Google Ads Developer Blog

A new onboarding experience for Google Ads API developers

2026 m. rugsėjo 10 d., ketvirtadienis

To improve the developer onboarding and usage experience, we built a new homepage for the Google Ads API in the Google Cloud Console. Basic Access applications are now automated for developers who have completed brand verification. This blog post covers several related changes that will start rolling out today. Developers should review the action required section of this post to ensure a smooth transition. Changes to API access management We are updating how you sign up for and manage Google Ads API access. New onboarding experience for Google Ads API: You can now sign up for access to the Google Ads API directly in the Google Cloud Console without requiring a Google Ads manager account. We are sunsetting all the new signup and API access management functionality in the API Center page in manager accounts and transitioning to the Google Ads API Overview page in Google Cloud Console. You can still access the API Center page to refer to your old developer details. This page will completely sunset in the future. API Access levels are associated with Google Cloud projects: We are sunsetting developer tokens. Your current and active developer token access level is automatically transferred to your Google Cloud projects based on recent API activity. You can continue sending developer tokens in your API call headers, but this is optional and ignored by the API servers. Your existing code will continue working without any changes. Your API Access levels are now determined by the Google Cloud project you used to generate your OAuth credentials. Refer to our FAQ page to learn more about this change and troubleshoot any issues you may encounter. New error code: Version v25 of the Google Ads API will throw a CLOUD_PROJECT_NOT_APPROVED_FOR_PRODUCTION error if you try to use a Google Cloud project with Test Account Access level to make calls to a production account. Older API versions will throw an ACTION_NOT_PERMITTED error instead. If you run into this error, navigate to the Google Ads API Overview page for your Google Cloud project and apply for Explorer Access. Changes to API review process Brand verification required for Basic and Standard access: For new Basic and Standard Access applications, you must complete brand verification for your Google Cloud project . Existing access holders are not required to complete brand verification, though it is encouraged. Automated Basic access approvals: Basic Access applications are now automated and will be reviewed within minutes after brand verification and submission. One-time rejection of pending Basic access applications: Due to these process updates, all the pending Basic API access applications will be closed as part of this transition. Affected applicants will receive an email with details and should reapply for API access from the Google Ads API Overview page. Action required Verify your API access: Check that your project's API access level correctly matches your existing developer token:

Find your developer token's access level in your Google Ads manager account's API Center.

Confirm your Google Cloud project has the same access level on the Google Ads API Overview page.

If the access levels do not match, please reapply for API access from the Google Ads API Overview page or reach out to the Google Ads API support if you need help.

Update your API contact email address: Visit the IAM (Identity and Access Management) page for your Cloud project. Ensure that the list of users in the owner and editor roles are up to date. We will start sending Mandatory Service Announcements (MSAs) to these email addresses to notify you about any future changes to the Google Ads API. Code changes: We encourage you to update your application code to stop sending developer tokens as part of the API calls. We have published new versions of the client libraries which allows you to make API calls without setting a developer token. We will start rejecting developer tokens in API calls in a future major version of the Google Ads API. Reapply for API access if applicable: If your pending Basic API access application was closed as part of this transition, please reapply for an API Access from the Google Ads API Overview page of your Google Cloud Console. We have published updated documentation to help you navigate these changes. For technical support issues, refer to our FAQ page or reach out to Google Ads API support. If you have any questions or want to discuss this post, please reach out to us on our Google Advertising and Measurement Community Discord server.

- Anash P. Oommen, Google Ads API Team

Google Ads API v22 sunset reminder

2026 m. rugsėjo 2 d., trečiadienis

Google Ads API v22 will sunset on October 7, 2026. Starting on this date, all v22 API requests will begin to fail. Migrate to a newer version prior to October 7, 2026 to ensure your API access is unaffected. Here are some resources to help you with the migration:

Upgrade to the newest version

Release notes

To view a list of methods and services that your project has recently called, use the Google Cloud Console:

Open APIs & Services in the Google Cloud Console.

Click Google Ads API in the table.

On the Metrics subtab, your recent requests are plotted on each graph. You can see which methods you've sent requests to in the Methods table. The method name includes a Google Ads API version, a service, and a method name, such as google.ads.googleads.v22.services.GoogleAdsService.Mutate.

