Google/Admob and their weird policies

[sorex]

I've just received the mail below.

I don't have a clue what it is about as I followed the rules found on their site and the rules on the apple site for IOS guidelines.

So I'm not doing anything different then all the rest, even better when you played the game you know in advance when an ad might show up.

Anyone else who got these?


Hello,

As a courtesy, we are alerting you that your app is currently in violation of the AdMob program policies. Importantly, this will require action on your part to ensure no disruption in ad serving. Please read below for more information on the actions you need to take:


Violation explanation



LAYOUT ENCOURAGES ACCIDENTAL CLICKS - INTERSTITIAL ADS: Publishers are not permitted to encourage users to click AdMob interstitial ads in any way. This includes any implementation that may encourage accidental clicks, such as placing an interstitial ad in a way that prevents viewing the app’s core content or placing an interstitial ad in a way that interferes with navigating or interacting with the app’s core content and functionality.

Please review how you’ve implemented interstitial ads and be mindful of the following common examples of non-compliant implementations:

• Interstitial ads that appear before the app has opened or after the app has closed.
• Interstitial ads that are triggered after a user closes another interstitial ad.
• Interstitial ads loading unexpectedly while a user is viewing the app’s content. Remember to only serve interstitials between pages of content.
• Interstitial ads that trigger after every user click.
• Interstitial ads that appear during periods of game play or heavy user interaction.

For more information about our policies and tips for how to comply please read the following:

• AdMob ad placement policy
• AdMob interstitial ad guidance

Action required: Please make changes immediately to your app to comply with AdMob program policies.

Current account status: Active

You do not need to contact us once you've made the necessary changes to your app. Please be aware that if additional violations are accrued, ad serving may be disabled to the app listed above.

Note that the app listed above is just one example and the same violation may exist on other apps you own. We suggest that you review all your apps for compliance with the AdMob program policies to reduce the likelihood of future warnings.

For more information regarding our policy warning notifications, visit our Help Center.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

The Google AdMob Team

 

[MikeH]

Could you ask them to be more specific as you cannot see any violation?

 

[hookshy]

Very usefull documentation ...
Asking admob to clear thing out is not proper at this time ...
The admob policy is very strict as I read for the first time the interstitials non-compliant implementations ...
Modify the interstitial behaviour and assure that the user is ready to receive a comercial brake
If you do not know what changes you could do ... suspend the ads until you figure out

I think that I will make a big 4 days offset before displaing any advertising just to make sure google testing will not have patience to run the app before an interstitial will show up contrary to the users that want to make money from ads when sometimes app are starting with ads
Anyway anyone try to make their own policy regarding ads conversions , the goal is to skip ad-mob disapproval or ban ...

 

[hookshy]

Interstitial ads that appear before the app has opened or after the app has closed.

This is something that i do not understand ...interstitials at the end sometimes do display after the app has closed
or it might refer itself to showing the interstitial 2 , 3 seconds after the app has closed and the user might have started other activity or do something else on the phone

 

[sorex]

like I wrote earlier... if you completed 1 level you know when ads appear.
on harder levels you won't see an add in like 20+ minutes so it's not flooding the user with ads unline most games.

the only thing they can argue about is that I first show the level completed box and then the ad.

if I don't do it they can argue that the game is still going on when the ad suddenly appears when the level is completed.

so it's never right, strange thing is that every game is doing it like that even the big earners like catchapp etc and they get away with it.
probably becayse admob earns enough on it?

the before and after app is clear. you need to show a loading screen first or a menu before you can show an ad.
no ads on exiting the app.

on the apple site this is all illustrated with animated images. and trust me if you don't follow their guidelines apps just don't pass review.

 

[sorex]

Could you ask them to be more specific as you cannot see any violation?

I mailed them yesterday evening about it but it takes 2+ working days for them to answer IF they answer.

 

[MikeH]

Could you put a short delay, say 0.5 second, before the ad and in that time block taps with a "dead" panel overlay?

 

[sorex]

right now there is a 1.5 seconds delay before the ad pops up so that you still see that you completed the level.

 

[MikeH]

right now there is a 1.5 seconds delay before the ad pops up so that you still see that you completed the level.

I think thats sufficient, but Im not Admob

 

[sorex]

maybe they see it as luring accidental click? then the 0.5 might be better since you don't have time to click one of my buttons.

 

[sorex]

First of all, the notification you have received is a "warning": ads have not been disabled, and you just need to fix the problem, and nothing more (no appeal to be submitted).

The notification is due to "Unexpected launch of interstitial ad" on the Homepage: the problem is that the interstitial ad appears in the home screen even though the user does not perform any action.

According to our implementation policies, interstitial ads should be placed at natural transition points in the app and should not "surprise" the users, appearing when users are focused on other tasks, in order to avoid accidental clicks.For example, it is not allowed to show an interstitial when the user is in the app Homepage just reading the content (without performing any other action) and then bring him back to the app Homepage after he closes the ad. Here you can find examples of not allowed implementations.

I would suggest that you simply modify the implementation of this ad, placing it at a natural transition point in the app: then everything should be fine

 

[sorex]

I hope it helps someone but I'm still confused.

When I install a game all of them do the same thing and display an ad when the game opens.

 

[MikeH]

Maybe their policy changed recently, after those other games were uploaded?

 

[sorex]

don't know, but these games seem to update almost every day.

 

[MikeH]

Maybe everyone gets that warning email and some/most just ignore it?

 

[sorex]

then they'll risk a ban and maybe loss of earnings.

I'll mod my app and upload it and see what they have to tell about it.