Rewarded Video Ads (Legacy API)

Note: This guide uses the legacy rewarded API. We recommend using the new rewarded API.

Rewarded video ads are full-screen video ads that users have the option of watching in full in exchange for in-app rewards. This guide shows you how to integrate rewarded video ads from AdMob into an Android app.

Prerequisites

• Import the Google Mobile Ads SDK, either by itself or as part of Firebase.

Initialize rewarded video ads

Java

package ...

import com.google.android.gms.ads.AdRequest;
import com.google.android.gms.ads.MobileAds;
import com.google.android.gms.ads.reward.RewardedVideoAd;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity implements RewardedVideoAdListener {
    private RewardedVideoAd mRewardedVideoAd;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        MobileAds.initialize(this, "ca-app-pub-3940256099942544~3347511713");

        // Use an activity context to get the rewarded video instance.
        mRewardedVideoAd = MobileAds.getRewardedVideoAdInstance(this);
        // Make sure that the MainActivity class implements the required
        // interface: RewardedVideoAdListener
        mRewardedVideoAd.setRewardedVideoAdListener(this);
    }
    ...
}

Kotlin

package ...

import com.google.android.gms.ads.AdRequest
import com.google.android.gms.ads.MobileAds
import com.google.android.gms.ads.reward.RewardedVideoAd

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), RewardedVideoAdListener {

private lateinit var mRewardedVideoAd: RewardedVideoAd

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
        MobileAds.initialize(this, "ca-app-pub-3940256099942544~3347511713")

        // Use an activity context to get the rewarded video instance.
        mRewardedVideoAd = MobileAds.getRewardedVideoAdInstance(this)
        // Make sure that the MainActivity class implements the required
        // interface: RewardedVideoAdListener
        mRewardedVideoAd.rewardedVideoAdListener = this
    }
    ...
}

Note: It's important to use an Activity context instead of an Application context when calling MobileAds.getRewardedVideoAdInstance(). If your ad placement is configured for mediation, this context is passed to mediation adapters, and several adapters require an Activity context to load ads.

A RewardedVideoAd object can be retrieved using MobileAds.getRewardedVideoAdInstance().

To be notified of rewarded video lifecycle events, you must implement RewardedVideoAdListener. The rewarded ad listener is set using the setRewardedVideoAdListener() method. This listener is automatically notified of events from all the networks you're mediating. For example, you are notified of a user being rewarded for watching a video through the onRewarded() method on RewardedVideoAdListener.

Request rewarded video ad

Note: Make all calls to the Mobile Ads SDK on the main thread.

Java

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
    MobileAds.initialize(this, "ca-app-pub-3940256099942544~3347511713");

    // Use an activity context to get the rewarded video instance.
    mRewardedVideoAd = MobileAds.getRewardedVideoAdInstance(this);
    // Make sure that the MainActivity class implements the required interface:
    // RewardedVideoAdListener
    mRewardedVideoAd.setRewardedVideoAdListener(this);

    loadRewardedVideoAd();
}
private void loadRewardedVideoAd() {
    mRewardedVideoAd.loadAd("ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/5224354917",
            new AdRequest.Builder().build());
}

Kotlin

override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
    MobileAds.initialize(this, "ca-app-pub-3940256099942544~3347511713")

    // Use an activity context to get the rewarded video instance.
    mRewardedVideoAd = MobileAds.getRewardedVideoAdInstance(this)
    // Make sure that the MainActivity class implements the required interface:
    // RewardedVideoAdListener
    mRewardedVideoAd.rewardedVideoAdListener = this

    loadRewardedVideoAd()
}

private fun loadRewardedVideoAd() {
    mRewardedVideoAd.loadAd("ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/5224354917",
            AdRequest.Builder().build())
}

Adhering to the singleton design of RewardedVideoAd, requests to load an ad should be made to the shared instance.

It is highly recommended that you call loadAd() as early as possible (for example, in the onCreate() method of your Activity) to allow videos to be preloaded.

Always test with test ads

When building and testing your apps, make sure you use test ads rather than live, production ads. Failure to do so can lead to suspension of your account.

The easiest way to load test ads is to use our dedicated test ad unit ID for Android rewarded video:

ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/5224354917

It's been specially configured to return test ads for every request, and you're free to use it in your own apps while coding, testing, and debugging. Just make sure you replace it with your own ad unit ID before publishing your app.