(Optional) Select the timeframe for which you want to view your requests.

If you have any questions or want to discuss this post, reach out to Google Ads API support or start a discussion on our “Google Advertising and Measurement Community” Discord server.

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

Making Google Ads More Secure with Updates to Developer Policies

2026 m. rugpjūčio 31 d., pirmadienis

We are updating our Google Ads Developer Policies formerly the “Google Ads API Policy”, to support developers in building robust, high-quality integrations as new AI capabilities continue to shape the advertising industry. These updates establish clear frameworks for emerging technologies that are more secure and drive better outcomes for our shared customers. To ensure a seamless transition to these updated standards, the Ads API Compliance team is actively reviewing existing integrations. Please check if your application requires updates by reviewing the policy. We will also reach out directly to developers who will need to transition with detailed guidance, technical resources and additional details. Why we are introducing these updates nowAs technology evolves, we periodically review our policies to make sure they reflect the current landscape. Historically, some integrations have relied on programmatic proxies, which bypass the verifiable and secure interface between end-users and Google. To help protect advertising partners against fraud and security risks, integrations now need to connect directly to Google Ads services using their own dedicated Google Cloud project. This is critical to mitigate risks for customers, including:

Security Vulnerabilities: Using unaudited proxies can provide unauthorized actors access to your account. They also introduce the risk of cross-tenant data leaks, which could expose your data more broadly than intended.

Performance Bottlenecks: High-volume traffic routed through a single proxy can throttle throughput, cause latency across all users, and require enforcement across all users of a proxy when mitigating localized Denial of Service (DoS).

Next steps

Review your integrations to ensure they still follow Google Ads API policies. For full guidelines, visit the updated Google Ads Developer Policies.

Please ensure your contact email is up to date in the API Center so our Ads API Compliance team can easily share helpful communication or direct assistance from our compliance team as we do reviews. These communications will come from the google.com domain.

For technical support issues, please reach out to Google Ads Developer Support.

Nadine Wang, Advertising and Measurement APIs Team

October 2026 changes to the Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files

2026 m. rugpjūčio 27 d., ketvirtadienis

Today we’re announcing three unversioned changes to the Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files that will take effect in October 2026 and may impact your existing integrations. These changes will take place on the following dates and have been fully detailed on our Announced Deprecations page: Starting October 1, 2026:

You will no longer be able to exclude specific digital content labels using targeting, impacting available TARGETING_TYPE_DIGITAL_CONTENT_LABEL_EXCLUSION targeting options in the Display & Video 360 API and valid values for the Digital Content Labels - Exclude column in Line Item Structured Data Files.

You will no longer be able to exclude the majority of sensitive categories using targeting, impacting available TARGETING_TYPE_SENSITIVE_CATEGORY_EXCLUSION targeting options in the Display & Video 360 API and valid values for the Brand Safety Sensitivity Setting and Brand Safety Custom Settings columns in Line Item Structured Data Files.

Starting October 12, 2026:

You will be required to provide a business name and logo when you create or update YouTube responsive ads if default values are not already assigned to the parent advertiser, impacting the upload of Ad Structured Data Files.

If you believe these changes will impact your integration, follow the recommended actions in the change description. If you have any questions or want to discuss this post, please reach out to us on our “Google Advertising and Measurement Community” Discord server.

- Trevor Mulchay, Display & Video 360 API Team

Google Ads API Developer Assistant v4.0.0

2026 m. rugpjūčio 25 d., antradienis

A major release of the Google Ads API Developer Assistant is now available. This release transitions the assistant from a standalone project setup to a unified plugin architecture designed to bring specialized Google Ads API capabilities directly into AI agent workflows. What is it? The Google Ads API Developer Assistant brings deep Google Ads domain expertise into AI coding environments like Antigravity and Claude Code. It equips your AI assistant with specialized tools and guardrails. Functions include:

Generate idiomatic code: Create tested, best-practice integration code across Python, Java, PHP, .NET, and Ruby.

Validate GAQL queries: Automatically verifies syntax, field compatibility, date segmentation, and zero-impression rules before running queries.

