Set up rewarded ads

SDK.

Select platform: Android iOS Unity Flutter Android (Legacy)

Rewarded ads let you reward users with in-app items for interacting with video ads, playable ads, and surveys.

This guide explains how to integrate rewarded ads into an Android app.

Before you begin

Before you continue, do the following:

  • Set up GMA Next-Gen SDK.
  • Use the test rewarded ad unit ID ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/5224354917.
    • When building and testing your app, make sure that you use test ads rather than live, production ads. If you don't use the test ad unit ID, Google can suspend your account.
    • Before you publish your app, replace this ID with your ad unit ID.
    • For details on GMA Next-Gen SDK test ads, see Enable test ads.

Understand ad preloading

Ad preloading in GMA Next-Gen SDK automates ad loading and caching.

Ad preloading provides the following benefits:

  • Reference management: maintains references until ads are shown.
  • Automatic reloading: loads a new ad when one is retrieved from the cache.
  • Managed retries: loads a new ad when one fails to load.
  • Expiration handling: refreshes ads before expiring.
  • Cache optimization: optimizes the cache order to deliver the highest priority ad.

Start ad preloading

To begin preloading ads, call the startPreload() method once at app start. After you call the startPreload() method, GMA Next-Gen SDK automatically preloads ads and retries failed requests for preloaded configurations.

The following example shows how to start preloading ads:

Kotlin

private fun startPreloading(adUnitId: String) {
  val adRequest = AdRequest.Builder(adUnitId).build()
  val preloadConfig = PreloadConfiguration(adRequest)
  RewardedAdPreloader.start(adUnitId, preloadConfig)
}

Java

private void startPreloading(String adUnitId) {
  AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder(adUnitId).build();
  PreloadConfiguration preloadConfig = new PreloadConfiguration(adRequest);
  RewardedAdPreloader.start(adUnitId, preloadConfig);
}

Replace AD_UNIT_ID with your ad unit ID.

The previous example shows how to use the ad unit ID as the preload ID. A preload ID is a string identifier that you create to identify an ad preloading configuration. If your app requires multiple targeting configurations for the same ad unit ID, pass a custom string identifier.

Get and show the preloaded ad

When you want to show an ad, call the pollAd() method. GMA Next-Gen SDK retrieves an available ad and automatically preloads the next ad in the background. If no ad is available, GMA Next-Gen SDK returns no ads.

When you have an available ad object, call the show method to display the ad. Use a reward listener to handle reward events. The following example shows how to retrieve and show a preloaded ad:

Kotlin

private fun pollAndShowAd(activity: Activity, adUnitId: String) {
  // Polling returns the next available ad and loads another ad in the background.
  val ad = RewardedAdPreloader.pollAd(adUnitId)
  if (ad == null) {
    Log.e(TAG, "Rewarded ad is not available.")
    return
  }

  // Interact with the ad object as needed.
  Log.d(TAG, "Rewarded ad response info: ${ad.getResponseInfo()}")
  ad.adEventCallback =
    object : RewardedAdEventCallback {
      override fun onAdImpression() {
        Log.d(TAG, "Rewarded ad recorded an impression.")
      }
    }
  ad.show(activity) { rewardItem -> Log.d(TAG, "User earned reward: ${rewardItem.amount}") }
}

Java

private void pollAndShowAd(Activity activity, String adUnitId) {
  // Polling returns the next available ad and loads another ad in the background.
  final RewardedAd ad = RewardedAdPreloader.pollAd(adUnitId);

  // Interact with the ad object as needed.
  if (ad == null) {
    Log.e(TAG, "Rewarded ad is not available.");
    return;
  }

  Log.d(TAG, "Rewarded ad response info: " + ad.getResponseInfo());
  ad.setAdEventCallback(
      new RewardedAdEventCallback() {
        @Override
        public void onAdImpression() {
          Log.d(TAG, "Rewarded ad recorded an impression.");
        }
      });

  // Show the ad.
  ad.show(
      activity,
      rewardItem -> {
        Log.d(TAG, "User earned reward: " + rewardItem.getAmount());
      });
}

Avoid calling the pollAd() method until you are ready to show an ad. To read the ad response info without showing it, see Read the response info.

