SDK Migration

This page covers migrations for current and previous versions.

Migrate from v23 to v24

The following subsections describe breaking changes and behavior differences between major version 23 and 24 of the Google Mobile Ads SDK.

The minimum Android API level is 23

Starting in version 24.0.0, the Google Mobile Ads SDK requires all apps to run on a minimum Android API level 23 to run. To adjust the API level, change the minSdk value in your app-level build.gradle file to 23 or higher.

Changes to optimized initialization and loading

By default, the OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION and OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING flags are set to true. For more information on these flags, see Optimize initialization and loading.

Removed firebase-ads and firebase-ads-lite dependencies

Starting with version 24.0.0, SDK releases no longer distribute the firebase-ads and firebase-ads-lite dependencies. Use the play-services-ads dependency instead.

Removed deprecated orientation APIs for app open ads

• Removed AppOpenAd.load() methods that accept an orientation input parameter. Use AppOpenAd.load() methods that don't take an orientation instead.
• Removed AppOpenAdOrientation enum.

Simplified reward callback for mediation adapters

Version 24.0.0 adds the onUserEarnedReward() callback in MediationRewardedAdCallback and deprecates onUserEarnedReward(RewardItem). Mediation adapters must start calling onUserEarnedReward() when the user earns a reward.

When forwarding callbacks from mediation adapters, all Google Mobile Ads SDK versions return the reward defined in the AdMob UI in OnUserEarnedRewardListener.

Classes removed

The following classes were removed with no replacement:

• DynamicHeightSearchAdRequest
• SearchAdRequest
• SearchAdView

Methods removed

The following methods were removed with no replacement:

Methods deprecated

The following methods are deprecated with no replacement:

Migrate from v22 to v23

The following subsections describe breaking changes and behavior differences between major version 22 and 23 of the Google Mobile Ads SDK.

The minimum Android API level is 21

Starting in version 23.0.0, the Google Mobile Ads SDK requires all apps to be on a minimum Android API level 21 to run. To adjust the API level, change the value of minSdkVersion in your app-level build.gradle file to 21 or higher.

Deprecated Methods Removed/Replaced

Migrate from v21 to v22

The following subsections describe breaking changes and behavior differences between major version 21 and 22 of the Google Mobile Ads SDK.

Use MobileAds.getVersion() to get the Google Mobile Ads SDK version

The MobileAds.getVersionString() method is removed in version 22.0.0 in favor of MobileAds.getVersion().

The new method returns the expected external version number—for example, 22.0.0. For more information about this change, see Use the new Google Mobile Ads SDK getVersion() method.

Removed or replaced methods

The following table lists the specific changes in version 22.0.0:

Migrate from v20 to v21

The following subsections describe breaking changes and behavior differences between major version 20 and 21 of the Google Mobile Ads SDK:

Update minSdkVersion to 19 or higher

Starting from version 21.0.0, the Google Mobile Ads SDK requires all apps to be on a minimum Android API level 19 to run. To adjust the API level, change the value of minSdkVersion in your app's build file to 19 or higher.

Enforce strict nullability

In preparation for enforcing strict nullability, @NonNull annotations are added in all the APIs that previously did not explicitly define nullability.

This change may break the Kotlin apps and apps that use Java null checking frameworks if there are null safety violations and did not previously handle null values in a safe way (see the Kotlin documentation on Null-safety ).

Removal of addNetworkExtras() method

The addNetworkExtras() method that passes extra parameters as a NetworkExtras instance to a specific ad network adapter was deprecated in SDK version 20.3.0, and will be removed in version 21.0.0. Use the addNetworkExtrasBundle() method from the same AdRequest.Builder class instead.

Removal of location methods

The following location methods will be removed in version 21.0.0:

• The setLocation(Location location) method in the AdRequest.Builder class that sets the user's location for mediation targeting purposes.
• The getLocation() method in the AdRequest class that returns the user's location targeting information previously passed to the setLocation(Location location) method.
• The getLocation() method in the MediationAdConfiguration class that returns the location of the user, if defined by the AdRequest.

