app-ads.txt

Service

August 24, 2024 03:20

Overview of app-ads.txt

What is app-ads.txt?

Authorized Sellers for Apps, or app-ads.txt, is an IAB initiative that helps protect your app ad inventory from ad fraud. You create app-ads.txt files to identify who is authorized to sell your inventory. Identifying authorized sellers can help you receive advertiser spend that might have otherwise gone toward counterfeit inventory of spoofed apps.

The app-ads.txt files are publicly available and crawlable by exchanges, supply-side platforms (SSP), and other buyers and third-party vendors.

Authorized Sellers for Apps (app-ads.txt) is an extension to the Authorized Digital Sellers (ads.txt) standard, originally designed for protecting web ad inventory. It extends compatibility to support ads shown in mobile apps.

Use of app-ads.txt is not mandatory, but is highly recommended, especially if you are concerned that others may be spoofing your app.

Get started with app-ads.txt

Step 1. Navigate to ACCOUNT -> app-ads.txt

Please read the Authorized Sellers for Apps specification provided by the IAB carefully and create the app-ads.txt file. If you already have an ads.txt file on your site, just copy file content and add it to the existing ads.txt file on a new line.

Step 2. Check for the Developer Website

Please make sure the developer website URL is correct so that AdTiming can find your app-ads.txt file. If the URL is not correct, click on the Edit button and update it.

Step 3. Create app-ads.txt entries for AdTiming

Click on Copy button to generate all relevant app-ads.txt entries to authorize AdTiming to sell your inventory on AdTiming. Copy and paste the following code snippet into your app-ads.txt file.

app-ads.txt file contains such records (one line for a unique combination of placement and seller, the line contains four fields divided by comma):

Please Note: Publish your file on the root of your developer website as listed on Google Play or the App Store. For example, yourwebsite.com/app-ads.txt.

Step 4. Trigger AdTiming ASV (Authorized seller verifier)

Click on the Verify button and trigger AdTiming ASV to crawl and verify your file every 24 hours.

Step 5. View the details of the app-ads.txt file in AdTiming

View the details of the app-ads.txt file. The table below shows the different types of app-ads.txt file statuses and what they mean.