Optimize initialization and ad loading

  • Starting with Google Mobile Ads SDK version 21.0.0, you can optimize SDK initialization and ad loading to enhance ad responsiveness and mitigate ANR errors.

  • To enable these optimizations, you need to add specific <meta-data> tags to your app's AndroidManifest.xml file, controlling initialization and ad loading separately.

  • By default, both optimization flags (OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION and OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING) are set to false and require manual activation.

  • Optimizing initialization is best achieved by calling MobileAds.initialize() on a background thread; if this is not feasible, enabling the OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION flag helps by offloading some tasks to a background thread.

  • The OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING flag enhances ad load calls for all ad formats, improving overall ad loading performance.
Select platform: Android Unity

Starting from Google Mobile Ads (GMA) SDK version 21.0.0, you can enable optimized SDK initialization and ad loading to improve the overall responsiveness of ads and help prevent "Application Not Responding" (ANR) errors on your app. This guide outlines the changes you need to make to enable these optimizations.

Requirements

  • Google Mobile Ads SDK version 21.0.0 or higher.

Update your manifest file

There are two optimization flags available: OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION and OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING. Once they're turned on, the initialization and ad loading tasks that require extended processing time are offloaded to background threads.

Follow the instructions below to add the corresponding <meta-data> tags in your app's AndroidManifest.xml file and turn on the flags. Note that you can turn on one or both options in the same app.

Optimize Google Mobile Ads SDK initialization

The best way to optimize initialization is to call MobileAds.initialize() on a background thread, as described in the Get Started guide. If you are already doing so, you don't need to enable this flag.

If you must call the method on the main thread, enabling the flag below will move some of the initialization tasks to the background thread.

<manifest>
  ...
  <application>
      ...
      <meta-data
          android:name="com.google.android.gms.ads.flag.OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION"
          android:value="true"/>
  </application>
</manifest>
Optimize ad loading

The flag below optimizes ad load calls for all ad formats:

<manifest>
  ...
  <application>
      ...
      <meta-data
          android:name="com.google.android.gms.ads.flag.OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING"
          android:value="true"/>
  </application>
</manifest>