`lib-exoplayer-ima` skip ad functionality no longer supported by IMA

[strangesource]

Version

Media3 1.2.0

More version details

not version dependent

Devices that reproduce the issue

any

Devices that do not reproduce the issue

none

Reproducible in the demo app?

Yes

Reproduction steps

Very coarse steps, happy to provide more detail if needed:

• Extend sample to use lib-exoplayer-ima extension without an adViewGroup in order to use createAudioAdDisplayContainer
• schedule client side skippable ad, e.g. https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/21775744923/external/single_preroll_skippable&sz=640x480&ciu_szs=300x250%2C728x90&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=
• play the ad until it is in skippable state (5 seconds for the sample tag)
• call skipAd

Expected result

The ad should be skipped. The documentation on skipAd states that this should only be used for audio only ads.

media/libraries/exoplayer_ima/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ima/ImaAdsLoader.java

Lines 505 to 510 in f6fe90f

	* Skips the current ad.
	*
	* <p>This method is intended for apps that play audio-only ads and so need to provide their own
	* UI for users to skip skippable ads. Apps showing video ads should not call this method, as the
	* IMA SDK provides the UI to skip ads in the ad view group passed via {@link AdViewProvider}.
	*/

In the past this also worked for non-audio only ads but given the documentation I guess it's intended that it does not work if a view is present.

The root cause for this behaviour change is a change on IMA side, see (1, 2) for reference.

Actual result

Ad does not skip

Media

Not dependent on main content, as skippable ad, https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/21775744923/external/single_preroll_skippable&sz=640x480&ciu_szs=300x250%2C728x90&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator= can be used.

Bug Report

• You will email the zip file produced by adb bugreport to android-media-github@google.com after filing this issue.

[marcbaechinger]

Thanks for reporting.

The call you mention is delegated to com.google.ads.interactivemedia.v3.api.AdsManager.skip() of the SDK which then is expected to send us ad events that skip the ad.
If the SDK doesn't allow this anymore, we can't do much I'm afraid.

I think the references you link to the IMA issue tracker is the right place to discuss this. We are IMA SDK users just as you are. The IMA team needs to sort this out, we can not really help with this I'm afraid.

[marcbaechinger]

Sorry, can you clarify whether you report this is not working for audio ads either? Or is this only about skipping not working for video ads anymore?

[strangesource]

Sorry for not being clear, the intention of this issue is to align the API with what IMA allows, not to make it work again.

It also doesn't work for audio only ads - at least in my tests.

[marcbaechinger]

Agreed we should not promise something with our API that's not possible. We will check this internally and then adjust API or documentation if needed.

Thanks for clarifying.