This guide is intended for publishers integrating app open ads using Google Mobile Ads SDK .
App open ads are a special ad format intended for publishers wishing to monetize their app load screens. App open ads can be closed at any time, and are designed to be shown when your users bring your app to the foreground.
Note: Specific format may vary by region.App open ads automatically show a small branding area so users know they're in your app. Here is an example of what an app open ad looks like:
PrerequisitesWhen building and testing your apps, make sure you use test ads rather than live, production ads. Failure to do so can lead to suspension of your account.
The easiest way to load test ads is to use our dedicated test ad unit ID for app open ads:
ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/9257395921
It's been specially configured to return test ads for every request, and you're free to use it in your own apps while coding, testing, and debugging. Just make sure you replace it with your own ad unit ID before publishing your app.
For more information about how Google Mobile Ads SDK test ads work, see Enable test ads.
Extend the Application classCreate a new class that extends the Application
class. This provides a lifecycle-aware way to manage ads that are tied to the application's state rather than a single Activity
:
public class MyApplication extends Application
implements ActivityLifecycleCallbacks, DefaultLifecycleObserver {
private AppOpenAdManager appOpenAdManager;
private Activity currentActivity;
@Override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
this.registerActivityLifecycleCallbacks(this);
ProcessLifecycleOwner.get().getLifecycle().addObserver(this);
appOpenAdManager = new AppOpenAdManager();
}
Kotlin
class MyApplication :
MultiDexApplication(), Application.ActivityLifecycleCallbacks, DefaultLifecycleObserver {
private lateinit var appOpenAdManager: AppOpenAdManager
private var currentActivity: Activity? = null
override fun onCreate() {
super<MultiDexApplication>.onCreate()
registerActivityLifecycleCallbacks(this)
ProcessLifecycleOwner.get().lifecycle.addObserver(this)
appOpenAdManager = AppOpenAdManager()
}
Next, add the following code to your AndroidManifest.xml
:
<!-- TODO: Update to reference your actual package name. -->
<application
android:name="com.google.android.gms.example.appopendemo.MyApplication" ...>
...
</application>
Implement your utility component
Your ad should show quickly, so it's best to load your ad before you need to display it. That way, you'll have an ad ready to go as soon as your user enters into your app.
Implement a utility component AppOpenAdManager
to encapsulate the work related to loading and showing App Open ads:
private class AppOpenAdManager {
private static final String LOG_TAG = "AppOpenAdManager";
private static final String AD_UNIT_ID = "ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/9257395921";
private AppOpenAd appOpenAd = null;
private boolean isLoadingAd = false;
private boolean isShowingAd = false;
/** Keep track of the time an app open ad is loaded to ensure you don't show an expired ad. */
private long loadTime = 0;
/** Constructor. */
public AppOpenAdManager() {}
Kotlin
private inner class AppOpenAdManager {
private var appOpenAd: AppOpenAd? = null
private var isLoadingAd = false
var isShowingAd = false
/** Keep track of the time an app open ad is loaded to ensure you don't show an expired ad. */
private var loadTime: Long = 0
To use the AppOpenAdManager
, call the public wrapper methods on the singleton MyApplication
instance. The Application
class interfaces with the rest of the code, delegating the work of loading and showing the ad to the manager.
The next step is to fill out the loadAd()
method and handle the ad load callbacks.
Replace AD_UNIT_ID with your own ad unit ID.
Show the adThe most common app open implementation is to attempt to show an app open ad near app launch, start app content if the ad isn't ready, and preload another ad for the next app open opportunity. See App open ad guidance for implementation examples.
The following code shows and subsequently reloads an ad:
Javapublic void showAdIfAvailable(
@NonNull final Activity activity,
@NonNull OnShowAdCompleteListener onShowAdCompleteListener) {
// If the app open ad is already showing, do not show the ad again.
if (isShowingAd) {
Log.d(TAG, "The app open ad is already showing.");
return;
}
// If the app open ad is not available yet, invoke the callback then load the ad.
if (appOpenAd == null) {
Log.d(TAG, "The app open ad is not ready yet.");
onShowAdCompleteListener.onShowAdComplete();
// Load an ad.
return;
}
isShowingAd = true;
appOpenAd.show(activity);
}
Kotlin
fun showAdIfAvailable(activity: Activity, onShowAdCompleteListener: OnShowAdCompleteListener) {
// If the app open ad is already showing, do not show the ad again.
