Category Archives: Ads Developer Blog

The official blog for information about the AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick and AdMob APIs and SDKs

Google Ads and AdWords APIs upgrading authorization scope to "sensitive"

As of October 1, 2020, any Google Cloud app used to obtain credentials for the Google Ads API or AdWords API scope (https://www.googleapis.com/auth/adwords) in its projects (i.e. any new AdWords API or Google Ads API developers) will need to undergo a Google OAuth verification to avoid an unverified app screen for its users. An app, in this context, is defined as a unique OAuth 2.0 Client ID in Google Cloud. This verification is independent and in addition to any reviews conducted as part of the developer token approval process.

There is no cost for the Google verification, which typically completes in 3 to 5 business days. Information on how this process fits in the larger task of authorizing requests can be found in our guide. The verification status of a given app can be viewed at the OAuth consent screen of a Google Cloud Project.

Apps already using the Google Ads API or AdWords API scope prior to October 1, 2020 are not currently affected by this policy. However, this policy will be applied to all apps at a later date in 2021, and it is recommended that all apps undergo the Google OAuth verification process at their earliest convenience to avoid any business interruptions.

If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum or at [email protected]
- Devin Chasanoff, on behalf of the Google Ads API Team

October update to Display & Video 360 API v1

Today we’re releasing an incremental update to the Display & Video 360 API v1 which includes the following features:


Today’s update also includes changes to how quota is handled in the Display & Video 360 API. The following usage limits are now in effect:

  • A default daily limit of 86,400 total requests made to the API per project. This limit can be increased on a case-by-case basis to customers who have demonstrated need for a higher limit.
  • A rate limit of 600 total requests per minute.
  • A rate limit of 300 write requests per minute, which are calls to methods (such as create, patch, delete, and bulkEdit) that modify resources.

More detailed information about this update can be found in the Display & Video 360 API release notes.

Before using these new features, make sure to update your client library to the latest version.

If you run into issues or need help with these new features, please contact us using our support contact form.
- Trevor Mulchay, Display & Video 360 API Team

Content API upgrading authorization scope to "sensitive"

Beginning October 1, 2020, any new Google Cloud app with a unique OAuth 2.0 Client ID used to obtain credentials for the Google Content API scope (https://www.googleapis.com/auth/content) in its projects will need to undergo a Google OAuth verification to avoid an unverified app screen for its users. Users of unverified apps that access the Content API will see warnings and the apps will have limited functionality.

There is no cost for app verification and the process typically takes 3 to 5 business days. For more information about how app verification fits into the broader process of authorizing requests, see our Using OAuth guide.

Apps already using the Content API scope prior to October 1, 2020 are not currently affected by this policy. However, this policy will be applied to all apps at a later date in 2021, and we recommend that all apps undergo the Google OAuth verification process at their earliest convenience to avoid any business interruptions.

For more information about app verification, see OAuth API verification FAQs. If you have any questions or need additional help, please reach out to us on the forum.
Benji Rothman, Content API for Shopping Team

Introducing Ad Placements for the Google Mobile Ads Unity plugin

We’re excited to announce a new feature for app developers who use Unity: Ad Placements. It is now available in Open Beta.

What are Ad Placements?

Ad Placements provide a cleaner and more intuitive way to place ad units from Google AdMob in your games. Ad Placements allow developers to add ad units with a Unity Editor interface, making the specification of ad units for your game centralized, re-usable, and decoupled from your scripts.

You can then create Ad GameObjects that reference these Ad Placements entirely from the Unity Editor, which means no need for additional scripts!

Developers don’t need to write code to manage the ad unit. Callback functions and ad unit creation are all managed directly in the Unity UI.

Why use Ad Placements?

We’ve developed Ad Placements to help address the feedback that many of you have shared, which is integrating the Google Mobile Ads Unity plugin APIs requires too much scripting. Now with Ad Placements and their associated Ad GameObjects, implementing Google Mobile Ads into your Unity games should be a lot easier and more intuitive. You can add placements, load ads and show them all from easy-to-use Unity Editor integrations. With this new UI-driven approach, we can help you insert ad placements into your game with almost no additional code.