For more information about how the Mobile Ads SDK's test ads work, see Test Ads.

Set up event notifications

The SDK provides the RewardedVideoAdListener interface, which has methods corresponding to the events in a rewarded video ad's lifecycle. Have your app define a class that implements this interface and pass it to setRewardedVideoAdListener prior to loading an ad.

The code example in Initialize rewarded video ads already shows how to declare that your class implements RewardedVideoAdListener and set the listener on the RewardedVideoAd object. Here is a sample implementation of the listener methods:

Java

@Override
public void onRewarded(RewardItem reward) {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewarded! currency: " + reward.getType() + "  amount: " +
            reward.getAmount(), Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    // Reward the user.
}

@Override
public void onRewardedVideoAdLeftApplication() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdLeftApplication",
            Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}

@Override
public void onRewardedVideoAdClosed() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdClosed", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}

@Override
public void onRewardedVideoAdFailedToLoad(int errorCode) {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdFailedToLoad", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}

@Override
public void onRewardedVideoAdLoaded() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdLoaded", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}

@Override
public void onRewardedVideoAdOpened() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdOpened", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}

@Override
public void onRewardedVideoStarted() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoStarted", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}

@Override
public void onRewardedVideoCompleted() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoCompleted", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}

Kotlin

override fun onRewarded(reward: RewardItem) {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewarded! currency: ${reward.type} amount: ${reward.amount}",
            Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
    // Reward the user.
}

override fun onRewardedVideoAdLeftApplication() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdLeftApplication", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

override fun onRewardedVideoAdClosed() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdClosed", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

override fun onRewardedVideoAdFailedToLoad(errorCode: Int) {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdFailedToLoad", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

override fun onRewardedVideoAdLoaded() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdLoaded", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

override fun onRewardedVideoAdOpened() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoAdOpened", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

override fun onRewardedVideoStarted() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoStarted", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

override fun onRewardedVideoCompleted() {
    Toast.makeText(this, "onRewardedVideoCompleted", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

Display a rewarded video ad

Java

if (mRewardedVideoAd.isLoaded()) {
    mRewardedVideoAd.show();
}

Kotlin

if (mRewardedVideoAd.isLoaded) {
    mRewardedVideoAd.show()
}

We recommend that you ensure that a rewarded video ad has finished loading before attempting to display it. The isLoaded() method indicates if the rewarded video ad request has been successfully fulfilled.

Using a RewardedVideoAdListener to reload an ad

The RewardedVideoAdListener class's onRewardedVideoAdClosed() method is a handy place to load a new rewarded video ad after displaying the previous one:

Java

@Override
public void onRewardedVideoAdClosed() {
    // Load the next rewarded video ad.
    loadRewardedVideoAd();
}

Kotlin

override fun onRewardedVideoAdClosed() {
    loadRewardedVideoAd()
}

Forward lifecycle events

To forward the parent Activity's lifecycle events to the RewardedVideoAd object, call the resume(), pause(), and destroy() methods in the parent Activity's onResume(), onPause(), and onDestroy() methods respectively.

Here is an example of Activity lifecycle event forwarding:

Java

@Override
public void onResume() {
    mRewardedVideoAd.resume(this);
    super.onResume();
}

@Override
public void onPause() {
    mRewardedVideoAd.pause(this);
    super.onPause();
}

@Override
public void onDestroy() {
    mRewardedVideoAd.destroy(this);
    super.onDestroy();
}

Kotlin

override fun onPause() {
    super.onPause()
    mRewardedVideoAd.pause(this)
}

override fun onResume() {
    super.onResume()
    mRewardedVideoAd.resume(this)
}

override fun onDestroy() {
    super.onDestroy()
    mRewardedVideoAd.destroy(this)
}

Integration with Unity

For instructions on integrating rewarded video into a Unity project, see Rewarded Video.

Additional resources

Samples on GitHub

• Rewarded Video sample app: Java | Kotlin

Video tutorial

• Rewarded Video Implementation

Codelab

• Add Rewarded Video Ads to your Android App

Next steps

• Create your own rewarded video ad unit in the AdMob UI.

• Try another ad format:

  • Interstitial
  • Banner