The location data is not used by Google to target ads. You should use third-party APIs to provide the information to third-party ad networks if required.

Custom event interfaces deprecation

Custom events enable publishers using AdMob Mediation to set up a waterfall ad source that isn't one of the AdMob supported ad sources.

All the custom event interfaces are deprecated in favor of the Adapter class and MediationAdLoadCallback interface.

The following table lists the corresponding class or interface you must use for each custom event interface starting from version 21.0.0:

Migrate from v19 to v20

There are many breaking changes in version 20.0.0. Version 19.7.0 introduced many new APIs, and deprecated or renamed many classes in preparation for version 20.0.0. This guide highlights the major changes in version 20.0.0.

Full-screen format API updates

Starting with version 20.0.0, interstitial, rewarded, rewarded interstitial, and App Open ad formats are standardized to follow a consistent API design.

All full-screen format APIs use the following principles:

• A static load method
• A similar load callback or handler mechanism
• Reliance on the FullScreenContentCallback class for presentation callbacks

Legacy RewardedVideoAd API removal

The newer RewardedAd API was first introduced back in March 2019 and has been the preferred rewarded API for over 18 months. It has had more enhancements compared to the legacy RewardedVideoAd API, including the ability to load more than one rewarded ad at a time.

The legacy RewardedVideoAd API is removed in SDK version 20.0.0.

Smart banner deprecation in favor of adaptive banner

Smart banner ads are deprecated in favor of adaptive banner ads. Adaptive banners provide superior performance and more flexibility in setting ad width. If you prefer to continue using full-width banners, that can still be done using adaptive banner, as shown in the following code snippet:

public class MyActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
  ...
  private AdSize getFullWidthAdaptiveSize() {
    Display display = getWindowManager().getDefaultDisplay();
    DisplayMetrics outMetrics = new DisplayMetrics();
    display.getMetrics(outMetrics);

    float widthPixels = outMetrics.widthPixels;
    float density = outMetrics.density;

    int adWidth = (int) (widthPixels / density);
    return AdSize.getCurrentOrientationAnchoredAdaptiveBannerAdSize(this, adWidth);
  }
}

class MyActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
  ...
  private val adaptiveAdSize: AdSize
    get() {
      val display = windowManager.defaultDisplay
      val outMetrics = DisplayMetrics()
      display.getMetrics(outMetrics)

      val density = outMetrics.density

      var adWidthPixels = ad_view_container.width.toFloat()
      if (adWidthPixels == 0f) {
        adWidthPixels = outMetrics.widthPixels.toFloat()
      }

      val adWidth = (adWidthPixels / density).toInt()
      return AdSize.getCurrentOrientationAnchoredAdaptiveBannerAdSize(this, adWidth)
    }
}

Leave application callback removal

The onAdLeftApplication callback for all ad formats has been removed in favor of ProcessLifecycleOwner. Using an OS-level API notifies you whenever users leave your app, regardless of whether or not it is due to an ad interaction.

Note that the onAdLeftApplication callback was never intended to be an ad click handler, and relying on this callback to report clicks did not produce an accurate metric. For example, a click the AdChoices icon that launched an external browser invoked the callback but did not count as a click.

Class renames

The following table lists specific class names that have changed or are removed:

• Most classes related to UnifiedNativeAd have been renamed to NativeAd.
• The MobileAds.Settings, NativeExpressAdView, NativeAppInstallAd, NativeContentAd, and InstreamAd classes and views have been removed.
• All classes with the Publisher prefix have been replaced with an AdManager prefix.
• The InterstitialAd package name has changed.

Methods removed/replaced

The following table lists the specific changes in version 20.0.0:

• Outdated initialization methods have been removed from the MobileAds class.
• Some methods from the AdRequest.Builder() class have either been removed or moved to the RequestConfiguration class.
• RewardedAd and InterstitialAd APIs have been updated to align with all full-screen formats.
• Correlator features have been removed.