On June 12, 2025, we will be making three changes to the Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files (SDFs) to better align with the Display & Video 360 product.

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On June 12, 2025, we will be making three changes to the Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files (SDFs) to better align with the Display & Video 360 product.

These changes may impact your existing integrations. We have announced these changes on our Announced Deprecations page:

• Content category settings for YouTube & partner campaigns will no longer be modifiable at the line item level.
• Budget for line items under insertion orders using automated bid strategies will no longer be able to be updated using Display & Video 360 API or SDFs.
• SDFs will allow targeting of any properly-formatted URL.

If you believe any of these changes will impact your integrations, follow the recommended actions in the change description.

If you run into any issues or have questions about these changes, please contact us using our Display & Video 360 API Technical support contact form.

- Trevor Mulchay, Display & Video 360 API Team

Starting on June 30, 2025, in-app conversions imported through the Google Ads API must include a value for the ClickConversion.conversion_environment field. See this article for more details.

For developers importing in-app conversions, please observe these considerations:

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Starting on June 30, 2025, in-app conversions imported through the Google Ads API must include a value for the ClickConversion.conversion_environment field. See this article for more details.

For developers importing in-app conversions, please observe these considerations:

1. In-app conversions are defined as any conversion events that occur within an app, such as purchase, add to cart, or sign up.
2. For existing campaigns, if you do not include the conversion_environment field when importing conversions, that will negatively impact bidding, resulting in fewer conversions and worse overall performance.
3. For new campaigns, if you upload conversion_environment data, that will directly improve campaign performance by driving additional app conversions.
4. The presence or absence of the conversion_environment parameter does not impact conversion uploads. These conversions will still be consumed and reported, with no error messages.

If you have any questions or need help, see the Google Ads API support page for options.

- Ben Karl, on behalf of the Google Ads API Team

This post was recently updated to reflect that API support for these settings will be included in v21.

We're providing an important update regarding new image optimization features rolling out in the Google Ads user interface, specifically impacting Performance Max campaigns.

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This post was recently updated to reflect that API support for these settings will be included in v21.

We're providing an important update regarding new image optimization features rolling out in the Google Ads user interface, specifically impacting Performance Max campaigns.

What are these new UI features?

• Landing Page Images: This setting allows Google AI to automatically source relevant images directly from your ad's landing page. The aim is to dynamically incorporate these visuals into your ads, potentially improving relevance and extending your reach across more placements.
• Image Enhancements: With this feature, Google AI can automatically make improvements to your uploaded image assets. This can include smart cropping to create different versions of your images, helping to unlock more ad inventory and boost performance. Future enhancements may also include capabilities like uncropping or animating images.

You can find more information about these features in the Google Ads Help Center.

Default behavior:

Image enhancements will be enabled for all Performance Max users. For Landing Page Images, the setting will be enabled on PMax only if the account level Dynamic Image setting is active. Note that enabling the account-level Dynamic Image setting requires manual opt-in through the UI.

Key Information for API Users:

At this time these new UI features for Performance Max campaigns can only be managed with the Google Ads user interface. API control of these settings will become available in version 21.

• These features will not be viewable through the Google Ads API.
• At this time, you will not be able to opt-in or opt-out of these new settings (Landing Page Images and Image Enhancements) using the Google Ads API. To change the status of these settings you must use the Google Ads UI.

API Integration Impact:

Your existing API integrations will continue to function for the features and settings currently supported by the API. However, these new additional Performance Max settings will need to be managed by your users directly in the Google Ads interface.

We encourage you to familiarize yourselves with the details provided in the Google Ads Help Center to understand the scope of these UI changes for Performance Max campaigns. This will enable you to effectively support your users and clarify what can and cannot be controlled via the API.

We are committed to keeping our developer community informed. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates on control of these image optimization settings in the Google Ads API.

 - Sarah Pollack, Google Ads API Team

Today we’re announcing the deprecation of Structured Data Files (SDF) v7. This version will sunset on November 4, 2025.

Migrate to SDF v7.1 or higher before the sunset date to avoid any interruption of service. See the differences between SDF v7 and v7.1 in the v7.1 release notes.

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Today we’re announcing the deprecation of Structured Data Files (SDF) v7. This version will sunset on November 4, 2025.

Migrate to SDF v7.1 or higher before the sunset date to avoid any interruption of service. See the differences between SDF v7 and v7.1 in the v7.1 release notes.

After November 4, 2025, the following changes will apply to all users:

• The default version of partners and advertisers that use v7 will be updated to v7.1.
• sdfdownloadtasks.create requests that use SDF_VERSION_7 in the request body will return a 400 error.

If you run into issues or need help with your migration, please contact us using our new Display & Video 360 API Technical support contact form.

- Trevor Mulchay, Display & Video 360 API Team

The open beta launch of AI Max for Search campaigns in the Google Ads UI will begin on 27 May 2025.

While full AI Max for Search campaigns support in the ...Read More

The open beta launch of AI Max for Search campaigns in the Google Ads UI will begin on 27 May 2025.

While full AI Max for Search campaigns support in the Google Ads API is planned for v21 in August 2025, we want to ensure you're prepared for the open beta rollout and understand its potential impact on your API interactions.

What is AI Max for Search campaigns?

