Google Ads Developer Blog

Changes for supporting European Union Political Ads Regulation in Google Ads API and Google Ads scripts

torsdag den 7. august 2025

What’s changing? As announced last year, Google will stop serving political advertising in the European Union ahead of a new regulation taking effect in October 2025. On September 3, 2025, the Google Ads API and Google Ads scripts will roll out enforcements related to this change. If you use either of these products to create or manage campaigns, you may need to update your application to handle these enforcements before September 3, 2025. API support for self-declaration of EU political ads Google Ads API and Google Ads scripts have added support for self-declaration as to whether a campaign has EU political ads. Learn how an EU political ad is defined here. Versions v19.2, v20.1, and v21 of the API contain a new field named contains_eu_political_advertising in the Campaign object. The possible values and their meaning are shown in the table below.

Value

Meaning

CONTAINS_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING

The campaign has EU political ads.

DOES_NOT_CONTAIN_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING

The campaign does not have EU political ads.

UNSPECIFIED

The campaign is missing self-declaration about EU political ads.

You can retrieve the self-declaration status of a campaign in Google Ads API by running the following query using either the Search or SearchStream methods of the GoogleAdsService. For Google Ads Scripts, use the AdsApp.search or AdsApp.report methods. select campaign.id, campaign.contains_eu_political_advertising from campaign If you use the Google Ads API client libraries, you may need to download the latest library version to use this functionality in versions v19 and v20 of the API. API validation & enforcement changes On September 3, 2025, Google Ads API and Google Ads scripts will start enforcing the following checks in versions v19 and v20 of the API.

All new campaigns created either through Google Ads API or Google Ads scripts should set the contains_eu_political_advertising field. The API call to create a new campaign using CampaignService.MutateCampaigns will fail with a FieldError.REQUIRED error if this field is not set. Google Ads Scripts will enforce these checks when creating campaigns using AdsApp.mutate or AdsApp.mutateAll methods.

All the existing campaigns should set the contains_eu_political_advertising field before attempting to change proximity, location, or location_group targeting either at the campaign or ad group levels. The API call to create or update these campaign criteria using CampaignCriterionService.MutateCampaignCriteria method for existing campaigns will fail with a CriterionError.MISSING_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING_SELF_DECLARATION error if the campaign hasn’t completed the self-declaration. The API call to create or update these ad group criteria using AdGroupCriterionService.MutateAdGroupCriteria will also fail in a similar manner if the campaign hasn’t completed the self-declaration. Google Ads scripts will enforce these checks when attempting to change targeting using AdsApp.mutate, AdsApp.mutateAll, AdsApp.Campaign.addProximity, and AdsApp.Campaign.addLocation methods.

These enforcements also apply to other mechanisms that you can use to make campaigns, such as running Batch Jobs and using GoogleAdsService.Mutate method to create and update entities.

Attempting to schedule a new experiment using ExperimentService.ScheduleExperiment method will throw an ExperimentError.MISSING_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING_SELF_DECLARATION error if the contains_eu_political_advertising declaration is missing on the treatment draft campaigns.

If you use the bulk upload feature in Google Ads scripts, check the product documentation to learn more about the spreadsheet template changes required as part of this change.

These checks are already enforced in version v21 of the Google Ads API. How will this affect my campaign serving? Any campaign that has declared EU political ads by setting contains_eu_political_advertising to true will stop serving ads in the EU on September 22, 2025. Refer to our Help Center to learn more. Existing campaigns without a declaration will remain unaffected for now. We recommend updating the existing campaigns in your accounts with an appropriate declaration as soon as possible. You can retrieve campaigns without a declaration using the following GAQL query using either the Search or SearchStream methods of the GoogleAdsService. select campaign.id, campaign.contains_eu_political_advertising from campaign where campaign.contains_eu_political_advertising NOT IN ( 'CONTAINS_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING', 'DOES_NOT_CONTAIN_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING' ) What do I need to do? If your application uses either Google Ads API or Google Ads scripts to create or manage campaigns, make sure to update your application to handle these enforcements before September 3, 2025. How do I get help? Reach out to the Google Ads API support or Google Ads scripts support channels if you have more questions about this change.

