Global Settings

AI-generated Key Takeaways

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• The GADMobileAds class offers global settings to control certain information collected by the Google Mobile Ads SDK, such as video ad volume, audio sessions, crash reporting, and consent for cookies.

• You can report relative app volume to the SDK for various ad formats using the applicationVolume property and inform the SDK when the app volume is muted using the applicationMuted property to ensure video ads respect app volume settings.

• The audioVideoManager property of GADMobileAds allows for managing audio sessions, enabling control over how and when the Google Mobile Ads SDK plays audio, especially important if your app also plays audio.

• Crash reporting for SDK-related exceptions is enabled by default but can be disabled using the disableSDKCrashReporting method if desired.

• Setting the gad_has_consent_for_cookies preference in NSUserDefaults can enable limited ads if your app has specific requirements.

The GADMobileAds class provides global settings for controlling certain information collected by Google Mobile Ads SDK.

Video ad volume control

If your app has its own volume controls, such as custom music or sound effect volumes, disclosing app volume to Google Mobile Ads SDK enables video ads to respect app volume settings. This ensures users receive video ads with the expected audio volume.

The device volume, controlled through volume buttons or OS-level volume slider, determines the volume for device audio output. However, apps can independently adjust volume levels relative to the device volume to tailor the audio experience.

For App Open, Banner, Interstitial, Rewarded, and Rewarded Interstitial ad formats you can report the relative app volume to Google Mobile Ads SDK by setting the applicationVolume property. Valid ad volume values range from 0.0 (silent) to 1.0 (current device volume). Here's an example of how to report the relative app volume to the SDK:

func viewDidLoad() {
  super.viewDidLoad()
  // Set app volume to be half of the current device volume.
  MobileAds.shared.applicationVolume = 0.5
  ...
}

- (void)viewDidLoad {
  [super viewDidLoad];
  // Set app volume to be half of the current device volume.
  GADMobileAds.sharedInstance.applicationVolume = 0.5;
  ...
}

For App Open, Banner, Interstitial, Rewarded, and Rewarded Interstitial ad formats, you can inform Google Mobile Ads SDK that the app volume has been muted by setting the applicationMuted property:

MobileAds.shared.applicationMuted = true

GADMobileAds.sharedInstance.applicationMuted = YES;

By default, applicationVolume is set to 1 (the current device volume) and applicationMuted is set to NO.

Native ads

See GADVideoOptions for instructions on controlling the mute settings. For native ads, there isn't support for custom volume control.

Audio sessions

Audio sessions let you express to the system your intentions for your app's audio behavior. Additional information on audio sessions can be found in Apple's Audio Session Programming Guide. The available options for managing Google Mobile Ads SDK audio is through the audioVideoManager property.

If you don't use audio in your app, you don't need to use these APIs. Google Mobile Ads SDK automatically manages the audio session category when it plays audio. If you do play audio in your app and you want tighter control of how and when Google Mobile Ads SDK plays audio, you can make use of these APIs.

On the audio video manager, you can set the audioSessionIsApplicationManaged property to YES if you want to take responsibility for managing the audio session category yourself.

If you want to manage the audio session category, you can implement GADAudioVideoManagerDelegate and set the delegate property on the audio video manager to be notified of ads video and audio playback events. You should then change the audio session category to the relevant category according to Apple's Audio Session Programming Guide.

Here is a simplified code sample that shows the recommended approach if your app plays music, using the above APIs:

func setUp() {
  MobileAds.shared.audioVideoManager.delegate = self
  MobileAds.shared.audioVideoManager.audioSessionIsApplicationManaged = false
}

// MARK: - GADAudioVideoManagerDelegate
func audioVideoManagerWillPlayAudio(_ audioVideoManager: GADAudioVideoManager) {
  // The Google Mobile Ads SDK is notifying your app that it will play audio. You
  // could optionally pause music depending on your apps design.
  MyAppObject.shared.pauseAllMusic()
}

func audioVideoManagerDidStopPlayingAudio(_ audioVideoManager: GADAudioVideoManager) {
  // The Google Mobile Ads SDK is notifying your app that it has stopped playing
  // audio. Depending on your design, you could resume music here.
  MyAppObject.shared.resumeAllMusic()
}

- (void)setUp {
  GADMobileAds.sharedInstance.audioVideoManager.delegate = self;
  GADMobileAds.sharedInstance.audioVideoManager.audioSessionIsApplicationManaged = NO;
}

#pragma mark - GADAudioVideoManagerDelegate

- (void)audioVideoManagerWillPlayAudio:(GADAudioVideoManager *)audioVideoManager {
  // Google Mobile Ads SDK is notifying your app that it will play audio. You
  // could optionally pause music depending on your apps design.
  [MyAppObject.sharedInstance pauseAllMusic];
}

- (void)audioVideoManagerDidStopPlayingAudio:(GADAudioVideoManager *)audioVideoManager {
    // Google Mobile Ads SDK is notifying your app that it has stopped playing
    // audio. Depending on your design, you could resume music here.
  [MyAppObject.sharedInstance resumeAllMusic];
}

Crash reporting

Google Mobile Ads SDK inspects exceptions that occur in an iOS app and records them if they were caused by the SDK. These exceptions are then addressed in future SDK versions.

Crash reporting is enabled by default. If you don't want SDK-related exceptions to be recorded, you can disable this feature by calling the disableSDKCrashReporting method. The best time to call this method is when the app launches:

import GoogleMobileAds

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {

  func application(_ application: UIApplication,
      didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplicationLaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {

    MobileAds.shared.disableSDKCrashReporting()
    return true
  }
}

@import GoogleMobileAds;

@implementation AppDelegate

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application
    didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions {

  [GADMobileAds disableSDKCrashReporting];
  return YES;
}

@end

Consent for cookies settings

If your app has special requirements, you can set the optional NSUserDefaults gad_has_consent_for_cookies. Google Mobile Ads SDK enables limited ads (LTD) if the gad_has_consent_for_cookies preference is set to zero.

UserDefaults.standard.set(0, forKey: "gad_has_consent_for_cookies")

NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults().setObject(Int(0),
    forKey: "gad_has_consent_for_cookies");