• AI Max for Search campaigns

What is Changing?
During the open beta period, before full API support arrives in v21, there will be a transitional phase. Here's what API users need to know:

1. Feature Grouping in the UI: When a user enables AI Max for Search campaigns for a campaign in the Google Ads UI, several legacy features will be grouped into the new AI Max for Search campaigns settings:
   • Text customization (formerly known as Automatically created assets (ACA))
   • Campaign-level broad match (the setting itself)
   • Brand inclusions (previously tied to campaign-level broad match)
   • Campaign-level brand exclusions
2. Potential API Conflicts During Transition: Once AI Max for Search campaigns has been enabled and then disabled for a campaign via the UI, managing its associated features (ACA, brand list inclusions/exclusions) using any API version is subject to feature grouping and may cause errors. Starting with v21, AI Max for Search campaigns can be activated through the API.
   • Why? Disabling AI Max for Search campaigns in the UI during this interim period doesn't fully revert the underlying settings configuration back to the pre-AI Max for Search campaigns state compatible with older API versions for these specific features.
   • Campaign-Level Broad Match: Attempts to toggle the campaign-level broad match setting via the API will be allowed but may function differently depending on the AI Max for Search campaigns state. Keywords will still be converted to Broad Match if the setting is enabled via the API, but the primary control mechanism moves to AI Max for Search campaign.
   • Text customization: Attempts to deactivate text customization via API requests will raise an error if Final URL expansion is enabled in the UI.
3. Mitigation - UI Warnings: To prevent accidental disruption, the Google Ads UI will display warning messages when enabling or disabling AI Max in Search campaigns for campaigns that use these legacy features, explicitly mentioning the potential impact on API workflows during this beta period.
4. Recommendation: We strongly advise coordinating within your teams. If your organization relies heavily on API workflows for managing ACA or Brand Lists, be cautious about enabling and then disabling AI Max in Search campaigns in the UI for those campaigns until full API support lands in v21 in August 2025.

What Stays the Same:

• You can continue to manage existing Search campaigns using ACA, campaign-level broad match, and brand exclusions via the current API version (v19) as long as AI Max in Search Campaigns has not been enabled and then disabled for those specific campaigns in the UI.
• Ad Group level Brand Inclusions and Locations of Interest (LOI) pilots (outside of AI Max for Search campaigns) are ending. Functionality for these will only be available within AI Max for Search campaigns going forward.

Preparing for the Future - v21 and beyond:

• Full Support Coming: API v21 (planned for August 2025) will introduce dedicated fields and services to fully manage all AI Max for Search campaigns features, including the new consolidated controls.
• Legacy Field Deprecation: Following the launch and adoption of v21, older API versions will sunset. At that point, the legacy fields for ACA, campaign-level broad match, and standalone brand exclusions/inclusions will be fully deprecated and removed from the API.

If you have any questions, please contact us on the forum.
Bob Hancock, Google Ads API Team

We previously announced our 2025 Google Ads API release plans. We are introducing a few changes to this schedule as a part of our ongoing efforts to evolve our release process. The new schedule lets us make various product features available earlier in the Google Ads API. As usual, additional details on new features will follow as part of the release notes for individual versions.

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We previously announced our 2025 Google Ads API release plans. We are introducing a few changes to this schedule as a part of our ongoing efforts to evolve our release process. The new schedule lets us make various product features available earlier in the Google Ads API. As usual, additional details on new features will follow as part of the release notes for individual versions.

1. V20_1 will be upgraded to a major version and named V21.
2. V21 will be renamed to V22.
3. We will add two minor releases (v19_2, v20_1) alongside V21 to add these features in existing Google Ads API versions.
4. The projected launch dates will remain unchanged.

Here’s our updated schedule.

Version	Planned Release Type	Projected launch	Projected sunset
V20	Major	June/July 2025	June 2026
V21	Major	August/September 2025	August 2026
V19_2	Minor	August/September 2025	February 2026
V20_1	Minor	August/September 2025	June 2026
V22	Major	October/November 2025	October 2026

Please take a look at your future plans to make sure they still align with the upcoming Google Ads API release schedule.

How to get help

If you have any questions or need help, check out the Google Ads API support page for options.

 - Anash P. Oommen, Google Ads API Team

IMA Android version 3.35.1 adds the ImaSdkFactory.initialize() method. This call begins loading necessary SDK resources before the first ad request, leading to faster load times. These changes can limit ad buffering, and help maximize ad impressions and monetization. Depending on the device, the loading process can take several seconds to complete.

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IMA Android version 3.35.1 adds the ImaSdkFactory.initialize() method. This call begins loading necessary SDK resources before the first ad request, leading to faster load times. These changes can limit ad buffering, and help maximize ad impressions and monetization. Depending on the device, the loading process can take several seconds to complete.

We strongly recommend making the initialize() call as soon as possible after the app starts. This approach shortens the time to first frame for pre-roll ads, thus limiting the time users are waiting and increasing monetization potential.

For applications that implement these load time improvements, the following benefits show:

• An average decrease of 0.25 to 0.5 seconds in time to first frame.
• With larger decreases for TV implementations, up to a five second improvement.

The following diagram shows an app using the initialize() method call to load system resources before a user selects a video:

The ImaSdkFactory.initialize() call accepts an ImaSdkSettings instance. Use the same settings values that are used to create any AdsLoader instances in the app. For client-side and DAI for more information, see optimize IMA load time . If you have any questions, feel free to reach out using the IMA technical forum.

 - Jackson Sui, Interactive Media Ads Developer Relations