if (isShowingAd) {
Log.d(TAG, "The app open ad is already showing.")
return
}
// If the app open ad is not available yet, invoke the callback then load the ad.
if (appOpenAd == null) {
Log.d(TAG, "The app open ad is not ready yet.")
onShowAdCompleteListener.onShowAdComplete()
// Load an ad.
return
}
isShowingAd = true
appOpenAd?.show(activity)
}
Set the FullScreenContentCallback
The FullScreenContentCallback
handles events related to displaying your AppOpenAd
. Before showing AppOpenAd
, make sure to set the callback:
appOpenAd.setFullScreenContentCallback(
new FullScreenContentCallback() {
@Override
public void onAdDismissedFullScreenContent() {
// Called when full screen content is dismissed.
Log.d(TAG, "Ad dismissed fullscreen content.");
// Don't forget to set the ad reference to null so you
// don't show the ad a second time.
appOpenAd = null;
isShowingAd = false;
onShowAdCompleteListener.onShowAdComplete();
// Load an ad.
}
@Override
public void onAdFailedToShowFullScreenContent(@NonNull AdError adError) {
// Called when full screen content failed to show.
Log.d(TAG, adError.getMessage());
appOpenAd = null;
// Don't forget to set the ad reference to null so you
// don't show the ad a second time.
isShowingAd = false;
onShowAdCompleteListener.onShowAdComplete();
// Load an ad.
}
@Override
public void onAdShowedFullScreenContent() {
Log.d(TAG, "Ad showed fullscreen content.");
}
@Override
public void onAdImpression() {
// Called when an impression is recorded for an ad.
Log.d(TAG, "The ad recorded an impression.");
}
@Override
public void onAdClicked() {
// Called when ad is clicked.
Log.d(TAG, "The ad was clicked.");
}
});
Kotlin
appOpenAd?.fullScreenContentCallback =
object : FullScreenContentCallback() {
override fun onAdDismissedFullScreenContent() {
// Called when full screen content is dismissed.
Log.d(TAG, "Ad dismissed fullscreen content.")
// Don't forget to set the ad reference to null so you
// don't show the ad a second time.
appOpenAd = null
isShowingAd = false
onShowAdCompleteListener.onShowAdComplete()
// Load an ad.
}
override fun onAdFailedToShowFullScreenContent(adError: AdError) {
// Called when full screen content failed to show.
Log.d(TAG, adError.message)
// Don't forget to set the ad reference to null so you
// don't show the ad a second time.
appOpenAd = null
isShowingAd = false
onShowAdCompleteListener.onShowAdComplete()
// Load an ad.
}
override fun onAdShowedFullScreenContent() {
Log.d(TAG, "Ad showed fullscreen content.")
}
override fun onAdImpression() {
// Called when an impression is recorded for an ad.
Log.d(TAG, "The ad recorded an impression.")
}
override fun onAdClicked() {
// Called when ad is clicked.
Log.d(TAG, "The ad was clicked.")
}
}
Key Point: If a user returns to your app after having left it by clicking on an app open ad, it makes sure they're not presented with another app open ad. Consider ad expiration Key Point: App open ads will time out after four hours. Ads rendered more than four hours after request time will no longer be valid and may not earn revenue.
To make sure you don't show an expired ad, add a method to the AppOpenAdManager
that checks how long it has been since your ad reference loaded. Then, use that method to check if the ad is still valid.
/** Check if ad was loaded more than n hours ago. */
private boolean wasLoadTimeLessThanNHoursAgo(long numHours) {
long dateDifference = (new Date()).getTime() - loadTime;
long numMilliSecondsPerHour = 3600000;
return (dateDifference < (numMilliSecondsPerHour * numHours));
}
/** Check if ad exists and can be shown. */
private boolean isAdAvailable() {
// For time interval details, see: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/9341964
return appOpenAd != null && wasLoadTimeLessThanNHoursAgo(4);
}
Kotlin
/** Check if ad was loaded more than n hours ago. */
private fun wasLoadTimeLessThanNHoursAgo(numHours: Long): Boolean {
val dateDifference: Long = Date().time - loadTime
val numMilliSecondsPerHour: Long = 3600000
return dateDifference < numMilliSecondsPerHour * numHours
}
/** Check if ad exists and can be shown. */
private fun isAdAvailable(): Boolean {
// For time interval details, see: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/9341964
return appOpenAd != null && wasLoadTimeLessThanNHoursAgo(4)
}
Keep track of current activity
To show the ad, you'll need an Activity
context. To keep track of the most current activity being used, register for and implement the Application.ActivityLifecycleCallbacks
.
