This article reviews the common reasons why ads might not show in your app, and the resources you can use to troubleshoot those issues.
If you're still having issues, you can search or ask questions in the AdMob Help Community, see the Google Developers "Get started" guides, or use the following troubleshooter:
Ads not showing troubleshooter
Types of common issues covered in this article:
Setup issues
New AdMob account
When you first sign up for AdMob, your account is reviewed before it's approved, which typically takes up to 24 hours. In some rare cases, it can take up to 2 weeks, but this is uncommon. You are notified via email if your account is not approved by AdMob.
New app or ad unit in AdMob
When you create a new app or ad unit, it typically takes up to 1 hour to begin showing ads. In some rare cases, it can take up to a few days, but this is uncommon.
Newly registered apps and newly created ad units typically take up to 1 hour to activate and begin serving live impressions.
App configuration
Integrating the Google Mobile Ads SDK into an app and correctly configuring your app are required to display ads. Here are some resources to get started and test your configuration:
| Developer "Get started" documentation |
Once you've configured your app to show ads, you can test your implementation code, or use the ad inspector to test ad serving within the app.
Review error codes
When an ad unit in an app sends an ad request to Google's servers, the server either responds with an ad or with an error code to indicate the issue. You can see the most common error codes for Android and iOS, or review the AdMob community post on error codes for troubleshooting tips.
Mediation issues
AdMob mediation is a feature that lets you serve ads to your apps from multiple sources, including the AdMob Network, third-party ad networks, and AdMob campaigns. Mediation requires correctly configuring your app to display ads.
In the case of third-party ad networks, each ad network has its own integration instructions and must be set up in AdMob mediation groups.
Here are some resources to get started and test your configuration:
| Developer mediation documentation |
Once you've configured your app to show ads, you can use the ad inspector to verify your mediation setup and ad serving within the app.
Policy issues
Policy enforcements
Policy enforcements can affect ad serving. You can check the Policy center in your AdMob account for details about the enforcements and how to fix them.
Apps for children
Apps for children must adhere to Google Play's Families policy and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). You can review the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and learn how to tag ad requests for child-directed treatment.
Also, learn how to comply with Google Play's Families Policy and set a maximum content rating.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
You can review the tools to help publishers comply with the GDPR.
Android package (APK)
Google scans millions of apps every day to ensure they’re safe for users. If you have been asked to submit your Android package (APK), or if you have a problem serving Google ads in your Android application, you can submit the APK submission form.