Listen to ad events

Before showing the ad, listen to ad events. The following example shows how to register callbacks for ad events:

Kotlin

private fun listenToAdEvents() {
  // Listen for ad events.
  val ad = rewardedAd
  if (ad == null) {
    Log.e(TAG, "Rewarded ad is not ready yet.")
    return
  }

  ad.adEventCallback =
    object : RewardedAdEventCallback {
      override fun onAdShowedFullScreenContent() {
        // Rewarded ad did show.
      }

      override fun onAdDismissedFullScreenContent() {
        // Rewarded ad did dismiss.
        rewardedAd = null
      }

      override fun onAdFailedToShowFullScreenContent(
        fullScreenContentError: FullScreenContentError
      ) {
        // Rewarded ad failed to show.
        Log.e(TAG, "Rewarded ad failed to show: ${fullScreenContentError.message}")
      }

      override fun onAdImpression() {
        // Rewarded ad did record an impression.
      }

      override fun onAdClicked() {
        // Rewarded ad did record a click.
      }
    }
}

Java

private void listenToAdEvents() {
  // Listen for ad events.
  if (rewardedAd == null) {
    Log.e(TAG, "Rewarded ad is not ready yet.");
    return;
  }

  rewardedAd.setAdEventCallback(
      new RewardedAdEventCallback() {
        @Override
        public void onAdShowedFullScreenContent() {
          // Rewarded ad did show.
        }

        @Override
        public void onAdDismissedFullScreenContent() {
          // Rewarded ad did dismiss.
          rewardedAd = null;
        }

        @Override
        public void onAdFailedToShowFullScreenContent(
            FullScreenContentError fullScreenContentError) {
          // Rewarded ad failed to show.
          Log.e(TAG, "Rewarded ad failed to show: " + fullScreenContentError.getMessage());
        }

        @Override
        public void onAdImpression() {
          // Rewarded ad did record an impression.
        }

        @Override
        public void onAdClicked() {
          // Rewarded ad did record a click.
        }
      });
}

Optional: Validate server-side verification (SSV) callbacks

If your app requires extra data in server-side verification callbacks, use the custom data feature of rewarded ads. Any string value set on a rewarded ad object is passed to the custom_data query parameter of the SSV callback. If no custom data value is set, the custom_data query parameter value won't be present in the SSV callback.

The following code sample shows how to set custom data on a rewarded ad object before showing the ad:

Kotlin

RewardedAd.load(
  context,
  AD_UNIT_ID,
  AdRequest.Builder().build(),
  object : RewardedAdLoadCallback() {
    override fun onAdLoaded(ad: RewardedAd) {
      rewardedAd = ad
      val options =
        ServerSideVerificationOptions.Builder().setCustomData("SAMPLE_CUSTOM_DATA_STRING").build()
      rewardedAd?.setServerSideVerificationOptions(options)
    }
  },
)

Java

RewardedAd.load(
    context,
    AD_UNIT_ID,
    new AdRequest.Builder().build(),
    new RewardedAdLoadCallback() {
      @Override
      public void onAdLoaded(RewardedAd ad) {
        rewardedAd = ad;
        ServerSideVerificationOptions options =
            new ServerSideVerificationOptions.Builder()
                .setCustomData("SAMPLE_CUSTOM_DATA_STRING")
                .build();
        rewardedAd.setServerSideVerificationOptions(options);
      }
    });

Replace SAMPLE_CUSTOM_DATA_STRING with your custom data.

Optional: Listen to preloading events

When you start preloading ads, register for preload events to get notified when ads are preloaded successfully, fail to preload, or the ad cache is exhausted.

The following example shows how to register for preloading ad events:

Kotlin

private fun startPreloadingWithCallback(adUnitId: String) {
  val preloadCallback =
    object : PreloadCallback {
      override fun onAdFailedToPreload(preloadId: String, adError: LoadAdError) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Rewarded preload ad $preloadId failed to load with error: ${adError.message}")
      }

      override fun onAdsExhausted(preloadId: String) {
        Log.i(TAG, "Rewarded preload ad $preloadId is not available")
      }

      override fun onAdPreloaded(preloadId: String, responseInfo: ResponseInfo) {
        Log.i(TAG, "Rewarded preload ad $preloadId is available")
      }
    }
  val adRequest = AdRequest.Builder(adUnitId).build()
  val preloadConfig = PreloadConfiguration(adRequest)
  RewardedAdPreloader.start(adUnitId, preloadConfig, preloadCallback)
}

