Interstitial ad guidance for apps

Interstitial ads provide rich interactive ads for users on mobile apps. Interstitial ads are designed to be placed between content, so they are best placed at natural app transition points. Ad Exchange publishers should carefully implement interstitial ads to provide good user experiences and avoid accidental clicks.

Below, you'll find some Ad Exchange interstitial implementation guidelines and best practices. Not following these guidelines may lead to invalid activity and/or may result in Google disabling ad serving to your app. Visit our Ad Traffic Quality Resource Center for more information.

Google Developer site information

For more information on interstitial ads, visit the Google Developers site (Android or iOS).

Integrate the latest SDK

It's important to always stay updated with the latest SDK (for Androidor iOS), which gives you access to the latest ad formats, features, and bug fixes.

 

 

Is an interstitial ad the correct ad format for my app?

Interstitial ads are best suited for apps with linear user experiences. There should be very clear starting and stopping points in an app. If you have an app that may not meet this criteria (for example, utility apps like flashlight apps), consider using another Ad Exchange ad format such as a banner ad.

Think about the flow

Be thoughtful in placing interstitial ads within your mobile app so that they complement the natural flow of user engagement. Surprising users, presenting the users with too many ads, or obstructing their use of the app may lead to an overall poor user experience, an increase of accidental clicks on the ads, and ultimately drive users and advertisers away from your app. Remember that ads should never be the primary focus of the app, so don’t compromise on the user experience in order to place interstitial ads within your app.

Also, note that if your interstitials are opted into video, some ads may have up to a 5-second delay before providing a close option. By policy, interstitials that don’t allow video will have an immediate close option. The Google Mobile Ads SDK will begin enforcing this more aggressively with releases of the Google Mobile Ads SDK: 7.21 or later for iOS, and 11.4 or later for Android.

Be mindful of invalid activity

When displaying full screen interstitial ads on mobile devices keep in mind that mobile screens are often limiting in size compared to traditional desktop and laptop computer screens. Interstitial ads present the user with a full-screen ad that can result in accidental clicks if placed at the wrong time.

Guidelines and best practices for interstitial ad placement

There are some questions to consider when implementing interstitial ads:

• How will the user be engaging with my app at the time?
• Will the user be surprised by the interstitial ad?
• Is this the right time for an interstitial?

The following pages provide examples of implementations that are not allowed and those recommended when placing interstitial ads in your app.