Google Implements New Policies for In-Game Ads
These days, there are a lot of high-quality games and apps that can be found on the Google Play Store. While many of these are free, they often come with ads as a source of revenue, instead of securing an upfront purchase on the part of the consumer. However, there are some instances when in-app ads can be too much, and more often than not derail the user experience.
This is what Google seeks to address with its latest Developer Program Policy. Under its “Better Ads Experiences” post on its Play Console Help page, the company stated that developers are “required to comply with the following ads guidelines to ensure high quality experiences for users when they are using Google Play apps.”
The page also highlighted some guidelines for app developers, which prohibit the following:
- 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.
Furthermore, Google stated that the policy will not apply to “rewarded ads” which are opted-in by users, as well as monetization and advertising that does not interfere with normal app use or game play, which include videos that come with integrated ads, and non-full screen banner ads
Source: Google