A new onboarding experience for Google Ads API developers

To improve the developer onboarding and usage experience, we built a new homepage for the Google Ads API in the Google Cloud Console. Basic Access applications are now automated for developers who have completed brand verification. This blog post covers several related changes that will start rolling out today. Developers should review the action required section of this post to ensure a smooth transition.

Changes to API access management

We are updating how you sign up for and manage Google Ads API access.

New onboarding experience for Google Ads API: You can now sign up for access to the Google Ads API directly in the Google Cloud Console without requiring a Google Ads manager account. We are sunsetting all the new signup and API access management functionality in the API Center page in manager accounts and transitioning to the Google Ads API Overview page in Google Cloud Console. You can still access the API Center page to refer to your old developer details. This page will completely sunset in the future.

API Access levels are associated with Google Cloud projects: We are sunsetting developer tokens. Your current and active developer token access level is automatically transferred to your Google Cloud projects based on recent API activity. You can continue sending developer tokens in your API call headers, but this is optional and ignored by the API servers. Your existing code will continue working without any changes. Your API Access levels are now determined by the Google Cloud project you used to generate your OAuth credentials. Refer to our FAQ page to learn more about this change and troubleshoot any issues you may encounter.

New error code: Version v25 of the Google Ads API will throw a CLOUD_PROJECT_NOT_APPROVED_FOR_PRODUCTION error if you try to use a Google Cloud project with Test Account Access level to make calls to a production account. Older API versions will throw an ACTION_NOT_PERMITTED error instead. If you run into this error, navigate to the Google Ads API Overview page for your Google Cloud project and apply for Explorer Access.

Changes to API review process

Brand verification required for Basic and Standard access: For new Basic and Standard Access applications, you must complete brand verification for your Google Cloud project . Existing access holders are not required to complete brand verification, though it is encouraged.

Automated Basic access approvals: Basic Access applications are now automated and will be reviewed within minutes after brand verification and submission.

One-time rejection of pending Basic access applications: Due to these process updates, all the pending Basic API access applications will be closed as part of this transition. Affected applicants will receive an email with details and should reapply for API access from the Google Ads API Overview page.

Action required

Verify your API access: Check that your project's API access level correctly matches your existing developer token:

  1. Find your developer token's access level in your Google Ads manager account's API Center.
  2. Confirm your Google Cloud project has the same access level on the Google Ads API Overview page.
  3. If the access levels do not match, please reapply for API access from the Google Ads API Overview page or reach out to the Google Ads API support if you need help.

Update your API contact email address: Visit the IAM (Identity and Access Management) page for your Cloud project. Ensure that the list of users in the owner and editor roles are up to date. We will start sending Mandatory Service Announcements (MSAs) to these email addresses to notify you about any future changes to the Google Ads API.

Code changes: We encourage you to update your application code to stop sending developer tokens as part of the API calls. We have published new versions of the client libraries which allows you to make API calls without setting a developer token. We will start rejecting developer tokens in API calls in a future major version of the Google Ads API.

Reapply for API access if applicable: If your pending Basic API access application was closed as part of this transition, please reapply for an API Access from the Google Ads API Overview page of your Google Cloud Console.

We have published updated documentation to help you navigate these changes. For technical support issues, refer to our FAQ page or reach out to Google Ads API support. If you have any questions or want to discuss this post, please reach out to us on our Google Advertising and Measurement Community Discord server.

Blazing new trails in digital inclusion with the NDIA

Imagine a world where digital equity is viewed as a fundamental municipal obligation, standing alongside public safety, housing, and transportation. What if city and county leaders used their local knowledge to dismantle the greatest barriers to connectivity and digital literacy? Picture local governments leveraging their convening power to partner with libraries, non-profits, schools, and businesses to spark new digital opportunities. What if these pioneering communities not only earned recognition for their achievements, but also shared their strategies to inspire and uplift best practices nationwide? This is the vision of National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) Trailblazers program. For 10 years NDIA has been honoring city, state, or regional governments who have made major strides in digital inclusion. This year, GFiber proudly sponsors the NDIA Trailblazers program.


Together, the NDIA and GFiber share the goal of digital equity through sustainable, community-driven connectivity.NDIA spurs progress toward that future by helping people: 

  • Access robust broadband internet;

  • Have the devices to connect to that service; and

  • Possess the digital skills to use those devices.

Check out the most recent biennial NDIA impact report for a deep dive into the outcomes of this great program.

“Digital access is no longer optional—it is essential to quality of life, economic opportunity, and civic participation” said John Carli, the Mayor of Vacaville, California, and a past Trailblazer awardee. “Being named a Visionary Digital Inclusion Trailblazer reflects Vacaville’s commitment to ensuring every resident, regardless of circumstance, has the tools and access needed to thrive in a digital-first world. We are proud to be leading by example and building a more connected, inclusive community.” 

As the leading voice for digital equity, the Trailblazer awards program showcases how digital inclusion can be achieved—and, even better, replicated. The program also serves as an open-source knowledge base for others to learn from. The winning applications are archived in the NDIA digital library. Each year there are new examples of civic innovation to share and learn from. They can come from small government non-profit initiatives with five-person staffs to or large statehouses, and so many other organizations in-between. NDIA takes all ideas and plans into consideration, and gives these awards based on projects’ innovation and impact on community digital access, regardless of size. 

“Striving for the NDIA Trailblazer indicators has helped focus and uplift our digital inclusion efforts while providing a wealth of insights from other communities to learn from,” said Patrick McGuire, the Technology Equity Manager of South Bend, Indiana, and the leader of a Trailblazer-winning government initiative. Trailblazer indicators are the standards— like funding full time staff at a community organization and enacting public policies that promote digital inclusion—that applicants are judged by to earn their scores.

When a community comes together to solve these tough problems, we move closer to a more connected world. GFiber proudly supports the NDIA Trailblazer program, and we look forward to honoring the newest Trailblazers this year. The 2026 Trailblazers application is open and all state, local, and regional government bodies or government sponsored programs are eligible. NDIA will be accepting submissions until October 13

Read about GFiber’s community impact and more at www.gfiber.com/blog.


Posted by Jess George, Head of Government & Community Affairs, East Region



The Anatomy of Harness Engineering: How to Evaluate, Iterate, and Guard AI Coding Agents

While end-to-end benchmarks like SWE-bench provide broad performance scores for AI agents, they are often expensive, slow, and lack the root-cause diagnostics needed to explain exactly where an agent's logic broke down. To solve this, developers should adopt behavioral evaluations—fast, local, unit-style tests that assert on discrete intermediate actions, such as verifying specific tool calls or file modifications rather than final string equality. By building these inexpensive micro-checks alongside macro benchmarks, engineering teams can confidently iterate on system prompts and upgrade models without the risk of regressions.

Create and edit calculated fields in Google Sheets pivot tables with an improved editor

We are introducing a new, dedicated formula editor dialog for creating and editing calculated fields within pivot tables in Google Sheets. This update streamlines how you build custom formulas and derived metrics, making data analysis faster and more accurate.

Specifically, this new update introduces:

  • A dedicated formula editor dialog for creating and modifying custom calculations
  • Field selection menus to insert column names without manual typing
  • Real-time syntax and formula validation to catch errors before applying changes 

Previously, creating calculated fields in Google Sheets required entering formulas into inline sidebar cards, which involved manual typing of exact field names and lacked live error checking. With this update, calculated fields can be created and managed with greater speed and accuracy, ensuring formulas remain consistent and easy to maintain across spreadsheets.

Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts

Resources