Product Linking: Link Google Play and Google Ads accounts

This article explains how to link Google Play Developer accounts from your Google Ads account. You’ll also learn how to manage link requests and linked accounts in your Google Ads account.

Benefits of linking Google Play and Google Ads

When you link your Google Ads account to your Google Play Developer account, you can show ads to your app users without setting up a remarketing tag. This automatically generates remarketing lists for the apps published by the linked Play Developer account. Learn more about how to Link your developer account to Google services.

For apps that use in-app billing, you can also use conversion tracking to automatically track when someone who’s clicked one of your ads makes a purchase in your Android app, without adding conversion tracking code to your app. This helps you to utilize advanced targeting techniques based on who already has the app and who still needs to download it, which can make your ads even more effective.

Keep in mind: The Google Ads account owner can’t make changes in the Google Play developer account itself (or vice versa).

Note: The Data and Account access link type will be deprecated soon with the launch of the new Play Console. Existing data and access links will continue to function normally in the classic Play Console while available, and then will function the same as data only links.

Before you begin

• Check that you have administrative access to your Google Ads account to request and manage links to a Google Play developer account.
• You can request to link with as many Google Play developer accounts as you’d like.

Instructions

Below you can learn how to perform the following actions:

• Send link requests to Google Play Developer accounts
• Approve link requests from Google Play Developer accounts
• Resend or cancel link requests
• Unlink Google Ads and Google Play Developer accounts
• Track link statuses

Send a link request

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon .
2. Click Data Manager.
3. Under "Featured products", find "Google Play".
4. If you haven’t linked any accounts yet, click Link. If you already have linked accounts, click the plus button to create a new link request.
5. Enter the email address of the owner of the Google Play Developer account you’d like to link.
6. Click Send.

Approve link requests from Google Play Developer accounts

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon .
2. Click Data Manager.
3. Under "Connected products", find "Google Play", then click Manage & link.
4. Locate the account you want to approve the link request for.
5. Click Approve or Decline. If you decline a request then change your mind, either you or the owner of the Google Play Developer account will have to send a new link request.

Cancel link requests

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon .
2. Click Data Manager.
3. Under "Connected products", find "Google Play", then click Manage & link.
4. Locate the account that you want to cancel the link invite for.
5. Click Cancel.

“Data and Account access” link type

The Data and Account access link type will be deprecated soon with the launch of the new Play Console. Existing data and access links will continue to function normally in the classic Play Console while available, and then will function the same as data only links.

Unlink Google Ads account from Google Play Developer accounts

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon .
2. Click Data Manager.
3. Under "Google Play," click Manage & link.
4. Locate the account you want to unlink, and click Unlink.

Track link statuses

Below are the statuses you might see in the “Status” column of the “Linked accounts” page for Google Play.

• Needs your approval: The account owner from this Google Play Developer account sent a request to link to your Google Ads account. You can approve or decline the request.
• Awaiting Google Play approval: Your request was delivered to the Google Play Developer account. This status will update when the account owner either accepts or declines your link request.
• Linked: Your Google Ads account is linked to this Google Play Developer account, and the remarketing lists for the apps in the account are activated.
• Not linked: The Google Ads and Google Play developer accounts are not linked because the link request was declined by the Google Play developer account owner, or because the accounts were unlinked by the Google Ads user or Google Play developer account owner. To re-link the accounts, send a new link request to the Play account owner.

Related links

Google Play Related links

• Using Firebase and Google Ads together
• About App campaigns
• About mobile app installs campaigns
• Improve your reach among your app users
• Enable remarketing for your app

About Product Linking

• About the “Linked accounts” page and Product Linking
• Product Linking: Link your Google Products during the Enhanced Onboarding Experience

Google Products

• Product Linking: Link your Google Business Profile to Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link Ads Creative Studio and Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link Ads Data Hub and Google Ads
• Product Linking: Using Google Analytics and Google Ads together
• Product Linking: Link Hotel Center and Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link your Merchant Center and Google Ads accounts
• Product Linking: Link Google Marketing Platform and Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link Optimize and Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link Search Console and Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link YouTube channels and Google Ads accounts

Google Partners

• Product Linking: Link Customer Match partners and Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link to Hubspot via Zapier
• Product Linking: Link Salesforce and Google Ads accounts
• Product Linking: Link Shopify to Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link Zapier and Google Ads
• Product Linking: Link Zapier during campaign creation