Banner & MREC ads

Banner and MREC ads are rectangular ad formats that occupy part of an app’s layout—often at the top or bottom of the screen or inline in scrollable content. They remain visible as users interact with the app, which allows uninterrupted gameplay or use, and can refresh automatically after a set period.

The following sections show you how to load, show, and hide a banner or MREC ad.

“Why mobile banners ads persist in a video and playable world” from AppLovin’s Blog.

Loading a banner or MREC

If your integration requires displaying MREC ads in a content feed, AppLovin recommends this technique:

  1. Create the minimal amount of instances possible.
  2. Stop auto-refresh.
  3. Manually refresh the contents by calling loadAd (re-use the MAAdView instances).

You can find an example implementation in the AppLovin demo app (Objective-C, Swift).

Banners

To load a banner, create a MAAdView object that corresponds to your ad unit and call its loadAd method. To show that ad, add the MAAdView object as a subview of your view hierarchy. Implement MAAdViewAdDelegate so that you are notified when your ad is ready. This also notifies you of other ad-related events.

#import "ExampleViewController.h"
#import <AppLovinSDK/AppLovinSDK.h>

@interface ExampleViewController()<MAAdViewAdDelegate>
@property (nonatomic, strong) MAAdView *adView;
@end

@implementation ExampleViewController

- (void)createBannerAd
{
  self.adView = [[MAAdView alloc] initWithAdUnitIdentifier: @"«ad-unit-ID»"];
  self.adView.delegate = self;

  // Banner height on iPhone and iPad is 50 and 90, respectively
  CGFloat height = (UIDevice.currentDevice.userInterfaceIdiom == UIUserInterfaceIdiomPad) ? 90 : 50;

  // Stretch to the width of the screen for banners to be fully functional
  CGFloat width = CGRectGetWidth(UIScreen.mainScreen.bounds);

  self.adView.frame = CGRectMake(x, y, width, height);

  // Set background color for banners to be fully functional
  self.adView.backgroundColor = «background-color»;

  [self.view addSubview: self.adView];

  // Load the ad
  [self.adView loadAd];
}

#pragma mark - MAAdDelegate Protocol

- (void)didLoadAd:(MAAd *)ad {}

- (void)didFailToLoadAdForAdUnitIdentifier:(NSString *)adUnitIdentifier withError:(MAError *)error {}

- (void)didClickAd:(MAAd *)ad {}

- (void)didFailToDisplayAd:(MAAd *)ad withError:(MAError *)error {}

#pragma mark - MAAdViewAdDelegate Protocol

- (void)didExpandAd:(MAAd *)ad {}

- (void)didCollapseAd:(MAAd *)ad {}

#pragma mark - Deprecated Callbacks

- (void)didDisplayAd:(MAAd *)ad { /* DO NOT USE - THIS IS RESERVED FOR FULLSCREEN ADS ONLY AND WILL BE REMOVED IN A FUTURE SDK RELEASE */ }
- (void)didHideAd:(MAAd *)ad { /* DO NOT USE - THIS IS RESERVED FOR FULLSCREEN ADS ONLY AND WILL BE REMOVED IN A FUTURE SDK RELEASE */ }

@end

MRECs

To load an MREC ad, create a MAAdView object corresponding to your ad unit and call its loadAd method. To show the ad, add the MAAdView object as a subview of your view hierarchy. Implement MAAdViewAdDelegate so that you are notified when your ad is ready. This also notifes you of other ad-related events.

#import "ExampleViewController.h"
#import <AppLovinSDK/AppLovinSDK.h>

@interface ExampleViewController()<MAAdViewAdDelegate>
@property (nonatomic, strong) MAAdView *adView;
@end

@implementation ExampleViewController

- (void)createMRecAd
{
  self.adView = [[MAAdView alloc] initWithAdUnitIdentifier: @"«ad-unit-ID»" adFormat: MAAdFormat.mrec];
  self.adView.delegate = self;

  // MREC width and height are 300 and 250 respectively, on iPhone and iPad
  CGFloat width = 300;
  CGFloat height = 250;

  // Center the MREC
  CGFloat x = self.view.center.x - 150;

  self.adView.frame = CGRectMake(x, y, width, height);

  // Set background color for MREC ads to be fully functional
  self.adView.backgroundColor = «background-color»;

  [self.view addSubview: self.adView];

