Integrate Banner Ads on Vungle SDK v.6 for Android and Amazon

The Vungle Banner format is currently in BETA phase. Please contact your account manager directly for access to ensure a successful launch.

Understand Banner Ads

Banner ads are rectangular ads occupying a location anywhere within the app's layout, typically displayed on the top or bottom of the screen, so that the user can continue to interact with the app while the ad is playing. The container size to render banner ads can be 320x50, 300x50, or 728x90 (for tablets).

Step 1. Complete Basic Integration

To integrate banner ads in your Android or Amazon app, begin by following the instructions in the basic integration article. This Banner Ads article contains supplementary information and assumes you have completed basic integration.

Step 2. Implement Event Listeners

You can use generic callbacks, by implementing LoadAdCallback for ad load events and PlayAdCallback for ad play events, or use inline callbacks when you invoke loadAd and playAd.

Implement LoadAdCallback

private final LoadAdCallback vungleLoadAdCallback = new LoadAdCallback() { 
  @Override
  public void onAdLoad(String id) { 
    // Ad has been successfully loaded for the placement
  } 

  @Override 
  public void onError(String id, VungleException exception) { 
    // Ad has failed to load for the placement
  }
};

// 6.4.x & below
private final LoadAdCallback vungleLoadAdCallback = new LoadAdCallback() { 
  @Override
  public void onAdLoad(String id) { 
    // Ad has been successfully loaded for the placement
  } 

  @Override 
  public void onError(String id, Throwable throwable) { 
    // Ad has failed to load for the placement
  }
};

PlayAdCallback

private final PlayAdCallback vunglePlayAdCallback = new PlayAdCallback() {
  @Override
  public void onAdStart(String id) { 
    // Ad experience started
  }
  
  @Override
  public void onAdViewed(String id) { 
    // Ad has rendered
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdEnd(String id) {
    // Ad experience ended
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdClick(String id) {
    // User clicked on ad
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdLeftApplication(String id) {
    // User has left app during an ad experience
  }
  
  @Override
  public void creativeId(String creativeId) {
   // Vungle creative ID to be displayed
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(String id, VungleException exception) { 
    // Ad failed to play
  }
};

// 6.8.x & 6.9.x
private final PlayAdCallback vunglePlayAdCallback = new PlayAdCallback() {
  @Override
  public void onAdStart(String id) { 
    // Ad experience started
  }
  
  @Override
  public void onAdViewed(String id) { 
    // Ad has rendered
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdEnd(String id) {
    // Ad experience ended
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdClick(String id) {
    // User clicked on ad
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdLeftApplication(String id) {
    // User has left app during an ad experience
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(String id, VungleException exception) { 
    // Ad failed to play
  }
};

// 6.6.x & 6.7.x
private final PlayAdCallback vunglePlayAdCallback = new PlayAdCallback() {
  @Override
  public void onAdStart(String id) { 
    // Ad experience started
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdEnd(String id) {
    // Ad experience ended
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdClick(String id) {
    // User clicked on ad
  }

  @Override
  public void onAdLeftApplication(String id) {
    // User has left app during an ad experience
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(String id, VungleException exception) { 
    // Ad failed to play
  }
};

// 6.5.x & below
private final PlayAdCallback vunglePlayAdCallback = new PlayAdCallback() { 
  @Override 
  public void onAdStart(String placementReferenceId) {
    // Ad experience started
  } 

  // Deprecated
  @Override
  public void onAdEnd(String placementReferenceId, boolean completed, boolean isCTAClicked) {
    // Invoked when the ad experience is completed
    // isCTAClicked flag indicates whether CTA download button has been triggered
		// completed flag indicates at least 80% of video was watched for rewarded placement
  }

  @Override 
  public void onError(String placementReferenceId, VungleException exception) {
    // Ad failed to play
  }
};

Step 3. Load, Display, and Close a Banner Ad

Note on v6.10.1 API Change: Banners.loadBanner and Banners.getBanner will now take a BannerAdConfig object for the size of banner ad to be requested and displayed, compared to AdConfig.AdSize object that was used for v6.9.1 and below. Banners.canPlayAd continues to take AdConfig.AdSize to check ad availability for a banner placement for a specific banner ad size.

Load a Banner Ad

Loading a banner ad works differently than it does for other ad formats. There is a specific Banners API that you use to load, play, and check for ad availability. You must specify the size of the banner that you want to load, and the SDK will automatically refresh it with the time interval that you configured on the dashboard. You must also configure the placement to support a banner feed, so please contact your Vungle/Liftoff Monetize account manager to enable banner ads for a placement.

• Load a banner ad by calling the loadBanner method:
  6.10.x & above 6.9.1 & below

  final BannerAdConfig bannerAdConfig = new BannerAdConfig();
  bannerAdConfig.setAdSize(AdConfig.AdSize.BANNER);
  Banners.loadBanner("BANNER_ID", bannerAdConfig, vungleLoadAdCallback);

  // 6.9.1 & below
  Banners.loadBanner("BANNER_ID", bannerAdConfig.getAdSize(), vungleLoadAdCallback);

• Check for banner ad availability by calling the canPlayAd method:
  6.10.x & above 6.9.1 & below

  final BannerAdConfig bannerAdConfig = new BannerAdConfig();
  bannerAdConfig.setAdSize(AdConfig.AdSize.BANNER);
  Banners.canPlayAd("BANNER_ID", bannerAdConfig.getAdSize());

  // 6.9.1 & below
  Banners.canPlayAd("BANNER_ID", AdConfig.AdSize.BANNER);

Display a Banner Ad

Because the view size is fixed, you must specify the container used to display banner ads to be one of the supported sizes: 320x50, 300x50, or 728x90 (for tablets). You can place the view anywhere on the screen. This container is a LayOut. Its size must be equal to or greater than the banner size you are using. You can place this LayOut anywhere on the screen. Then you must pass the size of the banner you are using via the Banners API.

