How to enable advertising in games on Android through your phone settings

Many users are faced with a paradoxical situation: free games stop showing advertising videos, which is why developers limit access to content or internal currency is no longer awarded for viewing. This often happens after installing aggressive blockers or changing system privacy settings. Returning functionality requires intervention in the operating system settings Android.

Advertising mechanisms in mobile applications are closely related to the unique device identifier and network parameters. If the system blocks requests to ad servers or hides your digital fingerprint, monetization of the application is disrupted. You need to check several key sections in the settings menu to restore the normal operation of advertising modules.

In this article we will analyze in detail the algorithm of actions for activating advertising display. We will look at both standard tools Google Play Servicesand hidden network parameters that can affect traffic filtering. Follow the instructions carefully, as changing some settings may affect the personalization of content in other applications.

Checking the Google Advertising ID

The main tool for targeted advertising in the ecosystem Android is the Advertising ID. If this identifier is removed or its use is disabled in privacy settings, ad networks cannot select relevant content to serve.

To check the status, you need to go to the settings section responsible for data and privacy. The path may differ slightly depending on the version of the manufacturer's shell, but the logic remains the same for all devices based on Android 10 and higher.

Follow the following steps to activate the identifier:

• 📱 Open Settings your smartphone and find the item Google at the very bottom of the list or in the "Services" section.
• 🔍 Select the tab Advertising (or "Advertising and Privacy" in new versions).
• ✅ Make sure the "Remove advertising ID" switch is turned off and the "Enable ad personalization" option is active.

If you previously reset your ID, the system may have assigned you a temporary zero code. In this case, ads may not load for a while until the algorithms collect new app usage statistics.

It is important to understand that disabling this identifier makes you “invisible” to marketing algorithms. Many free games are configured to block gameplay for users without an advertising profile, considering them potential violators of monetization rules.

Configuring DNS and disabling blockers

A common reason for the lack of advertising is the use of a private DNS server that filters traffic at the system level. Services such as AdGuard DNS or DNS66can be activated accidentally or installed by third-party applications to protect against annoying banners.

To restore the ability to download commercials, you need to return the network settings to factory settings. This will allow the device to freely connect to ad network servers such as AdMob or Unity Ads.

Check your private DNS settings as follows:

• 🌐 Go to Settings → Network and Internet → Advanced settings.
• 🔌 Find item Private DNS Server (Private DNS).
• 🔄 Switch the mode from "ISP Hostname" to Auto or Disabled.

⚠️ Attention: If you are using a corporate profile or enterprise-specific security settings, changing DNS may disrupt access to the organization's internal resources. Check the security policy of your IT department.

It is also worth checking for installed blocker applications that work without root access, creating a local VPN tunnel. apps like Blokada or AdGuard (in full blocking mode) should be completely stopped or deleted.

After disabling traffic filtering, it is recommended to clear the cache of the problematic game. This will force the application to request advertising content again, now without obstacles from network settings.

Managing application permissions

Modern versions Android give users granular control over access rights. If a game is prohibited from accessing the network or certain system functions, the advertising module inside it simply will not be able to initialize.

You need to make sure that a particular gaming application has all the necessary permissions to work correctly. Often, users mistakenly deny access to the network in an attempt to save traffic, which leads to the failure of advertising SDKs.

The algorithm for checking access rights looks like this:

1. Tap and hold the game icon on the desktop.
2. In the menu that appears, select About the application (icon i in a circle).
3. Go to section Permissions and check the category Network or Full network access.

If network access is limited, change the setting to "Allowed". It is also worth checking the device ID access permissions, if such an option is present in the menu of your OS version.

Permission type	Advertising status	Impact on the game
Network access	Required	Without it, the game will not load levels and advertisements
Device ID	Desirable	Impacts the relevance of impressions
Notifications	Optional	Applies only to push notifications
Geolocation	Optional	Required for local targeted advertising

In some cases, completely resetting permissions for all applications helps. This will return the settings to the default state, which can resolve the access rights conflict that arose after updating the system.

Resetting Google Play Services settings

Services Google Play act as an intermediary between the application and the advertising network. If errors or incorrect data have accumulated in the cache of these services, the process of loading advertising content may be interrupted at the system level.

Clearing Google Play Services data is safe for your personal data, but will reset some system preferences related to maps and syncing. This is an effective method when other methods did not help.

Clean up according to the following instructions:

• 🛠 Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
• 📂 Find in the list Google Play Services (Google Play Services).
• 🗑 Click Storage and select Clear cache, and then Manage place → Clear all data.

⚠️ Note: After this procedure, you may need to re-configure some features, such as contactless payment or contact synchronization, as temporary access tokens will be reset.

After the reset, you need to restart your smartphone and start the game. The system will re-establish a connection with Google servers, and advertising requests should begin to be processed correctly.

Why does a reset help?

Data clearing removes old error logs and stuck requests that could be blocking new connections to ad servers. This is like a "reboot" of the network stack for specific services.

The impact of power saving mode

Aggressive power saving modes built into shells Xiaomi, Samsung or Huaweican limit the background activity of applications. Advertising SDKs often run in the background to preload videos, and the system may perceive this as a waste of resources.

If Ultra Power Saving mode or a similar hard limit is enabled, the network may turn off for inactive applications. This leads to the fact that at the moment when the game should show the video, the connection is already broken by the system.

To solve the problem, add the game to the exceptions:

1. Open settings Battery or Energy saving.
2. Find item Background activity or Restrictions on background processes.
3. Set the status for the desired game No restrictions or Do not limit.

It is also worth disabling the "Autostart" function for the game if it is blocked, since some advertising modules require initialization immediately after starting the application in order to work correctly during the session.

Time limits and parental controls

Digital wellbeing and parental controls may block certain types of shows content, including advertising. If your device is configured with restricted profiles, the system may filter advertising requests as inappropriate content.

Check your settings Digital well-being and parental controls. Make sure that your profile does not have restrictions on installing applications with advertising or on accessing certain categories of online content.

In some cases, creating a new user on the device without restrictions helps. Run the game under a clean profile to check whether the problem is systemic or related to specific settings in your account.

⚠️ Note: The Digital Wellbeing menu interfaces may vary on different versions of Android. If you do not find the items you need, use the settings search by entering the query “parental controls.”

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why did the game run slower after turning on advertising?

Loading and displaying video advertising requires additional processor resources and Internet channel. If the connection is unstable, the game may freeze while the video is buffering. Try switching from mobile data to Wi-Fi.

Is it safe to enable the advertising identifier?

Yes, this is a standard feature of the system. It allows you to show you more relevant ads instead of random ones. You can reset this ID at any time through Google settings to update your advertising profile.

Can a virus block ads?

Yes, some malware masquerades as ad blockers or changes the system's DNS settings to redirect traffic. If the problem cannot be solved by standard methods, it is recommended to check the device with an antivirus.

Does the Android version affect the ability to enable advertising?

Yes, in versions Android 12 and newer, stricter privacy settings have appeared, which can limit trackers by default. Owners of new smartphones need to check the privacy sections more carefully.

What to do if advertising is turned on, but rewards are not awarded?

This is a problem on the game server side. Make sure you watch the video to the end and do not close the application. If the problem persists, write to developer support, since the phone settings have nothing to do with it.