  // Load the ad
  [self.adView loadAd];
}

#pragma mark - MAAdDelegate Protocol

- (void)didLoadAd:(MAAd *)ad {}

- (void)didFailToLoadAdForAdUnitIdentifier:(NSString *)adUnitIdentifier withError:(MAError *)error {}

- (void)didClickAd:(MAAd *)ad {}

- (void)didFailToDisplayAd:(MAAd *)ad withError:(MAError *)error {}

#pragma mark - MAAdViewAdDelegate Protocol

- (void)didExpandAd:(MAAd *)ad {}

- (void)didCollapseAd:(MAAd *)ad {}

#pragma mark - Deprecated Callbacks

- (void)didDisplayAd:(MAAd *)ad { /* DO NOT USE - THIS IS RESERVED FOR FULLSCREEN ADS ONLY AND WILL BE REMOVED IN A FUTURE SDK RELEASE */ }
- (void)didHideAd:(MAAd *)ad { /* DO NOT USE - THIS IS RESERVED FOR FULLSCREEN ADS ONLY AND WILL BE REMOVED IN A FUTURE SDK RELEASE */ }

@end

Destroying banners and MREC ads

You may no longer need a MAAdView instance. This may happen, for example, if the user purchases ad removal. Deallocate such a MAAdView instance to free resources.

Do not deallocate the MAAdView instance if you use multiple instances with the same Ad Unit ID.

[self.adView removeFromSuperview];
self.adView.delegate = nil;
self.adView = nil;

Adaptive banners

Google bidding and Google AdMob, Google Ad Manager, Liftoff Monetize, Pangle, and Yandex support adaptive banners. MAX sizes banners from other networks in the non-adaptive way.

Google recommends that developers include a 50 px padding between the banner placement and the app content. This makes it less likely that users accidentally click the banner. Refer to Google’s “About Confirmed Click” policy for more information and best practices.

Adaptive banners are responsive ads that dynamically adjust their dimensions based on device type and available width. Adaptive banners can be either anchored or inline, with each type serving specific integration needs.

Starting in MAX SDK version 13.2.0, you can integrate adaptive banners by initializing your MAAdView with a MAAdViewConfiguration object for which you set an adaptiveType at build-time.

Ad network adapter support for adaptive banner features

The following adapters support special adaptive banner features:

NetworkAdapter VersionsSpecial Feature
Google Ad Manager11.7.0.1+Inline adaptive banners
11.13.0.1+Inline adaptive MRECs
10.2.0.1+Setting a custom width
Google Bidding and Google AdMob11.7.0.1+Inline adaptive banners
11.13.0.1+Inline adaptive MRECs
10.2.0.2+Setting a custom width
Liftoff Monetize7.4.5.1+
Pangle7.1.0.8.0+
Yandex7.12.2.1+

Anchored adaptive banners

Anchored adaptive banners are those you anchor at the top or bottom of the screen. They dynamically adjust their height based on the device type and the banner width.

You must set the height of the MAAdView to the value returned by MAAdFormat.banner.adaptiveSize.height instead of using a constant value like 50 or 90.

- (void)createAnchoredAdaptiveBannerAd
{
  // Stretch to the width of the screen for banners to be fully functional
  CGFloat width = CGRectGetWidth(UIScreen.mainScreen.bounds);

  // Get the anchored adaptive banner height
  CGFloat height = MAAdFormat.banner.adaptiveSize.height;

  MAAdViewConfiguration *config = [MAAdViewConfiguration configurationWithBuilderBlock:^(MAAdViewConfigurationBuilder *builder) {
    builder.adaptiveType = MAAdViewAdaptiveTypeAnchored;
  }];

  self.adView = [[MAAdView alloc] initWithAdUnitIdentifier: @"«ad-unit-ID»" configuration: config];
  self.adView.delegate = self;

  self.adView.frame = CGRectMake(x, y, width, height);

  // Set background color for banners to be fully functional
  self.adView.backgroundColor = «background-color»;

  [self.view addSubview: self.adView];

  // Load the ad
  [self.adView loadAd];
}

Setting a custom width

For more specific integrations, you can configure a custom width in points by setting a MAAdViewConfiguration builder option. To fetch the appropriate height for your custom anchored adaptive ad, call the adaptive size API.

