Ads

Changes are coming to this policy!

Find a summary of the changes and a copy of the updated Developer Policy here. 

We don’t allow apps that contain deceptive or disruptive ads. Ads must only be displayed within the app serving them. We consider ads and their associated offers served in your app as part of your app. The ads shown in your app must be compliant with all our policies. For policies on gambling ads, please click here.

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Use of Location Data for Ads Apps that extend usage of permission based device location data for serving ads are subject to the Personal and Sensitive Information policy, and must also comply with the following requirements: Use or collection of permission based device location data for advertising purposes must be clear to the user and documented in the app’s mandatory privacy policy, including linking to any relevant ad network privacy policies addressing location data use. In accordance with Location Permissions requirements, location permissions may only be requested to implement current features or services within your app, and may not request device location permissions solely for the use of ads.

 

Deceptive Ads Ads must not simulate or impersonate the user interface of any app, notification, or warning elements of an operating system. It must be clear to the user which app is serving each ad. Examples of common violations Ads that mimic an app's UI:   ① The question mark icon in this app is an ad that takes the user to an external landing page. Ads that mimic a system notification: ① ② The examples above illustrate ads mimicking various system notifications.

 

Lockscreen Monetization Unless the exclusive purpose of the app is that of a lockscreen, apps may not introduce ads or features that monetize the locked display of a device.

 

Disruptive Ads Disruptive ads are ads that are displayed to users in unexpected ways, that may result in inadvertent clicks, or impairing or interfering with the usability of device functions.  Your app cannot force a user to click an ad or submit personal information for advertising purposes before they can fully use an app. Interstitial ads may only be displayed inside of the app serving them. If your app displays interstitial ads or other ads that interfere with normal use, they must be easily dismissible without penalty. Examples of common violations Ads that take up the entire screen or interfere with normal use and do not provide a clear means to dismiss the ad:        ① This ad does not have a dismiss button. Ads that force the user to click-through by using a false dismiss button, or by making ads suddenly appear in areas of the app whether the user usually taps for another function. An ad that is using a false dismiss button An ad that suddenly appears in an area where the user is used to tapping for in-app functions

 

Interfering with Apps, Third-party Ads, or Device Functionality Ads associated with your app must not interfere with other apps, ads, or the operation of the device, including system or device buttons and ports. This includes overlays, companion functionality, and widgetized ad units. Ads must only be displayed within the app serving them. Examples of common violations Ads that display outside of the app serving them: Description: The user navigates to the home screen from this app, and suddenly an ad appears on the homescreen.   Ads that are triggered by the home button or other features explicitly designed for exiting the app: Description: The user attempts to exit the app and navigate to the home screen, but instead, the expected flow is interrupted by an ad.

 

Inappropriate Ads The ads and their associated offers (for example, the ad is promoting the download of another app) shown within your app must be appropriate for the content rating of your app, even if the content by itself is otherwise compliant with our policies. Examples of common violations ① This ad is inappropriate (Teen) for the content rating of the app (Everyone) ② This ad is inappropriate (Mature) for the content rating of the app (Teen) ③ The offer of the ad (promoting the download of a Mature app) is inappropriate for the content rating of the game app in which the ad was displayed (Everyone)

 

Usage of Android Advertising ID Google Play Services version 4.0 introduced new APIs and an ID for use by advertising and analytics providers. Terms for the use of this ID are below. Usage. The Android advertising identifier (AAID) must only be used for advertising and user analytics. The status of the “Opt out of Interest-based Advertising” or “Opt out of Ads Personalization” setting must be verified on each access of the ID. Association with personally-identifiable information or other identifiers. Advertising use: The advertising identifier may not be connected to persistent device Identifiers (for example: SSAID, MAC address, IMEI, etc.) for any advertising purpose. The advertising identifier may only be connected to personally-identifiable information with the explicit consent of the user. Analytics use: The advertising identifier may not be connected to personally-identifiable information or associated with any persistent device identifier (for example: SSAID, MAC address, IMEI, etc.) for any analytics purpose. Please read the User Data policyfor additional guidelines on persistent device identifiers. Respecting users' selections. If reset, a new advertising identifier must not be connected to a previous advertising identifier or data derived from a previous advertising identifier without the explicit consent of the user. You must abide by a user’s “Opt out of Interest-based Advertising” or “Opt out of Ads Personalization” setting. If a user has enabled this setting, you may not use the advertising identifier for creating user profiles for advertising purposes or for targeting users with personalized advertising. Allowed activities include contextual advertising, frequency capping, conversion tracking, reporting and security and fraud detection. On newer devices, when a user deletes the Android advertising identifier, the identifier will be removed. Any attempts to access the identifier will receive a string of zeros. A device without an advertising identifier must not be connected to data linked to or derived from a previous advertising identifier. Transparency to users. The collection and use of the advertising identifier and commitment to these terms must be disclosed to users in a legally adequate privacy notification. To learn more about our privacy standards, please review our User Data policy. Abiding by the terms of use. The advertising identifier may only be used in accordance with the Google Play Developer Program Policy, including by any party that you may share it with in the course of your business. All apps uploaded or published to Google Play must use the advertising ID (when available on a device) in lieu of any other device identifiers for any advertising purposes.

 

Better Ads Experiences Developers are required to comply with the following ads guidelines to ensure high quality experiences for users when they are using Google Play apps. Your ads may not be shown in the following unexpected ways for users: Full screen interstitial ads of all formats (video, GIF, static, etc.) that show unexpectedly, typically when the user has chosen to do something else, are not allowed.  Ads that appear during game play at the beginning of a level or during the beginning of a content segment are not allowed.  Full screen video interstitial ads that appear before an app’s loading screen (splash screen) are not allowed. Full screen interstitial ads of all formats that are not closeable after 15 seconds are not allowed. Opt-in full screen interstitials or full screen interstitials that do not interrupt users in their actions (for example, after the score screen in a game app) may persist more than 15 seconds. This policy does not apply to rewarded ads which are explicitly opted-in by users (for example, an ad that developers explicitly offer a user to watch in exchange for unlocking a specific game feature or a piece of content). This policy also does not apply to monetization and advertising that does not interfere with normal app use or game play (for example, video content with integrated ads, non-full screen banner ads). These guidelines are inspired by the Better Ads Standards - Mobile Apps Experiences guidelines. For more information on Better Ads Standards, please refer to Coalition of Better Ads. Examples of common violations Unexpected ads that appear during game play or during the beginning of a content segment (for example, after a user has clicked on a button, and before the action intended by the button click has taken effect). These ads are unexpected for users, as users expect to begin a game or engage in content instead. ① Unexpected static ad appears during game play at the beginning of a level. ② Unexpected video ad appears during beginning of a content segment. A full-screen ad that appears during game play and cannot be closed after 15 seconds. ①  An interstitial ads appears during game play, and does not offer users an option to skip within 15 seconds.