- Anash P. Oommen, Google Ads API Team

Announcing v21 of the Google Ads API

onsdag den 6. august 2025

Today, we’re announcing the v21 release of the Google Ads API. To use some of the v21 features, you must upgrade your client libraries and client code. All the updated client libraries and code examples have been published. As previously announced, we are also releasing minor versions v20.1 and v19.2 of the Google Ads API. Here are some of the key features in this release:

We have added a new field named contains_eu_political_advertising for the Campaign object. Use this field to self-declare whether your campaign contains political advertising content targeted towards the European Union. If this field is set to true, the campaign will no longer serve in the EU starting September 23, 2025. This feature is also released in versions v20_1 and v19_2 of the API so you can start using this feature immediately without upgrading to the latest version of the API. See our blog post to learn more.

A new view campaign_search_term_view aggregates search term data at the campaign level and exposes search term data for Performance Max campaigns. We encourage you to migrate from search_term_view to campaign_search_term_view if you are interested in fetching search term data for Performance Max campaigns.

Brand guidelines will automatically be enabled on new campaigns.

You can now use the ai_max_setting.enable_ai_max field of the Campaign object to enable AI Max for Search campaigns. Google Ads AI Max is a suite of AI-powered features for standard Search campaigns designed to increase conversions and reach. It works by using machine learning to expand keyword targeting, dynamically generate ad creatives based on user intent, and send users to the most relevant landing pages on your website. Refer to our blog post to learn more. A new view ai_max_search_term_ad_combination_view exposes search term data for AI Max for Search campaigns. We plan to launch a consolidated version of this view including data from other campaign types in a future API version.

We are allowing Terms & Service, QR codes, and various other barcodes to be added to PromotionAssets.

Where can I learn more? The following resources can help you get started:

Release Notes

Upgrade from a previous version

Guides

Reference

Diff between v21 and v20

If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum.

- Anash P. Oommen, Google Ads API Team

Unlocking enhanced Performance Max targeting in the Google Ads API

mandag den 4. august 2025

We're excited to announce the launch of three powerful new features for Performance Max campaigns within the Google Ads API. These updates will give you greater control and flexibility over your Performance Max campaigns, allowing for even more precise targeting and optimization. Available today across all supported versions of the Google Ads API, these features empower developers and advertisers to refine their Performance Max strategies. Introducing new targeting capabilities1. Device targeting With the introduction of device targeting, you now have the ability to specify at the campaign level where your Performance Max ads will appear. This feature provides a new layer of control, enabling you to optimize your campaign reach across various platforms. To set up device targeting, add a DeviceInfo criterion to your Performance Max campaign. 2. Negative keyword lists To help prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches, we're introducing support for negative keyword lists at the campaign level on Performance Max campaigns. This highly requested feature allows you to upload and apply lists of keywords that you want to exclude, ensuring your ads are displayed to the most relevant audience. Attach a NegativeKeywordListInfo criterion to your PMax campaign to enable this targeting feature. 3. Age range exclusions We're also adding the capability to exclude specific age ranges from your Performance Max campaigns. This allows for more granular audience targeting, which helps you comply with age-related advertising regulations and focus your spend on the most appropriate demographics for your products or services. To set up an age range exclusion, add an AgeRangeInfo as a negative criterion on your PMax campaign. How to get started These new features are available starting today on all supported versions of the Google Ads API. For detailed documentation on how to implement these new targeting options in your Performance Max campaigns, refer to our developer guides. We're committed to continually enhancing the Google Ads API to provide you with the tools you need to succeed. We encourage you to explore these new features and incorporate them into your Performance Max strategies to achieve even better results.

- Sarah Pollack, Google Ads API Team

July 2025 update to Display & Video 360 API

torsdag den 31. juli 2025

Today, we’re announcing the July 2025 update to the Display & Video 360 API. This update includes the following:

Support for campaign and insertion order targeting in v4, bringing it to parity with v3.

The ability to retrieve video ad inventory control settings for YouTube & Partners line items.

For more details, see the Display & Video 360 API release notes. Before using these new features, make sure to update your client library to the latest version. Display & Video 360 API v3 will sunset on October 7, 2025. If you are still using v3, update your integration to use v4 as soon as possible. Follow the steps in our v4 migration guide to migrate. If you need help with these new features, please contact us using our Display & Video 360 API Technical support contact form.