Java

private void startPreloadingWithCallback(String adUnitId) {
  PreloadCallback preloadCallback =
      new PreloadCallback() {
        @Override
        public void onAdFailedToPreload(String preloadId, LoadAdError adError) {
          Log.d(
              TAG,
              String.format(
                  "Rewarded preload ad %s failed to load with error: %s",
                  preloadId, adError.getMessage()));
        }

        @Override
        public void onAdsExhausted(String preloadId) {
          Log.i(TAG, "Rewarded preload ad " + preloadId + " is not available");
        }

        @Override
        public void onAdPreloaded(String preloadId, ResponseInfo responseInfo) {
          Log.i(TAG, "Rewarded preload ad " + preloadId + " is available");
        }
      };

  AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder(adUnitId).build();
  PreloadConfiguration preloadConfig = new PreloadConfiguration(adRequest);
  RewardedAdPreloader.start(adUnitId, preloadConfig, preloadCallback);
}

When an ad fails to load, GMA Next-Gen SDK automatically preloads ads and retries failed requests for preloaded configurations.

Optional: Check for ad availability

If you need to know whether an ad is available, check for ad availability. The following example shows how to check whether a preloaded ad is available:

Kotlin

private fun isAdAvailable(adUnitId: String): Boolean {
  return RewardedAdPreloader.isAdAvailable(adUnitId)
}

Java

private boolean isAdAvailable(String adUnitId) {
  return RewardedAdPreloader.isAdAvailable(adUnitId);
}

Optional: Set the buffer size

The buffer size controls the number of preloaded ads held in memory. By default, Google optimizes buffer size to balance memory consumption and ad serving latency. You can set a custom buffer size to increase the number of ads kept in memory. We recommend a maximum buffer size of four.

The following example shows how to set a buffer size of four preloaded ads:

Kotlin

private fun setBufferSize(adUnitId: String) {
  val adRequest = AdRequest.Builder(adUnitId).build()
  // Maintain small or default buffer size unless rapid transitions are expected.
  val preloadConfig = PreloadConfiguration(adRequest, bufferSize = 4)
  RewardedAdPreloader.start(adUnitId, preloadConfig)
}

Java

private void setBufferSize(String adUnitId) {
  AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder(adUnitId).build();
  // Maintain small or default buffer size unless rapid transitions are expected.
  PreloadConfiguration preloadConfig = new PreloadConfiguration(adRequest, 4);
  RewardedAdPreloader.start(adUnitId, preloadConfig);
}

Preload cache limits

GMA Next-Gen SDK enforces an app-wide limit on the total number of preloaded ads across all ad units and preload IDs:

  • Default limit: Google holds a maximum of 6 preloaded ads in memory. This limit is shared across all formats and preload IDs.
  • We recommend to keep a buffer size of 2 or 3 per preload ID.

Optional: Stop preloading ads

If you don't need to show ads for a specific preload ID again in the session, you can stop preloading ads. To stop loading ads for a specific preload ID, call the destroy() method with a preload ID. Calling the destroy() method removes all preloaded ads associated with the preload ID from the cache.

The following example shows how to stop preloading ads:

Kotlin

private fun stopPreloading(adUnitId: String) {
  // Stops the preloading and destroy preloaded ads.
  RewardedAdPreloader.destroy(adUnitId)
}

Java

private void stopPreloading(String adUnitId) {
  // Stops the preloading and destroy preloaded ads.
  RewardedAdPreloader.destroy(adUnitId);
}

Optional: Read the response info

Read the next preloaded ad's response info without removing the ad from the cache.

The following example shows how to read the next preloaded ad response info:

Kotlin

val responseInfo = RewardedAdPreloader.peekAdResponseInfo(preloadId)
if (responseInfo == null) {
  Log.e(TAG, "Failed to peek ad response info.")
  return
}

Log.d(TAG, "Peeked ad response ID: ${responseInfo.responseId}")

Java

ResponseInfo responseInfo = RewardedAdPreloader.peekAdResponseInfo(preloadId);
if (responseInfo == null) {
  Log.e(TAG, "Failed to peek ad response info.");
  return;
}

Log.d(TAG, "Peeked ad response ID: " + responseInfo.getResponseId());