iAd Review for Publishers

iAd is no longer active or acquired by another ad network

Introduction to iAd

iAd is Apple’s mobile ad network for iOS-based mobile apps that run on iPhone, iPod, and iPad devices. Launched in 2010, iAd is the largest iOS-specific ad network for mobile app developers.

• What We Like: Large network of advertisers, high (70%) payout to developers.
• What We Don’t Like: Only supported on iOS.

Publisher Requirements

• Publisher Terms: Unknown.
• Traffic Minimum: None.
• Publisher Language Requirement: Unknown.
• Prohibited Publisher Content: Unknown.

Advertisers & Offers

• Advertising Types: Mobile App Monetization.
• Offer Types: CPC, CPM.
• Verticals: All.
• Network Size: Over 150,000 mobile apps.
• Sampling of Publishers: Unknown.

Tech Implementation

iAd Tech Implementation Rating: 3 out of 5.

• Creating an Ad Unit: Unknown.
• Display Ad Unit Sizes Available: 320 x 50 points (portrait) and 480×32 points (landscape) on iPhone; 768 x 66 points (portrait), 1024 x 66 points (landscape), and full-screen on iPad.
• Implementation Technology: Proprietary iAd programming.
• Compatible with Google AdSense: N/A.
• Mobile Ad Units Available: Yes.
• WordPress Plugin Available: N/A.

Publisher Reporting & Admin Control Panel

iAd Publisher Reporting & Admin Control Panel Rating: 3 out of 5.

• Control Panel: The iTunes Connect control panel serves as the main control panel for iAd.
• Reporting: The iAd App Network Reporting tool, available within iTunes Connect, allows developers to see revenue earned, with statistics on key metrics by app, country, and date.
• Control Panel URL: https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa

Payment

iAd Payment Rating: 3 out of 5.

• Publisher’s Share of Revenue: 70%.
• Payment Methods Available: Unknown.
• Payment Terms: Net-60.
• Minimum Payout Threshold: $150.

Account Help

iAd Account Help Rating: 3 out of 5.

• Knowledge Base URL: https://developer.apple.com/iad/resources/
• Personal Account Manager: No.
• Easy to Contact Support: No.

Editor’s iAd Review

This editor’s review is limited for a few reasons. Principally, we were not able to be accepted as a publisher by this network, so we were limited in our ability to test it firsthand. We hope to update this review in the future with more details.

iAd is Apple’s advertising network that enables developers to monetize their iOS apps on iPhone, iPod, and iPad devices. When it first launched in 2010, iAd required a $1 million buy-in from its advertisers, eliminating all but the largest brands from advertising on their network. This resulted in there being very few advertisers early on, though they were all high quality, well known big brand names.

In 2011, Apple dropped the minimum to $500,000; in 2012, the minimum dropped again to $100,000. Finally, in 2013, the minimum was dropped one last time to a mere $50, enabling virtually any advertiser to enter the program. As a result, the pool of advertisers has gone up considerably since 2013, which is good for iOS developers seeking to monetize their apps with iAd.

Of course, the major drawback to monetizing with iAd lies within the fact that only iOS is supported. Unlike other mobile app networks that are cross-platform (such as AdMob and Airpush), iAd will only work on iOS versions of your app. If this isn’t a dealbreaker for you, then iAd is a strong candidate to be a viable monetization partner.

As part of Apple’s suite of products, iAd integrates seamlessly within iTunes Connect and implementing the technology within your iOS-based apps should be relatively easy.

The ads are presented in rich media format, and come in a few different sizes, depending on the device and its orientation. On an iPhone, an iAd unit will be presented as either 320 x 50 points for portrait orientation or 480 x 32 points for landscape orientation. On an iPad, an iAd unit will be either 768 x 66 points in portrait mode or 1024 x 66 points in landscape mode. Full-screen ads are also available to use on the iPad, but not on the iPhone at this time.

It is unclear exactly how iAd revenue is calculated for developers, but according to Apple, revenue is based on two key metrics: ad impressions and taps (or, clicks). Developers receive a 70% share of the net revenue generated by the advertising on their apps, which is up 10 points from the 60% share that Apple had split upon launch of iAd in 2010. The minimum payment is $150, and the terms are Net-60.

References

• https://developer.apple.com/support/appstore/iad-app-network/
• https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/iAd_Guide/Introduction/Introduction.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40009881