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Welcome to the Google Ad Manager release notes, your destination for staying informed about our latest platform updates, system enhancements, and new feature rollouts.
These announcements are usually published every other Monday, so we recommend bookmarking this page and checking back bi-weekly to see what's new. For previous releases, you can review the archive.
Manage inventory
Server-side verification for rewarded web inventory
From October 29, publishers can validate rewarded web inventory with server-side verification (SSV) in Ad Manager. Users can validate ad interactions and provide improved anti-fraud security as well as enable server-to-server callback verification for web-based reward events. Learn more about SSV for rewarded web inventory.
Traffic and deliver ads
Open Bidding Direct Pay update
Google Ad Manager has updated Open Bidding Direct Pay so bids compete net of fees. By aligning directly with standard Open Bidding, every winning bid now represents the highest yield for your business. Learn more about Open Bidding Direct Pay (Beta).
SDK-less deals for video inventory (Beta)
Google Ad Manager now supports SDK-less deals for video inventory. Publishers can monetize Programmatic Guaranteed, Preferred Deals, and Private Auctions on VAST video ad requests without requiring a Mobile Ads SDK integration, Publisher Authenticated Inventory (PAI) contract addendum, or special allowlist approval. Note that Open Auction, Marketplace Packages, and Demand Syndication (Yield Groups) still require an SDK or PAI.
SDK-less deals for video automatically enabled
From November 2, SDK-less deals for video are automatically enabled network-wide across all Ad Manager networks. All Programmatic Guaranteed, Preferred Deals, and Private Auction deals on VAST video requests across Web, Mobile App, and Connected TV (CTV) will automatically become eligible to transact in non-SDK environments. There is no global or network opt-out. If you wish to restrict deal delivery on non-SDK traffic, review your inventory targeting prior to launch.
Report and optimize
Prepare for the web display transition to Begin-to-Render with new Programmatic metrics
Beginning February 17, 2027, Ad Manager will transition web display impression measurement from Count-on-Download (COD) to the industry-standard Begin-to-Render (BTR). To support publishers in evaluating how web display impression counts may shift, Ad Manager is introducing new programmatic metrics for historical reporting ahead of the transition:
- Ad Exchange begin-to-render impressions
- Yield Group begin-to-render impressions
- Total begin-to-render impressions
By analyzing these metrics, publishers can benchmark Count-on-Download against Begin-to-Render impressions to project potential changes, refine campaign goals, and adjust pacing. Although reviewing this data is recommended, no action is required from publishers to implement the impression methodology update. Learn more about the transition to Begin-to-Render.
Programmatic Guaranteed overdelivery updates
Starting November 2, 2026, Google will extend its Programmatic Guaranteed overdelivery reconciliation process to include Programmatic Guaranteed deals with Display & Video 360 (DV360).
At the end of each month before revenue is finalized, Ad Manager identifies impressions delivered above the contracted impression goal and marks them as overdelivery. The system only identifies overdelivery for deals that have ended. Publishers are not paid for overdelivered impressions identified by this process and can track them in Ad Manager reporting using the "Total overdelivered impressions" metric. A small amount of overdelivery that occurs outside the system's lookback window may continue to be paid. Learn more about payments and reports for Programmatic Direct.
Real-time logs for DAI
Real-time logs for Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) offer significant value as a critical troubleshooting and monitoring capability to understand and optimize your operations. The insights gained from real-time logs can help your teams proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact your audience, leading to a smoother and more efficient user experience.
Real-time logs are valuable for use cases such as:
- Identifying and resolving issues within video breaks: Pinpoint exactly where and why issues occur.
- Troubleshooting buffering problems: Gain insights into the factors contributing to buffering for a seamless viewing experience.
- Optimizing fill rates: Understand ad delivery patterns to maximize your inventory.
- Diagnosing and addressing ad errors: Quickly identify the root cause of errors to minimize revenue loss and improve ad serving.
To enable access to real-time logs for DAI, navigate to "Admin," then "Advanced Features," and turn on the switch for "DAI real-time logs." Access permissions are managed through Ad Manager user roles.
Coming soon
Maximize video revenue with linear display ads demand
To maximize monetization for IMA SDK Web video inventory, Google Ad Manager will launch Linear Display Ads on November 16. Additionally, to simplify the management of display formats, we're evolving how we control other display formats by merging text and image overlays into a single "Overlay" setting alongside a new "Linear display" control. Prior to the launch, publishers should review their inventory rules to prevent overlays from being blocked and update their SDK configuration to set up video content detection. Learn more about changes to programmatic inventory rules for video.
Update to how zero-value ratio metrics are filtered
To provide more precise data, we will soon change how reports filter zero-value ratio metrics, such as for CTR. Rows that have a 0% ratio but contain dependent data (like impressions) will no longer be omitted from your reports, resulting in more accurate total calculations. This change ensures that your report totals reflect all relevant activity. No action is required to receive this update.
Ad podding for mobile app inventory
Ad Manager is launching ad podding, a new optimization designed to increase competition and drive higher revenue for your mobile app inventory. This feature allows multiple ads to be combined and compete collectively for a single ad placement. By default, ad podding will be automatically enabled for all inventory where High Engagement Ads are currently active. Publishers will have the flexibility to manage these preferences for specific segments of their inventory at any time by navigating to Inventory, then Inventory rules, then Format settings. Learn more about ad podding.
Upcoming shift to begin-to-render impression counting for web display
Starting in February 2027, Google Ad Manager will transition its web display impression counting methodology to the begin-to-render standard. This change ensures more consistent reporting by counting an impression only when the creative has successfully loaded and starts to render on the user's device. No immediate action is required, but publishers should be aware of potential changes to reported impression volume following the update. To learn more, visit Begin-to-render impression counting for Display ads.
Deprecation of the &wta parameter for in-stream video by the end of 2026
To align with industry standards and streamline ad badging, Google Ad Manager is deprecating the &wta ad tag parameter for in-stream video and audio by the end of 2026. Once deprecated, Ad Manager will ignore the &wta parameter on all ad requests. Required ad disclosures and badging (such as AdChoices or AI transparency disclosures) will consistently be delivered via standard VAST <Icons> elements. No immediate tag changes are necessary; existing tags with &wta will continue to serve normally. Publishers using custom video players should ensure their players parse and display standard VAST <Icons>. Google IMA SDK will render these icons automatically.
