this new format without redeploying to the Play Store or App Store.

    An important thing to note is that video creatives are only available for ad units using the Large template size. The video player needs a certain amount of space, and the Large template ensures that it's available.

    Customizing the experience

    While there's no mobile code required to take advantage of Native Express Video, AdMob has introduced some new features to the API that allow publishers to customize the user experience. In particular, a new video options class (VideoOptions on Android, and GADVideoOptions on iOS) gives publishers a way to influence how the ads behave.

    For example, the following code will cause video ads appearing in an Android NativeExpressAdView to begin playing with their audio on: 


    mAdView = (NativeExpressAdView) findViewById(R.id.adView);
    mAdView.setVideoOptions(new VideoOptions.Builder()
        .setStartMuted(false)
        .build());

    Staying in the know

    App publishers can retrieve information about the video assets in their ads through the use of a video controller object (VideoController on Android, GADVideoController on iOS). The ad view classes for native express have been updated to include video controller properties that apps can grab and query for info like whether a video is present in the ad, and what its aspect ratio is. Even if the ad doesn't contain an video asset (or no ad has been loaded at all), you'll always get a valid reference to the ad view's video controller.

    For example, here's a Swift snippet that shows how to check if an ad that just loaded contains a video asset: 


    func nativeExpressAdViewDidReceiveAd(_ nativeExpressAdView: GADNativeExpressAdView)
    {
      if nativeExpressAdView.videoController.hasVideoContent() {
        print("Received an ad with a video asset.")
      } else {
        print("Received an ad without a video asset.")
      }
    }

    More Info

    Native Express is designed to make implementing native ads easy, but if you have questions about how to get up and running or how you can best put it to use in your apps, stop by our support forum. The Mobile Ads Garage recently released an episode covering Native Express Video as well, with feature details and screencasts for iOS and Android:

     - , Mobile Ads Developer Relations

    Source: Inside AdMob


    Detecting and eliminating Chamois, a fraud botnet on Android

    A more technical version was cross posted on the Android Developers blog

    Google works hard to protect users across a variety of devices and environments. Part of this work involves defending users against Potentially Harmful Applications (PHAs), an effort that gives us the opportunity to observe various types of threats targeting our ecosystem. For example, our security teams recently discovered and defended users of our ads and Android systems against a new PHA family we’ve named Chamois.


    Chamois is an Android PHA family capable of:

    • Generating invalid traffic through UI overlays that pop up with ads having deceptive graphics inside the ad
    • Performing artificial app promotion by automatically installing apps in the background
    • Performing telephony fraud by sending premium text messages
    • Downloading and executing additional plugins

    Interference with the ads ecosystem
    We detected Chamois during a routine ad traffic quality evaluation. We analyzed several malicious apps based on Chamois, and found that they employed several methods to avoid detection and tried to trick users into clicking ads by displaying deceptive graphics. This sometimes resulted in downloading of other apps that commit SMS fraud. So we blocked the Chamois app family using Verify Apps and also kicked out bad actors who were trying to game our ad systems.

    Our previous experience with ad fraud apps like this one enabled our teams to swiftly take action to protect both our advertisers and Android users. Because the malicious app didn’t appear in the device’s app list, most users wouldn’t have seen or known to uninstall the unwanted app. This is why Google’s Verify Apps is so valuable, as it helps users discover PHAs and delete them.

    Google's approach to fighting PHAs
    Verify Apps protects users from known PHAs by warning them when they are downloading an app that is determined to be a PHA, and it also enables users to uninstall the app if it has already been installed. Additionally, Verify Apps monitors the state of the Android ecosystem for anomalies and investigates the ones that it finds. It also helps finding unknown PHAs through behavior analysis on devices. For example, many apps downloaded by Chamois were highly ranked by the DOI scorer. We have implemented rules in Verify Apps to protect users against Herole.

    Google continues to significantly invest in its counter-abuse technologies for Android and its ad systems, and we’re proud of the work that many teams do behind the scenes to fight PHAs like Chamois.

    We hope this summary provides insight into the growing complexity of Android botnets. To learn more about Google’s anti-PHA efforts and further ameliorate the risks they pose to users, devices, and ad systems, keep an eye open for the upcoming “Android Security 2016 Year In Review” report.

    Posted by Security Software Engineers—Bernhard Grill, Megan Ruthven, and Xin Zhao

    Source: Inside AdMob