Unofficial Google Products Help Centre

Every interaction a user has with your app matters. That’s why we’re constantly evolving our advertising recommendations and policies to ensure that no matter where and on what device users are engaging with your apps, they have good experiences. With the launch of the iPhone X, app developers now need to plan for new design considerations as the rounded corners, notch, and home screen indicator on the extended screen can obscure content and lead to poor ad experiences for users when ads are placed in these areas. Example of ad appearing outside of “safe area” on iPhone X That’s why we’ve put together a guide to help you adapt your ad strategy for iPhone X. This includes guidance for how you can shift placement of banner or native ads to designated “safe areas” for this new device. We’ve also updated our policies to indicate that ads must not be placed where objects may interfere with the user's typical interaction with the ad or app, such as under the home screen indicator on th...

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 i...

In today's post, we'll be discussing AdMob account suspensions due to invalid traffic. We have found that there are two types of publishers who may have invalid traffic issues with their accounts. The first are publishers who may unintentionally send invalid traffic to their accounts, typically by testing on live ads. For those, we hope that increased transparency into our policies and processes can decrease these unintentional violations and help our publishers play by the rules. The second are publishers who intentionally bypass our rules, ending up with a variety of invalid traffic issues in order to artificially inflate their ad revenue. That’s why we work hard to maintain a policy compliant ecosystem for our publishers, advertisers, and users. In short, if you play by the rules, AdMob is here to help you grow your business. We receive many questions about account suspensions, so let's go through the top questions about this process and steps you can take to help keep...

In today’s topic, we’re exploring how you can help stay compliant with AdMob policies when using the AdMob interstitial ad format. If you have ever received a policy message for “Layout encourages accidental clicks - Interstitial Ads”, or have had trouble with implementing interstitials to trigger on time, read ahead for our best practices. App layouts that encourage accidental clicks are a common policy issue for publishers. When implementing interstitial ads within a mobile app, there may be a slight delay in when the ad gets triggered after a user selects an action. In the example below we can see that an interstitial ad launches unexpectedly with a delay on the second screen after the page has already loaded. This delay can occur due to carrier latency when requesting the interstitial ad. Carrier Latency causing a delay in the interstitial ad Pre-loading your interstitial ads will allow you to avoid latency when the ad is displayed to the user. In the corrected example below, th...

In today’s topic, we’re going to discuss a feature of the AdMob front-end interface that you may have overlooked in the past: archiving ad units in your apps. When you archive an ad unit, all ad serving and settings associated with the ad unit will be disabled and active campaigns linked to the ad unit may stop running. You’ll no longer be able to access the ad unit from the monetize tab in the AdMob user interface; however, you can still view historical reporting related to that ad unit. It should be noted that you’ll be unable to reverse this process. Once an ad unit has been archived, it will be archived permanently. It may seem counterintuitive at first. Why archive an ad unit and disable ad serving to your own apps, potentially leaving money on the table? Well, if you're in control of a large portfolio of apps, things aren’t always so simple. Perhaps you no longer have access to your app’s source code, or you have so many apps that it can be difficult to keep track of them al...

From time to time, you may encounter Google Play policy issues with your apps. The Google Play policy team has been working hard to provide you with the resources and support you need to resolve policy issues. If the app review team notices a policy issue with your app or app update, you’ll receive an email with the subject line “Notification from Google Play.” (If you didn’t receive this email, make sure to update your email address on the account details page in your Developer Console.) The policy notification email includes the policy your app violated and the steps you need to take to resolve the issue. If your app is rejected, you can fix the issue and submit the app again for another review - you don’t need to reach out to the policy support team. If you disagree with a policy violation, or if you’d like help resolving your policy issue, you can always contact our support team. Simply use the contact details in the notification email or click on the question mark at the botto...