Pass this object when calling Banners.loadBanner to specify the size you are displaying, and use Banners.getBanner to get the Banners ad object. Finally, call the addView method to associate the container with the banner ad.

private FrameLayout bannerContainer = findViewById(...);
    
// Check for banner ad availability and display
final BannerAdConfig bannerAdConfig = new BannerAdConfig();
bannerAdConfig.setAdSize(AdConfig.AdSize.BANNER);

if (Banners.canPlayAd("BANNER_ID", bannerAdConfig.getAdSize())) {
  VungleBanner vungleBanner = Banners.getBanner("BANNER_ID", bannerAdConfig, vunglePlayAdCallback);
  bannerContainer.addView(vungleBanner);
}

// 6.9.1 & below
private RelativeLayout bannerContainer = findViewById(...);
// Check for banner ad availability and display
if (Banners.canPlayAd("BANNER_ID", AdConfig.AdSize.BANNER)) {
  VungleBanner vungleBanner = Banners.getBanner("BANNER_ID", AdConfig.AdSize.BANNER, vunglePlayAdCallback);
  bannerContainer.addView(vungleBanner);
}

Close a Banner Ad

Because the banner ad view has been added to your container view, it must also be removed, in case the ad view disappears from the screen, the activity or fragment is destroyed, or the parent view container is recycled or destroyed. If you try to play another banner ad without closing the previous ad, you may experience unexpected behavior in your app.

vungleBanner.destroyAd();

Step 4. Use Our VungleBanner API for Advanced Control (Optional)

In most cases, the integration described above is sufficient, and VungleBanner is managed. However, if the VungleBanner view is inside a list or a RecyclerView, the managed VungleBanner will not work correctly. The moment the user scrolls the ad offscreen and scrolls back, the ad will be finished and no longer there. For such cases, we provide an advanced API for closer control of the VungleBanner.

VungleBanner Class API

These APIs give developers fine control over how to treat the VungleBanner across various lifecycle events in the developer application. In most use cases, developers do not need to invoke these methods. Simply adding a VungleBanner into a parent view suffices.

In rare cases, however, either a view will be recycled (such as a RecyclerView, ListView, etc.), or we will need to handle visibility manually (in some older Android devices, WebView is not automatically paused when it goes offscreen).

*You must invoke vungleBannerAd.disableLifeCycleManagement(true) before using this API.

Managed and Un-Managed VungleBanner Views

When you get a VungleBanner, by default it is a managed VungleBanner view. This means that the moment you add this view into a parent container, Vungle controls when to show an ad, when to destroy an ad, and when to send the report. Visibility events are also taken care of, and developers do not have to notify the SDK when a banner view object is on screen or not. In cases where a developer does not have a VungleBanner view inside a recyclable view or ViewHolder pattern, this is the preferred way to use VungleBanner.

In cases where a VungleBanner view is inside a ListView or RecyclerView, the managed VungleBanner will not work correctly. The moment the user scrolls the ad offscreen and scrolls back, the ad will be finished and no longer be there.

For these cases, we added disableLifeCycleManagement(boolean disable) API to allow developers to handle the lifecycle of the VungleBanner manually.

Before you add the VungleBanner to a view or bind the view, when you set:

vungleBannerAd.disableLifeCycleManagement(boolean disabled)

You must call:

• VungleBanner.renderAd() when the view is bound
• VungleBanner.setAdVisibility(true|false) when the ad is recycled or no longer visible
• VungleBanner.destroyAd() when the VungleBanner object is no longer needed

Step 5. Customize Banner Ads (Optional)

You have the option to customize individual ads you play by providing a new adConfig object to playAd. When the AdConfig object is null, the ad plays with the default configuration settings; when it is non-null, its settings override those in the AdConfig setter. The following is an example of how to use AdConfig:

Vungle.playAd(placementReferenceID, adConfig, vunglePlayAdCallback);

The above example uses the adConfig object, which contains customized configuration options. Set the AdConfig object as shown:

AdConfig adConfig = new AdConfig();
adConfig.setAdOrientation(AdConfig.AUTO_ROTATE);
adConfig.setMuted(true);
Vungle.playAd(placementReferenceID, adConfig, vunglePlayAdCallback);

The following table lists the available AdConfig options for banner ads:

Note: You may use the same AdConfig object for multiple ads.

Step 6. Test a Banner Ad

You can test a Banner Ad in one of two ways: by setting your app status to Test Mode so that Vungle can deliver test ads to your app, or by adding a test device to your app so that Vungle can deliver test ads specifically to the test device. Follow the instructions in Test Your Integration: Test Mode and Test Devices.

Best Practices

1. Before attempting to show a banner ad, always try to check if the parent activity is finished before binding the VungleBanner to a view.

   if (activity != null && activity.isFinishing()) {
     return;
   }

2. Do not change the LayoutParams of VungleBanner. This could negatively impact how the banner is displayed, and possibly result in your ad not being visible.
3. Do not put the ad in a container size smaller than the requested ad. If you’re requesting a regular banner (320x50), ensure that your parent container is at least 320dp x 50dp.

Sample Code for Advanced Integration

VungleBannerAdAdapter.java