Banner views are rectangular image or text ads that occupy a spot on screen. They stay on screen while users are interacting with the app, and can refresh automatically after a certain period of time. If you're new to mobile advertising, they're a great place to start. Case study.
This guide shows you how to integrate banner views into a Unity app. In addition to code snippets and instructions, it also includes information about sizing banners properly and links to additional resources.
Prerequisites
- Complete the Get started guide.
Always test with test ads
The following sample code contains an ad unit ID which you can use to request test ads. It's been specially configured to return test ads rather than production ads for every request, making it safe to use.
However, after you've registered an app in the AdMob web interface and created your own ad unit IDs for use in your app, explicitly configure your device as a test device during development.
Android
ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/6300978111
iOS
ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/2934735716
Initialize the Mobile Ads SDK
Before loading ads, have your app initialize the Mobile Ads SDK by calling
MobileAds.Initialize()
. This needs to be done only once, ideally at app launch.
using GoogleMobileAds;
using GoogleMobileAds.Api;
public class GoogleMobileAdsDemoScript : MonoBehaviour
{
public void Start()
{
// Initialize the Google Mobile Ads SDK.
MobileAds.Initialize((InitializationStatus initStatus) =>
{
// This callback is called once the MobileAds SDK is initialized.
});
}
}
If you're using mediation, wait until the callback occurs before loading ads as this will ensure that all mediation adapters are initialized.
BannerView example
The sample code below details how to use the banner view. In the example, you
create an instance of a banner view, use an
AdRequest
to load an ad into the banner view, and
then extend its capabilities by handling lifecycle events.
Create a banner view
The first step in using a banner view is to create an instance of a banner view
in a C# script attached to a GameObject
.
// These ad units are configured to always serve test ads.
#if UNITY_ANDROID
private string _adUnitId = "ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/6300978111";
#elif UNITY_IPHONE
private string _adUnitId = "ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/2934735716";
#else
private string _adUnitId = "unused";
#endif
BannerView _bannerView;
/// <summary>
/// Creates a 320x50 banner view at top of the screen.
/// </summary>
public void CreateBannerView()
{
Debug.Log("Creating banner view");
// If we already have a banner, destroy the old one.
if (_bannerView != null)
{
DestroyAd();
}
// Create a 320x50 banner at top of the screen
_bannerView = new BannerView(_adUnitId, AdSize.Banner, AdPosition.Top);
}
The constructor for a BannerView
has the following
parameters:
adUnitId
: The ad unit ID from which theBannerView
should load ads.AdSize
: The ad size you'd like to use. Consult Banner sizes for details.AdPosition
: The position where the banner views should be placed. TheAdPosition
enum lists the valid ad position values.
Note how different ad units are used, depending on the platform. You need to use an iOS ad unit for making ad requests on iOS and an Android ad unit for making requests on Android.
(Optional) Create a banner view with a custom position
For greater control over where a BannerView
is
placed on screen than what's offered by AdPosition
values, use the constructor
that has x- and y-coordinates as parameters:
// Create a 320x50 banner views at coordinate (0,50) on screen.
_bannerView = new BannerView(_adUnitId, AdSize.Banner, 0, 50);
The top-left corner of the BannerView
is
positioned at the x and y values passed to the constructor, where the origin is
the top-left of the screen.
(Optional) Create a banner view with a custom size
In addition to using an AdSize
constant, you can also specify a custom size
for your ad:
// Use the AdSize argument to set a custom size for the ad.
AdSize adSize = new AdSize(250, 250);
_bannerView = new BannerView(_adUnitId, adSize, AdPosition.Bottom);
Load a banner ad
To load an ad, create an AdRequest
and pass it to
the LoadAd()
method.
/// <summary>
/// Creates the banner view and loads a banner ad.
/// </summary>
public void LoadAd()
{
// create an instance of a banner view first.
if(_bannerView == null)
{
CreateBannerView();
}
// create our request used to load the ad.
var adRequest = new AdRequest();
// send the request to load the ad.
Debug.Log("Loading banner ad.");
_bannerView.LoadAd(adRequest);
}
Listen to banner view events
To customize the behavior of your ad, you can hook into a number of events in the ad's lifecycle, such as loading, opening, or closing. To listen for these events, register a delegate:
/// <summary>
/// listen to events the banner view may raise.
/// </summary>
private void ListenToAdEvents()
{
// Raised when an ad is loaded into the banner view.
_bannerView.OnBannerAdLoaded += () =>
{
Debug.Log("Banner view loaded an ad with response : "
+ _bannerView.GetResponseInfo());
};
// Raised when an ad fails to load into the banner view.
_bannerView.OnBannerAdLoadFailed += (LoadAdError error) =>
{
Debug.LogError("Banner view failed to load an ad with error : "
+ error);
};
// Raised when the ad is estimated to have earned money.
_bannerView.OnAdPaid += (AdValue adValue) =>
{
Debug.Log(String.Format("Banner view paid {0} {1}.",
adValue.Value,
adValue.CurrencyCode));
};
// Raised when an impression is recorded for an ad.
_bannerView.OnAdImpressionRecorded += () =>
{
Debug.Log("Banner view recorded an impression.");
};
// Raised when a click is recorded for an ad.
_bannerView.OnAdClicked += () =>
{
Debug.Log("Banner view was clicked.");
};
// Raised when an ad opened full screen content.
_bannerView.OnAdFullScreenContentOpened += () =>
{
Debug.Log("Banner view full screen content opened.");
};
// Raised when the ad closed full screen content.
_bannerView.OnAdFullScreenContentClosed += () =>
{
Debug.Log("Banner view full screen content closed.");
};
}
Destroy the banner view
When finished using the banner view, be sure to call Destroy()
to release
resources.
/// <summary>
/// Destroys the banner view.
/// </summary>
public void DestroyAd()
{
if (_bannerView != null)
{
Debug.Log("Destroying banner view.");
_bannerView.Destroy();
_bannerView = null;
}
}
That's it! Your app is now ready to display banner ads.
Refresh an ad
If you configured your ad unit to refresh, you don't need to request another ad when the ad fails to load. The Google Mobile Ads SDK respects any refresh rate you specified in the AdMob UI. If you haven't enabled refresh, issue a new request. For more details on ad unit refresh, such as setting a refresh rate, see Use automatic refresh for Banner ads.
Banner sizes
The table below lists the standard banner sizes.
Size in dp (WxH) | Description | Availability | AdSize constant |
---|---|---|---|
320x50 | Standard Banner | Phones and Tablets | BANNER |
320x100 | Large Banner | Phones and Tablets | LARGE_BANNER |
300x250 | IAB Medium Rectangle | Phones and Tablets | MEDIUM_RECTANGLE |
468x60 | IAB Full-Size Banner | Tablets | FULL_BANNER |
728x90 | IAB Leaderboard | Tablets | LEADERBOARD |
Provided width x Adaptive height | Adaptive banner | Phones and Tablets | N/A |
Screen width x 32|50|90 | Smart banner | Phones and Tablets | SMART_BANNER |
Learn more about Adaptive Banners, intended to replace Smart Banners. |
Additional resources
- HelloWorld example: A minimal implementation of all ad formats.