AdMob recently released an update to the Android and iPhone SDK. Many developers have noticed a message on their “Sites & Apps” report indicating there is a “code update available“. However, AdMob don’t seem to have released a changelog or any release notes indicating what has actually changed in this latest version (v 4.1.0). So what’s the deal – should you upgrade?
AdMob has historically been quite reticent with details about their SDK updates. This leaves developers guessing whenever there’s a chance to upgrade their code. Some developers have reported issues with the latest version, ranging from compilation errors to ads simply not showing. However, for the most people seem to have updated to the latest SDK with no issues.
I released an update for Tap That! Number about a week ago, including the new AdMob SDK 4.1.0. I’ve had no trouble with it at all – in fact, overall ad impressions are slightly up, indicating the new SDK hasn’t caused any display issues. I’d recommend updating to the latest version, if only for the peace of mind you’ll get after seeing the little red message disappear! 🙂 Make sure you test your app with the new version thoroughly, to ensure ads are still displaying properly. It’s great if you can run an Android Virtual Device in the emulator which has a different screen resolution to your physical device, so you can ensure the ads are displaying properly on multiple resolutions.
One thing to be aware of – the message saying “code update available” did stay on my AdMob report page for a day or two after releasing the update with the new SDK. So don’t be too worried if you see the message stay around for a while. Just keep an eye on your requests/impressions graph, to make sure the ads are still showing.
AdMob Developer Wiki (download instructions)
How to add AdMob to your Android App (Google documentation)