failed to load ad : 3

Question

I\'m setting an ad to my Android application using DoubleClick and can\'t manage to show the final ad, can someone help me?

When I test an ad by adding ".addTest

Answer 1

I hadn't published a version of my app with ads yet.

I was seeing error code 3: ERROR_CODE_NO_FILL after I switched from emulators with a debug version to a real device with the release version (installed through adb shell commands).

I waited 12+ hours and I could see ad requests on the AdMob portal, but no matches (match rate of 0%). I went to the Play Console > Store Presence > Pricing & distribution and switched the radio button for Contains ads to Yes, it has ads. I even tried uploading my app bundle (without publishing) to the Play Console. Neither of these worked.

Various AdMob help articles (including the one linked below) mention that if you've been seeing test ads (ads labeled with "Test Ad"), then your code is working and real ads should work as expected (once they build up inventory).

With that in mind, I went ahead and published my app to the Play Store and once the update was live, I downloaded it via the Play Store app on my real phone and the ads loaded no problem and my match rate is now sitting at 66% on AdMob. From the AdMob FAQ article, it sounds like it typically takes a few hours and could have taken up to 24 hours for ads to start showing.

Source: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/2993019?hl=en

Answer 2

If your published app has no admob and its settings in Google Developer Console (called "Pricing and Distribution") "CONTAINS ADS" is uncheched. Always develop with test id with logcat output.

Answer 3

I'm just going to leave this here incase it works for someone. After trying all the fixes mentioned in all the forums and posts what worked for me is simply using a global AdRequest object. I would use the same object when calling loadAd on each adView in each Activity. I have seen that it tends to load the same Ad on each AdView regardless of activity but at least now I get ads.

Answer 4

Don't forget to add payment methods on Google AdMod. It was my issue with "Error code 3". Anyway, when your account Google AdMod will be ready to show ads (for tested device or real users) they send you email that your account verified and ready to work! After this letter everything should work fine.

Answer 5

On new admob version USE this :

//Load your adView before

    adView.setAdListener(new AdListener() {    


        @Override
        public void onAdFailedToLoad(int errorCode) {
            // Code to be executed when an ad request fails.
            Toast.makeText(Your current activity.this, "Ad failed: " + errorCode, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
        }




    });

If Ads load on your emulator, meaning that they return test ads, that should mean that there's nothing wrong with your code. Do they load test ads on your phone as well?

If you're able to see test ads on the emulator and test devices, then it usually just means that AdMob (assuming you're using AdMob) is unable to return an Ad due to a lack of Ad inventory. If this is the case, then when looking at the Logcat you should see the line W/Ads: Failed to load ad: 3.

What you should do is plug in an Android phone to your computer, and then in Android Studio click on Logcat, and in the top left you should see some devices to select from. Select your phone if it's listed (it should be). The logcat will now be printing everything your phone is printing. In the filter bar, type in ads to filter out stuff you don't need to see.

Then open your application in your phone, and check the logcat. Make sure your device isn't considered a test device. If you see W/Ads: Failed to load ad: 3 then that should mean that the problem lies with AdMob and not you.

If it doesn't say that and it says something else, then I obviously don't know.

Answer 6

Your ad units are not displaying ads because you haven't yet verified your address (PIN).

Maybe it helps to others, i received this notification on my AdSense account.