How do I get started?

See the Ad Placement documentation for a download link to the early access build and instructions to help you get started.

As always, please reach out on our developer forum if you have any questions.

 - Samuel Stow, Mobile Ads Developer Relations

DoubleClick Bid Manager API upgrading authorization scope to "sensitive"

On October 1, 2020, we are upgrading the classification of the authorization scope used for the DoubleClick Bid Manager API ( https://www.googleapis.com/auth/doubleclickbidmanager ) to “sensitive”. This upgrade is taking place to better secure the DBM API and the data retrieved from it.

Starting on October 1st, all unverified apps that are using the DBM API for the first time will encounter an “unverified app screen” upon attempted authentication. This screen can be removed by submitting your app to our verification process. This process usually takes about 3 to 5 business days. Information on how this process fits in the larger task of authorizing requests can be found in our guide.

Existing apps that began using the DBM API scope before October 1st will not see the “unverified app screen” and will not immediately need to go through the verification process. However, all apps accessing sensitive scopes will require explicit verification before the end of 2021. In anticipation of this requirement, it is recommended that existing apps complete the verification process at their earliest convenience.

If you run into issues or need help with this process, please contact us using our support contact form.
- Trevor Mulchay, Display & Video 360 API Team

Announcing the Google Ads API is out of beta

We are excited to announce that the Google Ads API is now generally available. This means you can use the Google Ads API for your production applications with confidence that prior performance issues have all been addressed. Batch processing is now available to everyone.

The AdWords API will continue to be supported. We will announce a deprecation schedule at a later date. We will continue to add more features in upcoming releases to reach full parity with the AdWords API.

Where can I learn more?
Get started with the following resources: If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum or at [email protected].
Nadine Wang, on behalf of the Google Ads API Team

Changes to pause behavior in the Interactive Media Ads (IMA) SDK

The IMA SDK is preparing to release changes to pause behavior when user clicks cause navigation away from the page or app. When this happens, the ad will be paused automatically by the SDK. These changes are targeted for October 13th, 2020.

The IMA client-side SDKs already pause ad playback for ad click-throughs, but these changes add automatic pausing to many other user actions. The IMA DAI SDKs currently do not pause for any click events. For either implementation, if your code does not already provide a way for users to resume ad playback when ads are paused, we recommend adding a way to resume ad playback following ad pause events.

When the SDK automatically pauses the ad, the PAUSED event will be fired. We recommend that publishers listen for this event, and update the UI to allow the viewer to resume the ad. If this UI is not shown, the player may be permanently paused on the ad without a way for the user to resume ad or content playback.

Client-side changes

  • On Desktop web, the SDK will automatically pause when the user clicks on an ad which results in navigation away from the page.
    • This behavior already exists for mobile web and mobile apps.
  • On all platforms, the SDK will attempt to automatically pause if the user clicks on the:
    • Learn more button
    • Ad click (desktop)
    • Non-linear ad
    • Icon click
    • AdChoices icon

Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) changes

  • On all platforms for DAI, the SDK will attempt to automatically pause if the user clicks on the:
    • Learn more button
    • Ad click (desktop)
    • Icon click
    • AdChoices icon

Pause events

The table below shows which API is called when a pause event occurs:

IMA platform SDK version Pause event for client-side SDK Pause event for DAI SDK
HTML5 The current evergreen version. google.ima.AdEvent.Type.PAUSED The video player’s pause event.
Android V3.20.0 and later. videoAdPlayer.pauseAd() videoStreamPlayer.pause()
iOS/tvOS All versions kIMAAdEvent_PAUSE kIMAAdEvent_PAUSE

Note: For Android, the onPause event is only available on v3.20.0 and later. For previous versions the IMA SDK will not automatically pause ads, and developers will not have to implement these changes.

