With the release of a new major Google Mobile Ads SDK version, earlier major versions may be given a sunset date. After an SDK version is sunset, ad traffic from that version is at risk of receiving automatic no fill due to stopped ad serving.
- Benefits of a deprecation schedule
Introducing a predictable deprecation schedule offers the following benefits:
- Ability to predict and plan for SDK updates with a year of lead time.
- Legacy SDK code that only exists to support old versions can be deleted, thereby decreasing SDK size and lowering the risk of bugs.
- Engineering resources can focus more on support for newer SDKs and innovation of new SDK features.
Timetable
The following table lists the specific deprecation and sunset dates for each Google Mobile Ads SDK for Flutter version.
| Versions | Status | Release date | Deprecation date | Sunset date | Migration guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.x.x | Supported | March 20, 2024 | Q1 2026 | Q2 2027 | |
| v3.0.0 - 4.0.0 | Supported | April 24, 2023 | Q1 2025 | Q2 2026 | |
| v2.0.0 - 2.4.0 | Deprecated | August 3, 2022 | February 6, 2024 | Q2 2025 1 | Get started |
| Sunset | May 18, 2021 | March 29, 2023 | June 30, 2024 | Get started | |
| Sunset | March 3, 2021 | September 30, 2022 | June 30, 2023 | Get started |
1 A more specific sunset date will be announced on the Google Ads Developer blog, and updated on this page with two months notice.
Differences between supported, deprecated, and sunset
| Term | Supported | Deprecated | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDK Versions | All releases that depend on an Android and iOS Google Mobile Ads SDK version with major release N or N-1, where N is the latest respective Android or iOS major version. | All releases that depend on an Android or iOS Google Mobile Ads SDK version with major release N-2. | All releases that depend on an Android or iOS Google Mobile Ads SDK version with major release N-3 or below. Releases with a dependency on an N-3 major version will sunset approximately two months after the major version N dependency is released. |
| Ad serving | Ads serve to this version. | Ads serve to this version. | Ads at risk of not serving to this version. We will regularly review usage of all sunset versions going forward to consider disabling ad serving. The oldest versions with lower usage and higher maintenance costs will be targeted first. When ad serving is disabled, ad requests return a no fill with an error indicating that this version is sunset. |
| Support | Technical SDK support questions are welcomed on the Google Mobile Ads SDK for Flutter issue tracker. | Technical SDK support questions specific to this version are no longer supported on the Google Mobile Ads SDK for Flutter issue tracker. You will be asked to validate the issue in a supported version to receive full support. | Technical SDK support questions specific to this version are no longer supported on the Google Mobile Ads SDK for Flutter issue tracker. You will be asked to validate the issue in a supported version to receive full support. |
Exceptions
This deprecation schedule provides a framework for predictable lifetimes for an SDK version. However, there may be exceptions in the future. This schedule does not preclude us from sunsetting an SDK version at an earlier date, but we are committed to providing proactive communication with ample lead time for any future changes.