In a previous blog post , we introduced the Google Play Developer Policy Center. To go along with making the policies more accessible and useful to developers, the policy team has created an engaging video to help developers stay on the right side of Google Play policy. Here are the 10 tips to stay on the right side of Google Play policy; Review the Policy Center: It’s recommended that you review the Policy Center whenever you're unsure if your app violates policy. Describe your app appropriately: Take the time to describe your app appropriately in order to avoid metadata policy violations. Remember that every translation of your app description needs to be compliant with the metadata policy. Use images you have the rights to: Your app icon and any graphic assets in your Store Listing should only include images you have the rights to use. If you have been granted permission to use assets owned by others, you can notify the app review team using this form . Make sure that ...

To maximize your app’s revenue potential, you’ll want to make sure your app is compliant with Google Play policies. If your app violates Google Play policy, ad serving can be disabled, so it’s a good idea to regularly review policy updates. The Developer Policy Center (found at play.google.com/policy ) was launched earlier this year and includes: Policies organized by themes, such as Monetization & Ads, Privacy & Security and Restricted Content Visual examples and detailed guidelines for the most common violations A simplified layout to help you navigate more intuitively on mobile or desktop An Updates section to help keep you informed of recent additions to Google Play policy  You can select a specific policy to learn more about it. Stay tuned to learn more about policy best practices - we’ll be posting a short video highlighting 10 tips to stay on the right side of Play policy. Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter , L...

Whether you're just starting out on AdMob or already have several successful apps under your belt, you'll almost inevitably want to test ads on your app to see if they're working properly. Today, we're here to provide helpful tips to help ensure you're compliant with AdMob policies . Ultimately, it is your responsibility as the publisher to ensure that the activity on your ads is valid. Publishers may not click on their own live ads, even for testing purposes, or use any other means to inflate impressions and/or clicks artificially. During app development and testing, please use test ads. If you need to render live ads before launch, avoid clicking on them. If you're showcasing your app to friends, family and/or beta testers, ask them to avoid clicking on live ads. Example of Test Ads Your AdMob account may be suspended for invalid activity if one or more users are repeatedly clicking on live ads in your apps, including for testing reasons. If, after the de...

In a previous publisher blog post, we discussed tips for writing a successful policy appeal . In today's topic, we’re exploring what happens when publisher accounts are disabled due to invalid traffic , when to submit an appeal , and tips for making those appeals successful. Invalid traffic includes any clicks or impressions that may artificially inflate an advertiser's costs or a publisher's earnings. Invalid traffic covers intentionally fraudulent traffic as well as accidental clicks. In the ads ecosystem, advertisers rely on the relevance of our ad placement and the quality of the interaction their ads receive. Publishers in turn count on advertiser participation that contributes to the success of their apps and business. Without this trust, the Google advertising network could not exist. Google treats invalid traffic very seriously, analyzing all clicks and impressions to determine whether they fit a pattern of use that might artificially drive up an advertiser's co...

When monetizing an app with ads, you want to make sure that you’re implementing them in the right way to create a positive user experience. Banner ads are an effective way to monetize because they work well in a variety of apps. Mobile phones have limited screen size, which means that careful planning for your ad placement is especially important. Close proximity of banner ads to other elements within an app is one of the biggest causes of accidental clicks. If accidental clicks occur, publishers may see a portion of their revenue deducted in order to refund affected advertisers. Publishers may also have ad-serving suspended until the issues are resolved. Learn how to implement banner ads the right way by watching our new best practices video. For additional guidance, check out our Help Center . We'd also like to highlight our newest Help Center article on 300x250 banner ad guidance . Stay connected on all things AdMob and more by following our Google+ and Twitter pages. Posted b...

Invalid activity is an important topic we'd like to discuss in today's post. Invalid activity consists of any clicks or impressions that may artificially inflate an advertiser's costs or a publisher's earnings. Invalid activity covers intentionally fraudulent traffic as well as accidental clicks. Publishers can take many preventative steps to prevent invalid activity on their accounts. If we find invalid activity in your app(s), you may be at risk for account suspension or disablement. We may also refund revenue generated from invalid clicks to affected advertisers. Publishers must not artificially inflate the impressions or clicks the ads receive, either through automated or manual means. Clicks on Google ads must result from genuine user interest. We understand that a third party may generate invalid activity on your ads without your knowledge or permission. However, ultimately, it is your responsibility as the publisher to ensure that the activity on your ads is vali...