CGFloat width = 400;

// Get the anchored adaptive banner height
CGFloat height = [self.adView.adFormat adapativeSizeForWidth: width].height;

MAAdViewConfiguration *config = [MAAdViewConfiguration configurationWithBuilderBlock:^(MAAdViewConfigurationBuilder *builder) {
  builder.adaptiveType = MAAdViewAdaptiveTypeAnchored;
  builder.adaptiveWidth = width;
}];
self.adView = [[MAAdView alloc] initWithAdUnitIdentifier: @"«ad-unit-ID»" configuration: config];

Inline adaptive banners

Adaptive banners are anchored by default. You can also enable inline adaptive banners, which you can place in scrollable content. Inline adaptive banners are typically larger than anchored adaptive banners. They have variable heights that can extend to the full height of the device screen.

To enable inline adaptive banners, set the MAAdViewConfiguration adaptive type to MAAdViewAdaptiveTypeInline as shown in the code below:

MAAdViewConfiguration *config = [MAAdViewConfiguration configurationWithBuilderBlock:^(MAAdViewConfigurationBuilder *builder) {
  builder.adaptiveType = MAAdViewAdaptiveTypeInline;
  ⋮
}];

The default maximum height for an inline adaptive ad is the entire height of the device screen. You may want to set a maximum height, in points, for your inline adaptive ad to ensure that the ad fits in the height of the MAAdView. You can do this with code like the following, which uses a maximum height of 100 points as an example:

MAAdViewConfiguration *config = [MAAdViewConfiguration configurationWithBuilderBlock:^(MAAdViewConfigurationBuilder *builder) {
  builder.adaptiveType = MAAdViewAdaptiveTypeInline;
  builder.inlineMaximumHeight = 100;
  ⋮
}];

Inline adaptive MRECs

Inline adaptive MRECs span the full width of the application window by default, but you may optionally specify a custom width in points. The height is variable and can extend beyond standard MREC dimensions up to the full height of the device screen if you do not specify a maximum height.

To enable inline adaptive MRECs, set the MAAdViewConfiguration adaptive type to MAAdViewAdaptiveTypeInline as shown in the code below:

- (void)createInlineAdaptiveMRecAd
{
  // Set a custom width, in points, for the inline adaptive MREC. Otherwise stretch to screen width by using CGRectGetWidth(UIScreen.mainScreen.bounds)
  CGFloat width = 400;

  // Set a maximum height, in points, for the inline adaptive MREC. Otherwise use standard MREC height of 250 points
  // Google recommends a height greater than 50 points, with a minimum of 32 points and a maximum equal to the screen height
  // The value must also not exceed the height of the MAAdView
  CGFloat height = 300;

  MAAdViewConfiguration *config = [MAAdViewConfiguration configurationWithBuilderBlock:^(MAAdViewConfigurationBuilder *builder) {
    builder.adaptiveType = MAAdViewAdaptiveTypeInline;
    builder.adaptiveWidth = width; // Optional: The adaptive ad spans the width of the application window if you do not set a value
    builder.inlineMaximumHeight = height; // Optional: The maximum height is the screen height if you do not set a value
  }];
  self.adView = [[MAAdView alloc] initWithAdUnitIdentifier: @"«ad-unit-ID»" adFormat: MAAdFormat.mrec configuration: config];
  self.adView.delegate = self;

  self.adView.frame = CGRectMake(x, y, width, height);

  // Set background color for adaptive MRECs to be fully functional
  self.adView.backgroundColor = «background-color»;

  [self.view addSubview: self.adView];

  // Load the ad
  [self.adView loadAd];
}

Handling adaptive ad sizes

The adaptive ad you load could be smaller than the dimensions you requested. You may wish to configure your UI in a way that can adapt based on the size of the adaptive ad served. If so, you can retrieve the width and height of the loaded ad, in points, with code like the following:

- (void)didLoadAd:(MAAd *)ad
{
  CGSize adViewSize = ad.size;
  CGFloat width = adViewSize.width;
  CGFloat height = adViewSize.height;
  ⋮
}

Stopping and starting auto-refresh

You may want to stop auto-refresh for an ad. You may want to do this, for instance, when you hide a banner ad or you want to manually refresh. Stop auto-refresh for a banner or MREC ad with the following code:

// Set this extra parameter to work around SDK bug that ignores calls to stopAutoRefresh()
[adView setExtraParameterForKey: @"allow_pause_auto_refresh_immediately" value: @"true"];
[adView stopAutoRefresh];

Start auto-refresh for a banner or MREC ad with the following call:

[adView startAutoRefresh];

Manually refresh the contents with the following call. You must stop auto-refresh before you call loadAd().

[adView loadAd];
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