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Welcome to the Google Ad Manager release notes, your destination for staying informed about our latest platform updates, system enhancements, and new feature rollouts.
These announcements are usually published every other Monday, so we recommend bookmarking this page and checking back bi-weekly to see what's new. For previous releases, you can review the archive.
Manage inventory
Experiments for ad content protection available
You can now create an experiment for your Ad Content Protection and run A/B tests on individual protections. This allows for more targeted experimentation of changes such as blocked entities (categories, buyers, ad experiences, advertisers, and URLs), and opt-in toggles. Learn more about creating an experiment for your ad content protection.
Traffic and deliver ads
Deprecation of the &wta parameter for in-stream video
To align with industry standards and streamline ad badging, Ad Manager has deprecated the &wta ad tag parameter for in-stream video and audio.
Ad Manager will ignore the &wta parameter on all in-stream ad requests. Required ad disclosures and badging (such as AdChoices) are delivered via standard VAST
No immediate tag changes are necessary; existing tags with &wta continue to serve normally. Publishers using custom video players should ensure their players parse and display standard VAST
Native format in email newsletter ads (Beta)
Native ads for email newsletters are now available in beta. Created to blend seamlessly with surrounding content, this feature allows Ad Manager 360 publishers to run direct reservation and Programmatic Guaranteed native email campaigns. To enable this feature, choose the "Serve email newsletter" eligibility checkbox when setting up a new native format. Please note that newsletter ads must first be activated under "Advanced features." Learn more about Native format in email newsletter ads (Beta).
Manage network settings
Update to "Advanced features" rates for billing currency
Google now automatically converts your "Advanced features" rates to reflect the new currency when you update your contractual billing currency. Rates are converted using the foreign exchange rates in line with the contract.Other product or help center updates
"Maximize message coverage" and "Optimize my consent message" in Privacy & messaging
- Maximize message coverage: We recently launched a new account level control designed to increase coverage for traffic eligible for personalized ads across your sites and apps with minimal manual effort. When enabled, Google CMP provides fallback consent collection and automatic consent message creation. This serves as a safety net for cases where ad requests in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom (UK), or Switzerland are missing a TC string, such as when a CMP malfunctions or is not integrated with the TCF. Learn more at Maximize message coverage.
- European regulations messages consent optimization: We launched an "Optimize my consent message" setting to help you get more from your Google CMP European regulations messages with less manual effort. This feature will only be applicable to web traffic. With consent optimization, your site visitors will see the consent message most likely to drive revenue based on past performance and session data. Users will either see a standard consent message, which requires user consent to serve personalized ads, or a non-blocking limited message, which allows you to reduce bounce rates (the percentage of visitors leaving your site immediately without making a consent choice) and monetize immediately by relying on legitimate interest to serve limited ads. You can manage or disable optimization at any time for each European regulations message individually by locating the "Optimize my consent message" control in your message setup. Learn more at About consent optimization.
- Both controls are enabled by default: In the majority of cases, both the "Maximize message coverage" and "European regulations messages consent optimization" controls are enabled by default. This means that all fallback consent messages and auto-created messages deployed on your sites under the maximize message coverage control are opted into consent optimization. If you wish to opt out of consent optimization completely, ensure that the “Maximize message coverage” setting is also disabled, as we do not currently support disabling optimization at the individual message level when messages are served via fallback consent collection under the "Maximize message coverage" setting.
Coming soon
Deprecation of Downloadable Utilities, Consumer Loans, and Astrology & Esoteric sensitive categories
To reduce over-blocking and maximize your programmatic yield, Google Ad Manager is deprecating three outdated sensitive categories: Downloadable Utilities, Consumer Loans, and Astrology & Esoteric. Removing these blocks on October 23, 2026 reduces broad filtering, allowing you to access more precise general category filters while maintaining robust brand safety standards.
Ad podding for mobile app inventory
Ad Manager is launching ad podding, a new optimization designed to increase competition and drive higher revenue for your mobile app inventory. This feature allows multiple ads to be combined and compete collectively for a single ad placement. By default, ad podding will be automatically enabled for all inventory where High Engagement Ads are currently active. Publishers have the flexibility to manage these preferences for specific segments of their inventory at any time by navigating to Inventory, then Inventory rules, then Format settings. Learn more about ad podding.
Upcoming shift to begin-to-render impression counting for web display
Starting in February 2027, Google Ad Manager will transition its web display impression counting methodology to the begin-to-render standard. This change ensures more consistent reporting by counting an impression only when the creative has successfully loaded and starts to render on the user's device. No immediate action is required, but publishers should be aware of potential changes to reported impression volume following the update. To learn more, visit Begin-to-render impression counting for Display ads.
Deprecation of the &wta parameter for in-stream video by the end of 2026
To align with industry standards and streamline ad badging, Google Ad Manager is deprecating the &wta ad tag parameter for in-stream video and audio by the end of 2026. Once deprecated, Ad Manager will ignore the &wta parameter on all ad requests. Required ad disclosures and badging (such as AdChoices or AI transparency disclosures) will consistently be delivered via standard VAST &wta will continue to serve normally. Publishers using custom video players should ensure their players parse and display standard VAST
Programmatic Guaranteed overdelivery updates
Starting November 2, 2026, Google will extend its Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) overdelivery reconciliation process to include PG deals with Display & Video 360 (DV360).
At the end of each month before revenue is finalized, Ad Manager identifies impressions delivered above the contracted impression goal and marks them as overdelivery. The system only identifies overdelivery for deals that have ended. Publishers are not paid for overdelivered impressions identified by this process and can track them in Ad Manager reporting using the Total overdelivered impressions metric. A small amount of overdelivery that occurs outside the system's lookback window may continue to be paid. Learn more about payments and reports for Programmatic Direct.