"Never run Google ads if you have an Android app"

Sandman · Apr 28, 2021

Never run Google ads if you have an Android app

Google can and will permanently ban your Android app if Google thinks you’ve clicked on your own ads

danfabulich.medium.com

andymc · Apr 28, 2021

I've heard of this happening. I've ran Google admob ads on my games for five years now and had no problems. And that's based on 29,500,000 impressions.
I guess I've just been lucky?

Aside from that, I don't click on the ads on my own apps.

LucaMs · Apr 28, 2021

From that page:

The bitterest irony of it all is that if DroidScript had been running Facebook ads or Twitter (“MoPub”) ads or Tapjoy ads or anybody’s ads except Google’s, this never would have happened to them.

This should mean that with any other advertising provider you could publish a stupid app, run it and click banners 16 hours a day to make as much as Elon Musk, but I doubt it.

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The author doesn't know how Google detects that you have clicked too much in your app. He doesn't know that Google also knows how many times he goes to the bathroom.

LucaMs · Apr 28, 2021

Another small observation: a your competitor might hire two or three people who make multiple clicks on your app to take you out of market.

andymc · Apr 28, 2021

LucaMs said:
Another small observation: a your competitor might hire two or three people who make multiple clicks on your app to take you out of market.

That's a good point, I'd never though about it like that.

Looking at the money side. Do other ad providers pay more than Google? I'd put some effort into changing my ads code if I thought I could earn more.

LucaMs · Apr 28, 2021

andymc said:
That's a good point, I'd never though about it like that.

Looking at the money side. Do other ad providers pay more than Google? I'd put some effort into changing my ads code if I thought I could earn more.

I really think not but, of course, if you risk that your app will be banned due to AdMob...!

ilan · Apr 28, 2021

LucaMs said:
Another small observation: a your competitor might hire two or three people who make multiple clicks on your app to take you out of market.

don't you think google thought about such a scenario?
it am sure it won't work. besides the fact that google can figure out if a click was real or not google also know who clicked on the ad. what phone, country, time, etc... so it won't be so easy to ban the account of other users.

ilan · Apr 28, 2021

andymc said:
Looking at the money side. Do other ad providers pay more than Google? I'd put some effort into changing my ads code if I thought I could earn more.

i did many switching between companies and in the end, for me, google was the best option. the fill rate is about 99.9% and the revenue for me was the highest when using AdMob. would be interesting to hear the experience with ad companies from other guys here.

ilan · Apr 28, 2021

andymc said:
29,500,000 impressions.

that's a lot!!! should make a revenue of about 25k $ (could be much less if the impressions are from countries with low eCPM

LucaMs · Apr 28, 2021

ilan said:
don't you think google thought about such a scenario?
it am sure it won't work. besides the fact that google can figure out if a click was real or not google also know who clicked on the ad. what phone, country, time, etc... so it won't be so easy to ban the account of other users.

If so, Google wouldn't have banned that guy's app (DroidScript), as he himself says he didn't abuse clicks (and obviously he didn't).

ilan · Apr 28, 2021

LucaMs said:
If so, Google wouldn't have banned that guy's app (DroidScript), as he himself says he didn't abuse clicks (and obviously he didn't).

yes sure, no one clicks on their own ads ?
a machine does the job!

"Never run Google ads if you have an Android app"

Sandman

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