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The IMA SDK for Android allows for setting the continuous play context for an
ads request. The
setContinuousPlayback()
method notifies the SDK whether the player intends to continuously play the content videos
one after another, similar to a TV broadcast. When set to true, the ads returned from
the request are those designated by the ads server as suitable for continuous play. Not
calling this method
leaves the setting as unknown.
The following sample demonstrates how to set continuous play in an ads request.
For those using the
Exoplayer-IMA extension,
version 2.13 or later, or the
BasicExample
which implements the extension, the following sample shows how to set continuous play.
The IMA SDK for Android also allows for setting whether the player will start playing
automatically or wait for user action to begin playing. This is done using the
setAdWillAutoPlay()
method. When set to true, the ads returned are those designated by the ads
server as suitable for an auto-play environment.
This table details when to request ads for continuous play and auto-play, based on the video content
the ads are paired with.
Video Content
Parameter for setContinuousPlayback()
Parameter for setAdWillAutoPlay()
A single content video that plays upon user interaction
false
false
A single content video that autoplays
false
true
A video playlist that plays the first video upon user interaction but autoplays the
following videos
true
false
A video playlist that autoplays the first video and autoplays the following videos
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-01 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe IMA SDK for Android allows you to specify whether your content videos will play continuously, impacting the types of ads returned.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUse \u003ccode\u003esetContinuousPlayback(true)\u003c/code\u003e when your content videos will autoplay or play in a sequence similar to a TV broadcast.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eContinuous play is independent of ad auto-play, which is controlled using the \u003ccode\u003esetAdWillAutoPlay()\u003c/code\u003e method.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe table provides guidance on when to use \u003ccode\u003esetContinuousPlayback()\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003esetAdWillAutoPlay()\u003c/code\u003e based on your video content's autoplay behavior.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Report continuous play\n\nThe IMA SDK for Android allows for setting the continuous play context for an ads request. The `\n`[setContinuousPlayback()](/interactive-media-ads/docs/sdks/android/client-side/api/reference/com/google/ads/interactivemedia/v3/api/AdsRequest#setContinuousPlayback(boolean)) method notifies the SDK whether the player intends to continuously play the content videos one after another, similar to a TV broadcast. When set to `true`, the ads returned from the request are those designated by the ads server as suitable for continuous play. Not calling this method leaves the setting as unknown. **Note:** Changing this setting has no impact on ad playback.\nThe following sample demonstrates how to set continuous play in an ads request. \n\n```text\nAdsRequest request = mSdkFactory.createAdsRequest();\nrequest.setAdTagUrl(adTagUrl);\nrequest.setContinuousPlayback(true);\nadsLoader.requestAds(request);\n```\nFor those using the [Exoplayer-IMA extension](//github.com/google/ExoPlayer/tree/release-v2/extensions/ima), version 2.13 or later, or the [BasicExample](//github.com/googleads/googleads-ima-android/tree/master/BasicExample) which implements the extension, the following sample shows how to set continuous play. \n\n```transact-sql\n@Override\nprotected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {\n super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);\n setContentView(R.layout.activity_my);\n\n playerView = findViewById(R.id.player_view);\n\n ImaAdsLoader.Builder builder = new ImaAdsLoader.Builder(this).setContinuousPlayback(true);\n adsLoader = builder.build();\n}\n```\n\nHow continuous play differs from ad auto-play\n---------------------------------------------\n\nThe IMA SDK for Android also allows for setting whether the player will start playing automatically or wait for user action to begin playing. This is done using the `\n`[setAdWillAutoPlay()](/interactive-media-ads/docs/sdks/android/client-side/api/reference/com/google/ads/interactivemedia/v3/api/AdsRequest#setAdWillAutoPlay(boolean)) method. When set to `true`, the ads returned are those designated by the ads server as suitable for an auto-play environment.\n\n\nThis table details when to request ads for continuous play and auto-play, based on the video content\nthe ads are paired with.\n\n| Video Content | Parameter for setContinuousPlayback() | Parameter for setAdWillAutoPlay() |\n|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|\n| A single content video that plays upon user interaction | `false` | `false` |\n| A single content video that autoplays | `false` | `true` |\n| A video playlist that plays the first video upon user interaction but autoplays the following videos | `true` | `false` |\n| A video playlist that autoplays the first video and autoplays the following videos | `true` | `true` |"]]