How to enable viewing of advertisements in games on Android

Many smartphone owners are faced with a paradoxical situation: after installing a new game or updating an existing one, they stop seeing advertising videos, which usually bring in-game currency or bonuses. This phenomenon can be confusing, especially if you're used to receiving rewards for watching videos. Most often, the problem lies not in the breakdown of the device, but in the privacy settings or system restrictions of Android.

Restoring the advertising display function requires an integrated approach, since several levels of the system are responsible for this process: from global Google settings to the individual parameters of a specific application. Advertising identifier (Advertising ID) plays a key role here, acting as a link between the user and the advertising network. If this identifier is reset or disabled, the algorithms simply cannot find relevant content to display.

In addition, modern versions of the operating system Android have become much stricter about background activity of applications. If the game does not have permission to run in the background or access the Internet when idle, it will not be able to initiate a request to the ad server. In this article, we will analyze in detail all the possible reasons for the absence of advertising and provide step-by-step guide for eliminating them.

Google Advertising ID Settings

The central element of the Android advertising ecosystem is Google Play Services. This is what manages your unique advertising identifier. If your account settings prohibit personalization or limit tracking, many advertising networks simply stop showing you videos, considering the display ineffective.

To check and change these settings, you need to go to the settings of your device. The path may differ slightly depending on the manufacturer's shell, but the general algorithm remains the same. You need to find the section responsible for privacy and Google data.

Follow the following steps through the settings menu:

• 🔍 Go to Settings your smartphone.
• 📱 Find item Google or Google Services.
• 📢 Select the section Advertising (Ads).
• ✅ Make sure that the option Delete advertising identifier is not activated.
• 🔄 If necessary, click Reset advertising identifier to generate a new one.

It is also worth paying attention to the switch Remove advertising identifier. When enabled, the system essentially tells all apps that you don't want to see targeted ads. In some cases, this leads to the complete disappearance of rewarded videos (advertising for reward).

⚠️ Warning: Resetting your ID completely may temporarily reduce the number of available offers, as the algorithms will need time to learn your preferences again.

Managing application permissions

A frequent reason for the lack of advertising is the game’s banal lack of necessary permissions. Modern versions of Android, especially from Android 11 and above, allow users to granularly control application access to the network and other functions. If you accidentally block the game from accessing the Internet, it will physically not be able to load an advertising video.

Checking permissions should be carried out individually for each problematic application. Go to the application management section and find the desired game in the list. Here it is important to make sure that network access is not limited to the background or completely disabled.

Use the following checklist to check access rights:

Particular attention should be paid to point Working in the background. Many advertising SDKs (development toolkits) require the ability to initiate a connection to the server even when you are in the game's main menu and not in active gameplay. Restricting this right often blocks the video from showing.

If you use third-party antiviruses or firewalls, they may also block advertising domains. In such cases, you need to add the game or advertising services to the exclusion list.

The influence of ad blockers and DNS

One ​​of the most common technical reasons for the lack of advertising is the use of system blockers. Users often install applications like AdGuard or configure private DNS (Private DNS) to block trackers and banners, forgetting that this also blocks useful advertising for a reward.

Check your connection settings. If in section Connections -> Other settings -> Private DNS The blocker address is registered (for example, dns.adguard.com), then all advertising requests will be rejected at the network level.

For temporary enablement advertising, you will need to change the DNS configuration:

• 🌐 Open Settings -> Connections.
• 🔒 Find the item Private DNS.
• ❌ Switch the mode to Auto or Disabled.
• 🔄 Restart the game to apply the changes.

How blocking works through DNS?

Private DNS redirects all requests to known ad servers to an empty address (0.0.0.0). This is the most effective blocking method, since it works at the level of the entire operating system, not a separate application, and does not require root access.

Also check your installed applications. If you have activated AdGuard, Blokada or analogues, go to their settings and add your game to the Whitelist. This will allow the game to load advertising content, while the rest of the system remains protected from intrusive banners.

