iAds not clickable - anyone else having this issue?

Solar2D Monetization (in-app purchases, ads, etc.)
#1

We recently updated 3 of our apps using exactly the same build of Corona as last time and we have two major issues with iAds - presumably due to changes in the ads library. Firstly, according to our iAds dashboard, no ad requests are being logged from any of the apps even though ads are still physically being displayed. Secondly, the iAds do not respond to touches so users aren’t able to click out and actually get anywhere from the ads. It almost seems as though the ad request is breaking part way through - the creative is getting pulled through and displayed ok but the request and impression aren’t being logged with Apple and the ad click is broken.

I sent a bug report to Corona 4 days ago and have heard nothing back as yet. To test that the problem wasn’t to do with our code I set up a blank project and simply included the iAds code listed here. When the ad position is at default (0,0) the ad shows up and can be clicked (although we can’t tell if the request is being logged or not). But when we change the y position to anything above 80px it becomes completely non-responsive, almost as though something is blocking the tap. This is in a totally blank project using both the latest build - 2090 and the build we had been working on previously (before the Graphics 2.0 update) - 1170 - and in both cases we are seeing the same issue. I thought it may have been something to do with the new Graphics 2.0 builds, as in the ads plugin was updated to work with it which broke it for older builds - but even this doesn’t seem to be the case.

Has anyone else had problems with iAds recently?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated - this is a hugely critical issue for us as we are losing thousands of dollars per day in revenue at the moment.

#2

I’m having this issue as well. I did a build on Nov 17 and it was recently updated in the App Store. I can’t click on the banner and maybe it is the reporting but my fill rate dropped from around 90% to 50% the day my app update was released and continues to get the worst fill rate since I’ve started using iAds.

#3

Hi,

We are having the same problem here with the game we are developing now. We are using the last daily build: 2013.2090.

Just tested as you explained, placing the ad on y=45 (landscapeRight, 1024w x 768h configuration), to leave half the ad in the “hit” zone, and half on the “no hit” zone. You can also notice the test banner gets darker when you press on the “hit zone” (release elsewhere to cancel the click), but it doesn’t respond out of the “hit zone”.

It’s quite an issue if you just released a version with this problem, no clicks, no ad revenue.

#4

Absolutely, hope this can be sorted ASAP as I’m sure it will be affecting a lot of people.

#5

Hi,

Please try building your apps again to see if its been fixed for your case.  If not please post some sample code of your use case.  Thanks.

#6

Hi dchan,

It’s working for my case now (landscape, 1024x768, ad in bottom part of screen), thanks!

#7

The touch on the ad is working for us now too which is great news! Thanks for the fix. 

@dchan - do you know if this has also fixed the issue with ad requests not being logged? Obviously we wont really be able to test that until we’ve resubmitted and been approved again by the App Store…

#8

A touch on a banner ad is “working” when I test with an Adhoc build but all in not good in iAd land…

I just checked two of my apps built using 1229 and a touch on a banner in either app yields no response. Both these apps are release apps on the app store. 

My apps are portrait apps with the banner at the bottom. iOS 6.1.5 iTouch 4G (iOS 7 update not available for this device).

One of my older apps (built using which version of Corona I can’t recall - perhaps the last G1 public build - not sure) does have a fully working banner ad. My code has not changed - only the Corona build number to 1229.

@Corona - is the iAd plugin version tied to a specific build, or do we always get the latest iAd plugin regardless?

@Mediaflex @CromaGames interested to know if the working iAd is when you get a test iAd?

@Community - if you use iAd banners please check if clicking on an iAd banner is working for you with a live app!

Really not looking forward to updating 20+ apps - especially when I don’t know which build number to use that works (not G2 - don’t wan’t all those bugs). Made worse by the “false sense of security” I’m getting with “working” test iAd banners…

#9

@MAS1

Our understanding is this - the iAd plugin isn’t tied to a particular version, it just pulls the latest code when you do a build. Sometime between the end of October (our last app update which was fine) and mid November (when the app updates started to have issues with iAds) it seems that the Corona team have changed something in the iAd plugin that has caused it to break.

The “symptoms” we have in the live apps (like yours, portrait apps with the iAd at the bottom) are that the ad creative shows up but does nothing on touch and isn’t logging any requests / impressions / taps on our iAds dashboard despite clearly pulling through an ad creative and displaying it in the app. The touch issue seems to be because an invisible layer is covering the ad, but this layer only starts from about 80px and down so if the iAd is displayed at the top of the screen it seems to work ok.

The fact that it pulls through the creative suggests that at least a request (the app talking to iAds and asking for an ad) and impression (an ad being returned to show) should be logging in our iAds dashboard, even if the taps are zero. The fact that we are getting zeroes across the board suggests that the issue is something more fundamental than just a problem with the tap, unless it is just an iAds mechanism to prevent people fraudulently displaying ads (hiding it below content for example).

We can confirm as of this morning that the touch seems to be working again (presumably they have fixed something in the iAds API - some more feedback would be nice really) but until we actually submit the app and have it live on the store we can’t confirm for definite whether the reporting / logging is working correctly - can someone from Corona confirm if this is also likely to be fixed before we go through the loop of submitting a new update and having to wait 3-4 days for it to be approved?

#10

@Mediaflex

Thanks for the post - what you say makes complete sense to me.

On the basis that the iAd plugin isn’t tied to a particular Corona version, I’m going to submit a new app today and update one of my existing apps using build 1229. Hopefully that’ll pull the latest (working?!) iAd plugin (and not an iAd plugin tied to the build number) and fix the issue.