Inspect Protobuf schemas: On demand discovery of resource fields, data types, and enum definitions for any active Google Ads API version to ensure that GAQL query fields are valid.

Troubleshoot API issues: Diagnose offline conversion upload failures, navigate manager account hierarchies, and construct Performance Max listing filters. You can pose natural language questions like “Show me all the ads in my account with problems and recommend how to fix them.”

Answer API questions: The assistant answers questions by combining embedded Google Ads API architectural rules with dynamic, local Protobuf schema inspection to deliver version-accurate guidance and verified code snippets. It grounds its responses directly in official API definitions and client library source code rather than relying solely on general model training. An example question might be, “What is a shared set and how do I use it?”

Adhoc reporting: You can ask for performance data in plain English, and the assistant instantly constructs, validates, and runs the required GAQL queries directly against your Google Ads account. It streams live results back into your chat as clean, formatted tables, making ad hoc reporting and metric investigations effortless. If you want to save the results, ask it to “Save results as a CSV file in <your directory>” and you can load it into a spreadsheet for analysis.

Support for Antigravity and Claude Code This release introduces dual-platform support:

Antigravity: Native support for Antigravity developer environments with global and workspace plugin registration.

Claude Code: Full integration with the Claude Code CLI plugin system, including custom slash commands (such as /validate-gaql, /inspect-object, /troubleshoot-conversions, and /get-cids).

Unified installation scripts are available for Linux, macOS (bash), and Windows (PowerShell) to provide consistent lifecycle management across all three platforms. Improved performance

Reduced token consumption: Progressive disclosure of rules and schemas loads only the context needed for a given task, reducing prompt token overhead.

Faster response times: On-demand skill execution and targeted command routing deliver faster end-to-end task completion.

Lower CPU utilization: Streamlined execution pipelines eliminate background process overhead during development sessions.

Reduced disk I/O: Reducing the number of unneeded files in the plugin tree prevents file watchers, linters, and IDE indexers from scanning tens of thousands of unused protobuf/SDK files.

Lower memory (RAM) footprint & zero daemon overhead: Skills and commands now run ephemerally as fast child processes only when called, dropping system resource usage to zero when idle.

Cached API version and Protobuf schema resolution: The assistant avoids making repetitive remote metadata or reflection API calls when inspecting standard fields, resources, and enums.

Deterministic command execution versus multi-turn LLM reasoning: Instead of the LLM guessing or iteratively debugging GAQL syntax across 3–4 round-trips, the local validator checks fields, resources, zero-impression metrics, and date clauses in a single step.

A major release built on a modern plugin architecture This is a major release that is not compatible with prior releases. Earlier versions relied on a local workspace project structure. This version is built on a standardized plugin architecture that is installed to be globally available. Modularizing rules, skills, and diagnostic commands into a self-contained plugin bundle allows developers to install, update, and manage the assistant across multiple environments and projects. See the README.md for technical details on the plugin architecture. Getting started Because of the architectural changes in this release, review the documentation before installation:

Read README_BEFORE_INSTALLATION.md for prerequisites and environment preparation.

Follow the installation instructions in README.md.

We want your feedback Share your feedback, report issues, and suggest capabilities using the survey form: 👉 Submit your feedback Bob Hancock, Google Ads API Team

Announcing v25.1 of the Google Ads API

2026 m. rugpjūčio 19 d., trečiadienis

Today we are announcing the release of v25.1 of the Google Ads API. To use the new capabilities, you must upgrade your client libraries and client code. All the updated client libraries and code examples have been published. Come join us for a live walkthrough of this release in our "Google Ads API Release Highlights" event on Discord or our Ads Developers YouTube Live tomorrow (August 20th at 10am ET). This will also be recorded and posted on YouTube for those who can’t make the live events. If you have any questions or want to discuss this post, reach out to us in the #ads-api channel on Discord. New Features Here are the highlights of what’s new in v25.1:

Conversion lift and brand lift measurement: We've added comprehensive support for lift studies in the API. Read-only resources LiftMeasurementConfig and LiftMeasurementFlight allow you to inspect study configurations, flight dates, campaign details, and conversion goals. This release includes 24 new Conversion Lift metrics and winner score metrics for statistical analysis, as well as new Brand Lift dimension resources: LiftMeasurementAgeRange, LiftMeasurementCampaign, LiftMeasurementDevice, LiftMeasurementGender, and LiftMeasurementVideo. Refer to our help center article to learn more about Brand lift and Conversion lift. Both these features are available only to allowlisted Google Ads accounts. To use these features, contact your Google account representative.