Please see the following code snippet as an example of setting up a listener for the PAUSED event for a client-side HTML5 IMA SDK implementation: 

adsManager.addEventListener(google.ima.AdEvent.Type.PAUSED, function() {
    showAdResumeUI();
});

function showAdResumeUI() {
  // TODO: Add a play button that resumes playback.
}

Please review your IMA SDK integrations and make any necessary adjustments to handle the pause event so that you’re prepared for when the changes go live on October 13th. Please look for announcements about pause behavior changes in the IMA HTML5 SDK release notes. If you have questions about making these changes for your own IMA SDK integrations, feel free to reach out to us on the IMA SDK forum.

 - Jackson Sui, Interactive Media Ads Developer Relations

Google Ads Scripts updating default search version to v5

Starting September 29, 2020, the default version for all search queries and report queries that use Google Ads Query Language (GAQL) will be updated from v4 to v5. If you're manually specifying a version for your queries, nothing will change. If you haven't already migrated to the new beta search feature, then this doesn't affect you.

Support for v5 is available if you want to opt in sooner. You can modify your code to set an explicit version using: 

var report = AdsApp.search(query, {
  apiVersion: 'v5'
});
See the Google Ads API release notes for a complete list of changes in v5. Some highlights for reporting include:
  • Fetching stats for entity types not explicitly supported by the API, such as Discovery campaigns
  • Improved policy summary fields for ads with more selectable options
If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please contact us via our forum.
- Mike Cloonan, Google Ads Scripts Team

Help improve the Google Publisher Tag developer experience

We’re constantly working to improve our offerings for Google Publisher Tag (GPT) developers. Whether it's writing guides, producing samples, or building tools like the Google Publisher Console and Publisher Ads Audits for Lighthouse, we strive to equip you with everything you need to succeed.

To better understand what's working and what needs improvement, we're asking our developer community for feedback. Starting today, we're launching the first Google Publisher Tag developer survey.

Take the survey


All questions in the survey are optional and your answers will be completely anonymous. We expect the survey to take about 10 minutes to complete, and it will be open through the end of September 2020.

The feedback you provide will directly impact what we work on over the course of the next year, so please let us know what matters most to you. Thanks in advance for taking the time to help improve the GPT developer experience.
 - Jonathon Imperiosi, Publisher Ads Audits Team

Conversion Category Changes in AdWords API, Google Ads API, and Google Ads scripts

Since May 2020, when you sign in to your Google Ads account you may be prompted to upgrade each of your conversion actions to the new conversion categories. The updated conversion categories provide more granularity to describe the conversion actions that are the most meaningful for your business. More details can be found in this Google Ads Help Center article.

Starting October 15th 2020, these suggestions will be automatically applied if you haven’t already accepted them. Google Ads API, AdWords API and Google Ads Scripts users will see the following changes:

If you are using the Google Ads API, the new conversion categories are already available in ConversionActionCategoryEnum. No further action is needed.

If you are using the AdWords API, since we are not releasing a new version for the AdWords API, the new conversion category types will be translated to the existing ConversionTracker.Category enum values, based on the mapping below:
New Conversion Category ConversionTracker.Category
Add to cart LEAD
Begin checkout LEAD
Purchase PURCHASE
Subscribe (paid) PURCHASE
Subscribe (free) SIGNUP
Phone call leads LEAD
Offline lead LEAD
Submit lead form LEAD
Book appointment LEAD
Request quote LEAD
Get directions LEAD
Outbound click LEAD
Contact LEAD
Download DOWNLOAD
View key page PAGE_VIEW
Engagement DEFAULT
Store visit DEFAULT
Store sale PURCHASE
Other DEFAULT
Therefore, if you are using the AdWords API to retrieve conversion category types (via reports or services), you will still see existing conversion category types being returned based on the mapping above, which will be different from the migrated new types in Google Ads UI.

AdWords API users can still create conversion actions using the existing category types. The AdWords API will automatically translate the created conversions to new category types, based on machine learning models. You can find code examples on how to set category type for conversion actions on the AdWords API developer site.

If you are using Google Ads scripts, when you select or filter on the report field ConversionCategoryName, you will see the same existing category types as the ones used in AdWords API, based on the mapping in the above table.

If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum.
- Fei Xiang, Google Ads API Team