- Trevor Mulchay, Display & Video 360 API Team

Version Support Changes for the Google Ads API Python Library

torsdag den 24. juli 2025

In October, 2025, Python 3.9 will reach end-of-life in October 2025 and will no longer be supported by the Python Software Foundation. Once Python 3.9 officially reaches end-of-life status, it will also no longer be supported by the Google Ads client library for Python. That means we will not make updates to the library, or address any issues related to compatibility with Python 3.9, outside of critical security updates. In Q4 2025 we will release a new major version of the library that is incompatible with Python 3.9. This new version will include support for Python 3.14. Users of deprecated, or soon-to-be deprecated versions of Python, are at risk of losing access to the Google Ads API. Please note the below timelines:

Current: Python 3.7 users cannot currently access the Google Ads API

Q1 2026: Python 3.8 users will lose access to the API when version v19 of the Google Ads API is sunset in Q1 2026.

Late 2026: Python 3.9 users will lose access to the API when version v22 of the Google Ads API is sunset in late 2026

Follow the deprecation and sunset timetable for updates around the specific timing of Google Ads API version releases and sunsets. Any library users currently relying on Python 3.8 or 3.9 should upgrade their systems to Python 3.10 or higher as soon as possible. If you have any questions about this change, please file an issue on the client library repository.

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

Increased flexibility for Google Ads API conversion imports

tirsdag den 22. juli 2025

Starting on October 3, 2025, you will be able to set both the gclid and gbraid fields on your ClickConversion messages when importing them to the Google Ads API, by using the UploadClickConversions method. Previously, setting both of these fields resulted in the following partial failure error:

error_code: FieldError.VALUE_MUST_BE_UNSET

location.field_path_elements.field.field_name: gclid

Once this change is released, this error will no longer be returned. Instead you will see successful import responses.

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

What you need to know about the business name and logo asset migration in PMax Campaigns

mandag den 14. juli 2025

What’s changed? Today, we're excited to announce that the brand guidelines rollout is now complete for all new Performance Max campaigns created through the Google Ads UI, with API-created accounts soon to follow. As was first announced in December, this means that new PMax campaigns initiated in the UI will have brand guidelines enabled by default, offering advertisers greater control over their brand's representation. With brand guidelines rolling out to more Performance Max campaigns, it is crucial to understand how this impacts campaigns you interact with via the API, and for you to update your code in advance to prepare for it. What do API Users need to update now? Previously, brand assets such as your business name and logo were associated with Asset Groups. Currently, for any PMax campaign with brand guidelines enabled, these brand assets are now stored at the campaign level. This means if your application queries or modifies brand assets for PMax campaigns, you must adjust your code to look for these assets in CampaignAsset instead of AssetGroupAsset for these campaigns. Accounting for both asset locations in your application is vital to ensure your integrations continue to function as expected. To determine if brand guidelines are enabled for a PMax Campaign, check the Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field. What do API Users need to plan for in the future? Brand guidelines will be enabled by default when creating PMax Campaigns using the API beginning in v21. You can optionally disable brand guidelines by setting the Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field to false on-creation. The default behavior for brand guidelines on new Performance Max campaigns created via the API remain disabled for all supported versions through v20. To manually turn on brand guidelines through the API, you have two options:

Starting in v19, all API users can choose to manually enable brand guidelines when creating a new PMax campaign. To do so, you need to set the Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field to true during campaign creation. You can refer to the “Add Performance Max Campaign” code sample for an example of how to create a campaign with brand guidelines enabled.

To manually enable brand guidelines for an existing campaign, use CampaignService.EnablePMaxBrandGuidelines. Set auto_populate_brand_assets to true to automatically populate the campaign with top-performing brand assets. Disabling brand guidelines for a campaign after its creation is not supported.

There is an in-progress automatic migration to enable brand guidelines for existing campaigns. As previously announced, this migration has already begun on a rolling basis by CID. Only campaigns that use the same logos and business name across all asset groups will be automatically migrated. We anticipate the migration to be completed for all applicable CIDs by October 30th. In the meantime, we encourage you to use the existing migration endpoint to manually update your campaigns to brand guidelines at your own pace.