My updates tend to take around 3 days and a new app 7 days. I’ll make a note now to update this thread with the result.

Best - MAS1

#11

I’ve held off on a new app submission but I have just put an update in on an app with no currently working iAd banner. I’ll post the result as soon as I have it.

I’ve just ordered my apps by release date on iTunes and I’ve checked all my apps for banner bafoonery (!) Turns out that all my apps have working iAd banners up to and including 13th November. All apps updated after that date have NO fully working banner (banner appears but touch yields nothing).

Seems Nick is right about Corona code breaking … http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/41468-graphics-20-update-has-ruined-my-game/

!

#12

I spoke too soon. Just about to send in the update but thought I’d check an adhoc build first.

The iAd just appeared at the top of the screen. WTF! My code hasn’t changed and the banner SHOULD be at the bottom.

@Corona - are you “monkeying” around with the plugin?! :slight_smile:

#13

Nothing has changed since 19 hours ago.  Did you build it before then the first time?  Sample code please.

#14

@dchan.

I always use:

Screen = {

    left = display.screenOriginX,

    top = display.screenOriginY,

    right = display.contentWidth - display.screenOriginX,

    bottom = display.contentHeight - display.screenOriginY,

    width = display.contentWidth - 2 * display.screenOriginX,

    height = display.contentHeight - 2 * display.screenOriginY

}

ads.show(“banner”, {x = Screen.left, y = Screen.height})

which has always positioned the banner at the bottom in a portrait app.

I’ll try the Xcode simulator tomorrow and log some data and try and see if I’ve made an error. 

It’s only the first banner that appears at the top. All subsequent banners appear at the bottom as intended. Most peculiar.

I’ll have to investigate further…

Question: is the iAd plugin off your server always the latest code regardless of Corona build?

Best,

MAS1.

#15

@dchan:

We’re now getting an error when building the project:
 

Runtime error ...Files/CloseUpPics.app/.build/libtemplate/Builder.lua:295: \<error\>{"status":256,"message":"Undefined symbols for architecture i386:\n \"\_SLServiceTypeTencentWeibo\", referenced from:\n Corona::IOSSocialNativePopupProvider::canShowPopup(lua\_State\*) in libnative-popup-social.a(IOSSocialNativePopupProvider.o)\n Corona::IOSSocialNativePopupProvider::showPopup(lua\_State\*) in libnative-popup-social.a(IOSSocialNativePopupProvider.o)\nld: symbol(s) not found for architecture i386\nclang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)"}\</error\> stack traceback: [C]: ? [C]: in function 'assert' ...Files/CloseUpPics.app/.build/libtemplate/Builder.lua:295: in function 'checkError' ...Files/CloseUpPics.app/.build/libtemplate/Builder.lua:318: in function 'build' ?: in function 'buildExe' ?: in function \<?:692\> Runtime error: ...Files/CloseUpPics.app/.build/libtemplate/Builder.lua:295: \<error\>{"status":256,"message":"Undefined symbols for architecture i386:\n \"\_SLServiceTypeTencentWeibo\", referenced from:\n Corona::IOSSocialNativePopupProvider::canShowPopup(lua\_State\*) in libnative-popup-social.a(IOSSocialNativePopupProvider.o)\n Corona::IOSSocialNativePopupProvider::showPopup(lua\_State\*) in libnative-popup-social.a(IOSSocialNativePopupProvider.o)\nld: symbol(s) not found for architecture i386\nclang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)"}\</error\> stack traceback: [C]: ? [C]: in function 'assert' ...Files/CloseUpPics.app/.build/libtemplate/Builder.lua:295: in function 'checkError' ...Files/CloseUpPics.app/.build/libtemplate/Builder.lua:318: in function 'build' ?: in function 'buildExe' ?: in function \<?:692\>

Nothing has changed in our code and when I comment out the plugins in the build.settings file it seems to work - so it looks again to be something to do with the Corona iAds plugin?

I tried deauthorising the simulator and logging back in as suggested on other forum posts but that doesn’t fix it either.

Tested on various builds and nothing seems to work - very frustrating! 

#16

Actually looking at the error above it’s actually the Social plugin that is causing the issue now. Just commented that one out only then built again with no error.

Why do you guys keep breaking your own plugins!?

We really need to get updates submitted to ASAP as we’re losing out on a lot of ad revenue right now.

Please shed some light on what is going on!

#17

The social plugin change has been rolled back.  The change was to enable support for TencentWeibo.

#18

Thanks for the update - I’ve now managed to build successfully. 

#19

Having logged output to the console and checked output on Xcode I can only conclude (wrongly?) that there is a fault with the iAd plugin. The first iAd banner always appears at the top of the screen on all the Xcode device simulations. After the first banner appearance, all subsequent banners appear at the bottom of the screen as intended.

Here’s a simple hack, er, I mean fix to prevent the first banner from appearing at the top. Function body:

 ads.show("banner", {x = Screen.left, y = Screen.height}) if firstBanner then firstBanner = false timer.performWithDelay(100, function() ads.hide() timer.performWithDelay(100, function() ads.show("banner", {x = Screen. left, y = Screen.height}) end, 1) end, 1) end

local firstBanner = true is set outside the function.

This prevents the first iAd banner from appearing at the top. In my portrait app I always want the iAd banner at the bottom.

Ever since reading Jon Beebe’s post about using a timed delay to get around a physics problem (can’t recall the specifics) I’ve been peppering my code with this timed delay technique to get things to play nice. Oh well…

MAS1

#20

iAd banner ads now working after the update.

Sometimes when I click on an ad I get “item not available” Anyone else?

MAS1