Integrate the WebView API for Ads

The WebView API for Ads allows in-app ad monetization using WKWebView. If you display web content that implements ads with AdSense code or Google Publisher Tag in your app through WKWebView, you should use this API to enable ads monetization. To learn more, see the AdSense and Ad Manager policies.

1. Monetize by making ad requests with the Google Mobile Ads SDK

   You can monetize your app by making ad requests to Ad Manager with the Google Mobile Ads SDK by implementing ad formats for mobile app.

   Learn more.

2. Monetize by using the WebView API for Ads

   If your app uses WKWebView to display web content that serves ads from Ad Manager or AdSense, use the WebView API for Ads to register WKWebView objects with the Google Mobile Ads SDK. The JavaScript in the AdSense code or Google Publisher Tag builds and sends ad requests so you don't need to make any ad requests with the SDK. Keep in mind that only the mobile web and desktop web inventory formats are available using this API.

   If you don't own the web content in a WKWebView, you are still encouraged to use this API to help protect advertisers from spam and improve monetization for the web publishers that provided the content.

Note that you can do either option, or even both, in the same app.

This guide is intended to help you integrate the WebView API for Ads into your iOS app.

Before you begin

Before you start using the WebView API for Ads, make sure you do the following:

• Use Google Mobile Ads SDK with version 8.8.0 or higher in your app.

• Update the Info.plist file with the key and string value below to bypass a check for the GADApplicationIdentifier. If you miss this step, the Google Mobile Ads SDK may throw a GADInvalidInitializationException on app start.

  <!-- Bypass GADApplicationIdentifier check for WebView API for Ads -->
  <key>GADIntegrationManager</key>
  <string>webview</string>
  

Set up and register WKWebView

You need to use the registerWebView method provided by the Google Mobile Ads SDK, to establish connection with the JavaScript handlers in the AdSense code or Google Publisher Tag within each WKWebView.

You should register the WKWebView early in your app. The example below shows how to do it in a view controller, before the first URL is loaded.

  
  import WebKit

  class ViewController: UIViewController, WKNavigationDelegate {
    override func viewDidLoad() {
      super.viewDidLoad()
      ...

  
      // 1) Set up the web view.
      let webView = WKWebView(frame: self.view.frame)
      webView.navigationDelegate = self;
      self.view.addSubview(webView)

      // 2) Register the web view.
      GADMobileAds.sharedInstance().register(webView)
  
    }
  }

  
  #import <GoogleMobileAds/GoogleMobileAds.h>
  

  #import "ViewController.h"

  @interface ViewController ()

  @end

  @implementation ViewController

  - (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    ...
  
    // 1) Set up the web view.
    WKWebView *webView = [[WKWebView alloc] initWithFrame:self.view.frame];
    webView.navigationDelegate = self;
    [self.view addSubview:webView];

    // 2) Register the web view.
    [GADMobileAds.sharedInstance registerWebView:webView];
  
  }

Load the URL

You can now load a URL and display your web content through WKWebView. We recommend that you load this test URL: https://webview-api-for-ads-test.glitch.me/ to test the integration prior to using your own URL.

  
  import WebKit

  class ViewController: UIViewController, WKNavigationDelegate {
    override func viewDidLoad() {
      super.viewDidLoad()
      ...

      // 1) Set up the web view.
      let webView = WKWebView(frame: self.view.frame)
      webView.navigationDelegate = self;
      self.view.addSubview(webView)

      // 2) Register the web view.
      GADMobileAds.sharedInstance().register(webView)

  
      // 3) Load URL.
      guard let url = URL(string: "https://webview-api-for-ads-test.glitch.me/") else { return }
      let request = URLRequest(url: url)
      webView.load(request)
  
    }
  }

  
  #import <GoogleMobileAds/GoogleMobileAds.h>
  

  #import "ViewController.h"

  @interface ViewController ()

  @end

  @implementation ViewController

  - (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    ...

      // 1) Set up the web view.
    WKWebView *webView = [[WKWebView alloc] initWithFrame:self.view.frame];
    webView.navigationDelegate = self;
    [self.view addSubview:webView];

    // 2) Register the web view.
    [GADMobileAds.sharedInstance registerWebView:webView];

  
    // 3) Load URL.
    NSURL *nsurl = [NSURL URLWithString:@"https://webview-api-for-ads-test.glitch.me/"];
    NSURLRequest *nsrequest = [NSURLRequest requestWithURL:nsurl];
    [webView loadRequest:nsrequest];
  
  }

If the integration was successful, the app should show "WebView integration with GMA SDK confirmed!" You can now replace the test URL with your URL.

You can also use a proxy tool such as Charles to capture your app's HTTPS traffic and inspect the ad requests for a &scar= parameter.