Get Started

The IMA Android SDK v3 enables developers to write Android applications to request and track VAST ads. For a detailed list of the video ad features supported by each of the IMA SDKs, see Video features and SDK versions in the Support & Compatibility guide.

Download the SDK and code samples if you haven't done so already.

If you encounter any problems during your implementation, check out our Resources page for help.

This guide shows you how to integrate the Interactive Media Ads SDK into a sample video player app. Download the sample video player app (without any IMA integration) from GitHub, and at the end of the exercise the app plays a video ad before playing the app's content video. This guide should take about 30 minutes to complete.

If you aren't already using a video player or don't want to integrate the IMA SDK, check out the Google Media Framework (GMF), a lightweight Android media player with the IMA Android SDK already integrated.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you'll need the following:

• Read through our compatibility page to make sure your intended use case is supported.
• Android Studio 1.0 or newer
• The Sample Video Player app which you'll use to integrate the SDK.

If you haven't used Android Studio before, consider running through the First App Tutorial for Android Studio before starting this one.

If you'd rather follow along with a finished IMA SDK integration, download BasicExample.zip or view it on GitHub.

Downloading and running the sample video player app

The sample video player app provides a working simple video player app for you to use as a starting point for integrating the IMA Android SDK.

1. Download the Sample Video Player App linked above in Prerequisites and unzip.
2. Start Android Studio and select Open an existing Android Studio project, or if Android Studio is already running, select File > New > Import Project. Then choose SampleVideoPlayer/build.gradle.
3. Run a Gradle sync by selecting Tools > Android > Sync Project with Gradle Files.
4. Ensure that the player app compiles and runs on a physical Android device or an Android Virtual Device using Run > Run 'app'. It's normal for the content video to take a few moments to load before playing.

If you're new to developing Android apps, go through Run Apps on the Android Emulator and Run Apps on a Hardware Device. You'll need to do one of those two things in order to run your new app and see what it looks like.

Examining the sample video player

The sample video player doesn't contain any IMA SDK integration code yet. The sample app consists of three major parts:

• samplevideoplayer/SampleVideoPlayer.java - A video implementation extending VideoView that has an interface for notifying listeners when the video finishes playing.
• res/layout/fragment_video.xml - App layout XML containing SampleVideoPlayer and defining a play button.
• videoplayerapp/MyActivity.java - This activity defines the method orientVideoDescriptionFragment to show or hide the VideoDescriptionFragment when appropriate (for example, to hide the description fragment to allow the video to go fullscreen). This file also defines VideoFragment, which sets the VideoPlayer content URL and wires the play button click event.

Adding the IMA Android SDK to the player app

Include Google Play services (preferably the latest version, but at least version 4.0) in your application following these instructions. You'll also include a reference to the IMA SDK. For Android Studio the integration involves the following:

1. Add the following to your application-level build.gradle file, located at app/build.gradle:

   dependencies {
       compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:21.+'
       compile 'com.google.ads.interactivemedia.v3:interactivemedia:3.6.0'
       compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:11.4.2'
   

   You will need to re-sync Gradle after the previous step via Tools > Android > Sync Project with Gradle Files. If you don't already have this version of Play services, Android Studio will prompt you to Install Repository and sync project.
2. Add the following <meta-data> code to your to AndroidManifest.xml inside the <application> tag:

   <application
           android:allowBackup="true"
           android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
           android:label="@string/app_name"
           android:theme="@style/AppTheme">
       <meta-data
               android:name="com.google.android.gms.version"
               android:value="@integer/google_play_services_version" />
       <activity
           android:name=".MyActivity"
           …
   </application>

Checkpoint: Your application should compile and run, but you haven't yet added UI elements or code to request and display ads. When you initialize and manipulate UI objects, you must do so on the main thread if you are using multiple threads. In Android, UI objects are not thread-safe. See Threads for more information.

Your first ads request

Add ad tag

Add an entry in strings.xml to store the VAST ad tag URL.

res/values/strings.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <resources>

    <string name="app_name">IMA Sample Video Player<string>
    <string name="action_settings">Settings<string>
    <string name="video_description">Android Promotional Video<string>
    <string name="content_url">…<string>
    <string name="ad_tag_url">
    <![CDATA[http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x480
        &iu=/124319096/external/single_ad_samples&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s
        &gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1
        &cust_params=deployment%3Ddevsite%26sample_ct%3Dskippablelinear&correlator=]]>
    </string>

    </resources>

Create an AdsLoader

To request ads, first create an AdsLoader from the ImaSdkFactory. Then add both an AdsLoadedListener to handle ads being loaded, and an AdErrorListener to respond to loading errors. Add the following to VideoFragment.onActivityCreated():

MyActivity.java

public void onActivityCreated(Bundle bundle) {
    super.onActivityCreated(bundle);
    
    // Create an AdsLoader.
    mSdkFactory = ImaSdkFactory.getInstance();
    mAdsLoader = mSdkFactory.createAdsLoader(this.getContext());
    // Add listeners for when ads are loaded and for errors.
    mAdsLoader.addAdErrorListener(this);
    mAdsLoader.addAdsLoadedListener(new AdsLoadedListener() {
        @Override
        public void onAdsManagerLoaded(AdsManagerLoadedEvent adsManagerLoadedEvent) {
            // Ads were successfully loaded, so get the AdsManager instance. AdsManager has
            // events for ad playback and errors.
            mAdsManager = adsManagerLoadedEvent.getAdsManager();