@Override
public void onActivityCreated(@NonNull Activity activity, @Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {}
@Override
public void onActivityStarted(@NonNull Activity activity) {
// An ad activity is started when an ad is showing, which could be AdActivity class from Google
// SDK or another activity class implemented by a third party mediation partner. Updating the
// currentActivity only when an ad is not showing will ensure it is not an ad activity, but the
// one that shows the ad.
if (!appOpenAdManager.isShowingAd) {
currentActivity = activity;
}
}
@Override
public void onActivityResumed(@NonNull Activity activity) {}
@Override
public void onActivityPaused(@NonNull Activity activity) {}
@Override
public void onActivityStopped(@NonNull Activity activity) {}
@Override
public void onActivitySaveInstanceState(@NonNull Activity activity, @NonNull Bundle outState) {}
@Override
public void onActivityDestroyed(@NonNull Activity activity) {}
Kotlin
override fun onActivityCreated(activity: Activity, savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {}
override fun onActivityStarted(activity: Activity) {
// An ad activity is started when an ad is showing, which could be AdActivity class from Google
// SDK or another activity class implemented by a third party mediation partner. Updating the
// currentActivity only when an ad is not showing will ensure it is not an ad activity, but the
// one that shows the ad.
if (!appOpenAdManager.isShowingAd) {
currentActivity = activity
}
}
override fun onActivityResumed(activity: Activity) {}
override fun onActivityPaused(activity: Activity) {}
override fun onActivityStopped(activity: Activity) {}
override fun onActivitySaveInstanceState(activity: Activity, outState: Bundle) {}
override fun onActivityDestroyed(activity: Activity) {}
registerActivityLifecycleCallbacks
lets you listen for all Activity
events. By listening for when activities are started and destroyed, you can keep track of a reference to the current Activity
, which you then will use in presenting your app open ad.
To listen for app foreground events, do the following steps:
Add the libraries to your gradle fileTo be notified of app foregrounding events, you need to register a DefaultLifecycleObserver
. Add its dependency to your app-level build file:
dependencies { implementation("com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:24.5.0") implementation("androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-process:2.8.3") }Groovy
dependencies { implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:24.5.0' implementation 'androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-process:2.8.3' }Implement the lifecycle observer interface
You can listen for foregrounding events by implementing the DefaultLifecycleObserver
interface.
Implement the onStart()
to show the app open ad.
@Override
public void onStart(@NonNull LifecycleOwner owner) {
DefaultLifecycleObserver.super.onStart(owner);
// Show the ad (if available) when the app moves to foreground.
appOpenAdManager.showAdIfAvailable(currentActivity);
}
Kotlin
override fun onStart(owner: LifecycleOwner) {
super.onStart(owner)
currentActivity?.let {
// Show the ad (if available) when the app moves to foreground.
appOpenAdManager.showAdIfAvailable(it)
}
}
Cold starts and loading screens
The documentation thus far assumes that you only show app open ads when users foreground your app when it is suspended in memory. "Cold starts" occur when your app is launched but was not previously suspended in memory.
An example of a cold start is when a user opens your app for the first time. With cold starts, you won't have a previously loaded app open ad that's ready to be shown right away. The delay between when you request an ad and receive an ad back can create a situation where users are able to briefly use your app before being surprised by an out of context ad. This should be avoided because it is a bad user experience.
The preferred way to use app open ads on cold starts is to use a loading screen to load your game or app assets, and to only show the ad from the loading screen. If your app has completed loading and has sent the user to the main content of your app, don't show the ad.
Key Point: To continue loading app assets while the app open ad is being displayed, always load assets in a background thread. Best practicesApp open ads help you monetize your app's loading screen, when the app first launches and during app switches, but it's important to keep best practices in mind so that your users enjoy using your app. It's best to:
onAdDismissedFullScreenContent()
method.Explore the following topics:
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