Clearing cache and game data

Sometimes the problem is local in nature and is associated with corruption of the game's temporary files. The in-app ad module cache may freeze, storing information that the impression limit has been reached, or simply contain erroneous connection data.

Clearing the cache is a safe procedure that will not delete your progress in the game (if it is saved in the cloud or locally in a separate save file), but it will reset temporary settings. This often helps to “shake up” the ad module.

To perform cleaning, follow the instructions:

1. Long-press the game icon on the desktop.
2. Click on the icon ℹ️ (Information about the application).
3. Go to the section Storage.
4. Press the button Clear cache.

If cleaning cache did not help, you can try a more radical method - clearing data. However, before doing this, make sure that your progress is synchronized with Google Play Games or developer account, otherwise you may lose all achievements.

Action	Influence on progress	Influence on advertising	Recommended frequency
Clear cache	No	Reset advertising sessions	If problems occur
Clear data	Full reset (without cloud)	Full reinstallation of modules	Only as a last resort
Reinstallation	Depends on backup	Fresh installation of the SDK	If all else fails
Resetting the phone	Complete data loss	Restoring factory network settings	Ultimate measure

Updating Google Play components

Not only the games themselves are responsible for displaying advertising, but also system components, in particular Google Play Services i Android System WebView. These apps run in the background and provide communication between the game and ad networks. If they are out of date, version conflicts may occur, resulting in video loading errors.

Check for updates for all system components. Go to the store Google Play Market, click on the profile icon and select item Manage applications and device. In the "Updates available" section, check the availability of Google services.

Pay special attention to the component Android System WebView. Many games use this system browser to display web content, including advertising landing pages and video players. Its incorrect operation often leads to a black screen instead of advertising.

⚠️ Attention: The interfaces of application stores and system settings may vary depending on the version of Android and the model of your smartphone. If you do not find the specified item, use the search inside the settings.

In some cases, forcing an update via an APK file helps if the automatic update is frozen. However, for the average user, it is enough to make sure that the auto-update application option is enabled in the store settings.

Specifics for developers and debugging

If you are a game developer and testing advertising integration, the situation looks different. In debugging mode, advertising networks often do not show real ads, so as not to inflate statistics and not waste the developer’s budget on himself.

For testing, special test device identifiers are used. If you see a "No fill" message or a blank screen, this may mean that your device is not added to the test list in the advertising network console (for example, AdMob or Unity Ads).

To enable test advertising, you need to add the device code to the settings:

RequestConfiguration requestConfiguration =
new RequestConfiguration.Builder()
.setTestDeviceIds(Arrays.asList("YOUR_DEVICE_ID"))
.build();
MobileAds.setRequestConfiguration(requestConfiguration);

Where can I get Device ID?

The ID of your testing device is usually output to Logcat when you first try to load an ad. Look for the line containing "Use TestDeviceId".

It is also worth remembering about Frequency Capping limits. Advertising networks limit the number of impressions per user per hour or per day. If you request advertising too often during tests, the system may temporarily block impressions for your IP or ID.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why was there advertising and then disappeared after updating the game?

Updating the game often changes the version of the built-in advertising SDK (Software Development Kit). The new version may require different permissions or have a conflict with the old version Google Play Services. Try clearing the application cache or reinstalling the game.

Does power saving mode affect the display of ads?

Yes, it does. In strict power saving mode, the system limits background network activity and processor operation. This may prevent heavy video content from loading on time. Disable economy mode to check.

Is it possible to enable advertising in only one specific game?

You cannot share settings globally, but you can use an exception approach. If you have a system ad blocker, add this particular game to the Whitelist, leaving the blocking active for other applications.

What to do if it says “Error loading ads”?

This error most often indicates problems with the Internet connection or blocking of ad network domains. Check your Wi-Fi, turn off VPN and private DNS, and make sure the date and time on your device are correct.

Will resetting the Advertising ID delete my saves?

No, resetting the Advertising ID only affects which ads are shown to you. It has nothing to do with game saves, which are stored either locally in the application's memory or in the cloud Google Play Games.