Google has released version 24.0.0 of the Android Google Mobile Ads SDK, introducing several important changes and improvements. The company strongly recommends users configure their apps to upgrade as soon as possible to take advantage of the latest features and performance enhancements.
Key Changes
Minimum Android API Level Requirement
Starting with version 24.0.0, the Google Mobile Ads SDK now requires all apps to use a minimum Android API level of 23. Developers will need to adjust the API level by changing the value of minSdk in their app-level build.gradle file to 23 or higher.
Optimized Initialization and Ad Loading
The OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION and OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING flags are now generally available and enabled by default. These optimizations help reduce ANRs (Application Not Responding errors). Google notes that developers can further prevent ANRs by initializing the Google Mobile Ads SDK on a background thread.
Removed Ad Services Config in AndroidManifest.xml
To prevent merge conflicts for apps that configure API-specific Ad Services, Google has removed the android.adservices.AD_SERVICES_CONFIG property tag from the SDK's manifest file. This change provides greater flexibility for developers who need to customize their Ad Services configurations.
Deprecation and Sunset Timelines
With the launch of Android major version 24 and the iOS major version 12 release last month, Google has activated new deprecation and sunset dates for older releases:
- Android Google Mobile Ads SDK versions 22.0.0 - 22.6.0 are officially deprecated and will sunset in June 2026.
- Android versions 21.x.x and iOS versions 9.x.x will sunset on June 30, 2025.
While Google currently has no plans to disable ad serving on Android versions 21.x.x and iOS versions 9.x.x, the company strongly recommends updating to the latest SDK version to avoid future impacts.
