Announcing Android Google Mobile Ads SDK version 24.0.0

Version 24.0.0 of the Android Google Mobile Ads SDK is now available. To take advantage of the latest features and performance improvements, we highly recommend you configure your app to upgrade as soon as possible. Major changes to the SDK are as follows:

Minimum Android API level

Starting with version 24.0.0, the Google Mobile Ads SDK requires all apps to be on a minimum Android API level of 23. To adjust the API level, change the value of minSdk in your app-level build.gradle file to 23 or higher.

Optimized initialization and ad loading

By default, The OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION and OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING flags are now generally available and set to true. These flags help reduce ANRs. You can further prevent ANRs by initializing the Google Mobile Ads SDK on a background thread. For more information, see Optimize initialization and ad loading.

Removed ad services config in AndroidManifest.xml

To prevent merge conflicts for apps that configure API-specific Ad Services, we've 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.

SDK deprecation and sunset timelines activated

With this Android major version 24 launch and the iOS major version 12 launch last month, new deprecation and sunset dates for older releases are as follows:

• 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 there are currently no plans to disable ad serving on Android versions 21.x.x and iOS versions 9.x.x, we strongly recommend updating to the latest SDK version to avoid future impactions.

For a complete list of changes in v24.0.0 and detailed migration steps, check the release notes and SDK migration guide. If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us through Mobile Ads SDK Support.

 - Eric Leichtenschlag, Mobile Ads Developer Relations