BenchmarksService category scoping and new metrics: You can now scope your benchmark analysis against advertisers in specific Product & Service Categories using the new category_filter parameter in BenchmarksService.GenerateBenchmarksMetrics. Supported categories can be discovered via ListBenchmarksSources. In addition, new customer ad metrics (aggregate cost, views) and share metrics such as share_of_voice are now surfaced via AggregateMetrics and ShareMetrics.

Brand Sentiment Insights: ContentCreatorInsightsService now supports brand sentiment data, allowing you to retrieve sentiment distributions and summaries for creators and brands via BrandSentimentInsight.

Loyalty Program Segmentation and Conversion Value Rules: You can now segment report metrics by the loyalty program tier of converting users using Segments.loyalty_membership. Additionally, the new LOYALTY_MEMBERSHIP primary dimension in ConversionValueRulePrimaryDimension allows you to track when a loyalty membership condition was satisfied for a conversion value rule.

Original Conversion Value Metric: The new Metrics.original_conversion_value metric surfaces the unadjusted conversion value from biddable conversions before any conversion value rules or customer lifecycle goal adjustments are applied.

Parental Status Targeting in Reach Planning: ReachPlanService now supports parental_statuses targeting within Targeting and PlannableTargeting for reach forecasting and plannable product discovery.

Getting Started Google Ads API v25.1 is a drop-in upgrade for v25. If you use our client libraries, download the latest version of your client library to start using these features. For a full list of changes, please review the official release notes. If you have any questions or want to discuss this post, please reach out to us on our “Google Advertising and Measurement Community” Discord server. For technical support issues, please reach out to the Google Ads API support channel.

- Anash P. Oommen, Google Ads API Team

Google Ads language targeting changes starting September 2026

2026 m. rugpjūčio 13 d., ketvirtadienis

We're making changes to language targeting for Search, AI Max for Search, and Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads, simplifying campaign management while maintaining a high-quality ad experience. Effective late September 2026:

For Search and AI Max for Search campaigns, the campaign-level language targeting setting will be removed. Search ads will automatically match based on the language of your ads.

For Performance Max campaigns, the way language targeting is used will be updated:

On Google Search: The campaign-level language setting will no longer be used for ads shown on Google Search. Language matching will function the same as Search campaigns, using the language of your ads.
On other channels (like YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail): The campaign-level language setting you select will continue to be used to guide who sees your ads.

In cases where multiple eligible campaigns exist within your account, AI-based ad group prioritization will select the most relevant ad language.

Historically, the language criterion in the Google Ads API allowed you to manually specify target languages for your campaigns. These language criteria will still be returned when querying even though they are not used for targeting. Any mutates to add or update Search campaign CampaignCriterion.language will result in a ContextError.OPERATION_NOT_PERMITTED_FOR_CONTEXT error. For Performance Max campaigns, there will be no error as language targeting may be used on other channels. What should I change for the Google Ads API? While existing Search and AI Max for Search campaigns will continue to operate without disruption (as their language settings will not apply), we recommend the following code updates:

Stop setting language criteria:

For new Search campaigns: Stop including language criteria when creating or updating Search campaigns when sending Google Ads API requests.
For existing Search campaigns: You may optionally remove existing language criteria from your Search campaigns for cleanliness, though it is not strictly required as they will not apply.
Focus on Ad and Landing Page Language: Ensure your ad creatives and landing pages are clearly structured in the intended languages. Search ads will primarily use these signals, alongside user language preferences, for matching.

Where can I get support? For technical support issues, please reach out to us using the support form. If you have any questions or want to discuss this post, please reach out to us on our “Google Advertising and Measurement Community” Discord server.

- Dora Sun - Google Ads API Team

Ads Developer Blog