Release version: 3.0.0 | Release date: 23.05.2022

Follow this guide to get the best out of Appodeal.

The Appodeal SDK gives you access to 70+ Ad Demand Sources and makes them compete against each other in a real-time auction, maximizing your ad revenues. The Appodeal SDK also provides In-app Bidding, Automatic UA Optimization, User Segmentation & A/B Testing, Cross-Promotion and Direct Deals, Instant Payouts, and much more.

The following document shows how to integrate Appodeal in your iOS project with your desired networks via CocoaPods and manual setup, and configure all your ad formats.

You can use our demo app as a reference project.

Step 1. Import SDK

Fat and CocoaPods 3.0.0 versions work in pure Obj-C, and Swift as well as mixed Obj-C or Swift projects.

sudo gem install cocoapods

rm -rf "${HOME}/Library/Caches/CocoaPods"
rm -rf "`pwd`/Pods/"
pod update

source 'https://github.com/appodeal/CocoaPods.git'
source 'https://cdn.cocoapods.org/'

Step 2. Prepare your application

2.1 Add SKAdNetworkIds

Ad networks used in Appodeal mediation support conversion tracking using Apple's SKAdNetwork, which means ad networks are able to attribute an app install even when IDFA is unavailable. To enable this functionality, you will need to update the SKAdNetworkItems key with an additional dictionary in your  Info.plist.

1. Select Info.plist in the Project navigator in Xcode
2. Click the Add button (+) beside a key in the property list editor and press Return
3. Type the key name SKAdNetworkItems
4. Choose an Array  type
5. Add Key-Value pair where the key is SKAdNetworkIdentifier and the value is the ad network identifier

There is SKAdNetworks IDs in Info.plist format:

2.2 Configure App Transport Security settings

In order to serve ads, the SDK requires you to allow arbitrary loads. Set up the following keys in info.plist of your app:

1. Go to your info.plist  file, then press  Add+ anywhere in the first column of the key list.
2. Add App Transport Security Settings key  and set its type to  Dictionary in the second column.
3. Press Add+  at the end of the name  App Transport Security Settings key  and choose  Allow Arbitrary loads . Set its type to  Boolean  and its value to  Yes .

You can also add the key to your info.plist directly, using this code:

<key>NSAppTransportSecurity</key>
<dict>
  <key>NSAllowsArbitraryLoads</key>
  <true/>
</dict>

2.3 Other feature usage descriptions

To improve ad performance the following entries should be added:

1. GADApplicationIdentifier - When including AdMob in your project, you must also add your AdMob app ID to your info.plist . Use the key GADApplicationIdentifier with the value being your AdMob app ID.
   For more information about Admob sync check out our FAQ.
2. NSUserTrackingUsageDescription - Starting from iOS 14, using IDFA requires permission from the user. The following entry must be added in order to improve ad performance.
3. NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription - Entry is required if your application allows Appodeal SDK to use location data.
4. NSCalendarsUsageDescription - Recommended by some ad networks.
   
   

<key>GADApplicationIdentifier</key> 
<string>YOUR_ADMOB_APP_ID</string>
<key>NSUserTrackingUsageDescription</key>
<string><App Name> needs your advertising identifier to provide personalised advertising experience tailored to you</string>
<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string><App Name> needs your location for analytics and advertising purposes</string>
<key>NSCalendarsUsageDescription</key>
<string><App Name> needs your calendar to provide personalised advertising experience tailored to you</string>

Step 3. Initialize SDK

Import Appodeal into AppDelegate (AppDelegate.m) class and initialise the SDK: 

import Appodeal

#import <Appodeal/Appodeal.h>

@UIApplicationMain 
final class MyAppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, AppodealInitializationDelegate { 
	func application( 
		_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions
		launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey : Any]? = nil ) -> Bool {
		Appodeal.setAutocache(false, types: .interstitial) 
		Appodeal.setLogLevel(.verbose) 

		// New optional delegate for initialization completion 	
		Appodeal.setInitializationDelegate(self) 
		/// Any other pre-initialization 
		/// app specific logic 
		Appodeal.initialize( 
			withApiKey: "APP_KEY", 
			types: .interstitial 
		) 
		return true 
	} 
	func appodealSDKDidInitialize() { 
		// Appodeal SDK did complete initialization 
	} 
}

@interface MyAppDelegate () 
<AppodealInitializationDelegate> 

@end 

@implementation MyAppDelegate 
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions { 
	[Appodeal setAutocache:NO types:AppodealAdTypeInterstitial]; [Appodeal setLogLevel:APDLogLevelVerbose];

	// New optional delegate for initialization completion 
	[Appodeal setInitializationDelegate:self]; 

	/// Any other pre-initialization 
	/// app specific logic 
	[Appodeal initializeWithApiKey:@"APP KEY" types:AppodealAdTypeInterstitial];
	return YES; 
} 

- (void)appodealSDKDidInitialize { 
	// Appodeal SDK did complete initialization 
} 

@end

Step 4. Configure ad types

Appodeal SDK is now imported and you're ready to implement an ad. Appodeal offers a number of different ad formats, so you can choose the one that best fits your app's user experience.

Step 5. Publish your application

Update App Store IDFA usage. When you submit your application to the App Store you need to update its "Advertising Identifier (IDFA)" settings in order to comply with Apple advertising policy.

1. Go to the Advertising Identifier section.
2. Set Yes on the right panel.
3. Tick Serve advertisements within the app .
4. Tick confirmation box under Limit Ad tracking setting in iOS .

Configure App Privacy according to this doc: 

App Privacy Details

Step 6. Add app-ads.txt file

The app-ads.txt file is a text file which provides a mechanism for publishers to declare their authorized digital sellers. Created by IAB, it is an extension of the original ads.txt standard that was used for the same purpose in web advertising. It helps ad networks and DSPs easily verify whether an ad network or exchange they are buying your traffic from is actually allowed to sell it.

If you don't have app-ads.txt file yet:

1. Add developer website URL to your Google Play and App Store apps.

2. Download Appodeal's app-ads.txt from this page. 

3. Upload app-ads.txt file to the root path of your developer website (it should look like this: example.com/app-ads.txt).

If you already have app-ads.txt:

1. Copy Appodeal's app-ads.txt from this page.

2. Paste the content to your app-ads.txt.

Known issues

1. AdColony presentation issue

AdColony always checks if the key window’s rootViewController matches the passed rootViewController. Otherwise, Adcolony fails to show the ad. If your app has multiple independent windows, you can get a message with this or similar text:

It means that the rootViewController that was used in showAd doesn't belong to the first window in the array. 

2. AVAudioSession issue

If you use video or audio sessions in your app (usually for music players), you may encounter a problem with incorrect audio playback when loading an AdMob ad.
To solve this problem, add the following method to Your AppDelegate:

import GoogleMobileAds

final class AppDelegate ... {
    func application(
        _ application: UIApplication, 
        didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions:[UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?
    ) -> Bool {
        GADMobileAds.sharedInstance().audioVideoManager.audioSessionIsApplicationManaged = true
        return true
    }
}         

#import <GoogleMobileAds/GoogleMobileAds.h>
               
@implementation AppDelegate
                
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions {
    GADMobileAds.sharedInstance.audioVideoManager.audioSessionIsApplicationManaged = true;
    return YES;
}
                
@end        

You can find more information here.

3. MyTarget auto-initialisation issue

MyTarget supports auto-initialisation that may cause a crash at application startup. To disable this behaviour add the following key value pair into info.plist:

<key>MyTargetSDKAutoInitMode</key> 
    <false/>
</key>