            // Attach event and error event listeners.
            mAdsManager.addAdErrorListener(VideoFragment.this);
            mAdsManager.addAdEventListener(VideoFragment.this);
            mAdsManager.init();
        }
    });
}

Add completion and click listeners

The video player fires a VideoCompletedListener when the content video finishes. Add a listener to notify the AdsLoader when the content finishes. Then add an OnClickListener to request ads when the play button is clicked:

MyActivity.java

public void onActivityCreated(Bundle bundle) {
    super.onActivityCreated(bundle);

    // Create an AdsLoader.
    ...
    });
    
    // Add listener for when the content video finishes.
    mVideoPlayer.addVideoCompletedListener(new OnVideoCompletedListener() {
        @Override
        public void onVideoCompleted() {
            // Handle completed event for playing post-rolls.
            if (mAdsLoader != null) {
                mAdsLoader.contentComplete();
            }
        }
    });

    // When Play is clicked, request ads and hide the button.
    mPlayButton.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        @Override
        public void onClick(View view) {
            mVideoPlayer.setVideoPath(getString(R.string.content_url));
            requestAds(getString(R.string.ad_tag_url));
            view.setVisibility(View.GONE);
        }
    });
}

Request ads

Implement the requestAds() method to create the AdsRequest. As part of the request, provide a ContentProgressProvider to inform the SDK about the content video's progress, which is used to determine when to play mid-rolls. End the function by calling AdsLoader.requestAds() to send the request.

MyActivity.java

private void requestAds(String adTagUrl) {
    AdDisplayContainer adDisplayContainer = mSdkFactory.createAdDisplayContainer();
    adDisplayContainer.setAdContainer(mAdUiContainer);

    // Create the ads request.
    AdsRequest request = mSdkFactory.createAdsRequest();
    request.setAdTagUrl(adTagUrl);
    request.setAdDisplayContainer(adDisplayContainer);
    request.setContentProgressProvider(new ContentProgressProvider() {
        @Override
        public VideoProgressUpdate getContentProgress() {
            if (mIsAdDisplayed || mVideoPlayer == null || mVideoPlayer.getDuration() <= 0) {
                return VideoProgressUpdate.VIDEO_TIME_NOT_READY;
            }
            return new VideoProgressUpdate(mVideoPlayer.getCurrentPosition(),
                    mVideoPlayer.getDuration());
        }
    });

    // Request the ad. After the ad is loaded, onAdsManagerLoaded() will be called.
    mAdsLoader.requestAds(request);
}

Handling ad events

The app must handle ad events sent from the SDK to notify it about major ad events. Implement the onAdEvent() method to handle events sent from AdsManager. Of particular importance is to call AdsManager.start() to start playing ads, and to pause and resume the content video when ads start and end.

MyActivity.java

@Override
public void onAdEvent(AdEvent adEvent) {
    Log.i(LOGTAG, "Event: " + adEvent.getType());

    // These are the suggested event types to handle. For full list of all ad event
    // types, see the documentation for AdEvent.AdEventType.
    switch (adEvent.getType()) {
        case LOADED:
            // AdEventType.LOADED will be fired when ads are ready to be played.
            // AdsManager.start() begins ad playback. This method is ignored for VMAP or
            // ad rules playlists, as the SDK will automatically start executing the
            // playlist.
            mAdsManager.start();
            break;
        case CONTENT_PAUSE_REQUESTED:
            // AdEventType.CONTENT_PAUSE_REQUESTED is fired immediately before a video
            // ad is played.
            mIsAdDisplayed = true;
            mVideoPlayer.pause();
            break;
        case CONTENT_RESUME_REQUESTED:
            // AdEventType.CONTENT_RESUME_REQUESTED is fired when the ad is completed
            // and you should start playing your content.
            mIsAdDisplayed = false;
            mVideoPlayer.play();
            break;
        case ALL_ADS_COMPLETED:
            if (mAdsManager != null) {
                mAdsManager.destroy();
                mAdsManager = null;
            }
            break;
        default:
            break;
    }
}

Errors, pause and resume

The app also needs to handle errors thrown by the SDK. Implement onAdError() to log errors and to resume content video playback if the ads can't play. Change the onPause() and onResume() methods to call AdsManager if playing an ad.

MyActivity.java

@Override
public void onAdError(AdErrorEvent adErrorEvent) {
    Log.e(LOGTAG, "Ad Error: " + adErrorEvent.getError().getMessage());
    mVideoPlayer.play();
}

@Override
public void onResume() {
    if (mAdsManager != null && mIsAdDisplayed) {
        mAdsManager.resume();
    } else {
        mVideoPlayer.play();
    }
    super.onResume();
}

@Override
public void onPause() {
    if (mAdsManager != null && mIsAdDisplayed) {
        mAdsManager.pause();
    } else {
        mVideoPlayer.pause();
    }
    super.onPause();
}

Congrats! You're now requesting and displaying video ads in your Android application. To fine tune your implementation, read advanced topics and the API documentation.

Troubleshooting

If you're experiencing issues playing a video ad, try downloading the completed BasicExample below and change the ad_tag_url defined in strings.xml to the ad tag URL you're testing with. If it works properly in the BasicExample then there's likely an issue with your app's IMA integration code. Review this guide and API docs to detect any discrepancies.

Download BasicExample.zip View on GitHub

Still having issues? Drop us a line on the IMA SDK forum.