I am developing my first mobile application and hope to submit it to Apple soon for approval.
I have incorporated iAd banners and interstitials in my app.
But I am confused about the future of iAds and it's application to app publishers/developers.
Apple announced (Jan 15, 2016):
iAd App Network will be Discontinued
The iAd App Network will be discontinued as of June 30, 2016. Although we are no longer accepting new apps into the network, advertising campaigns may continue to run and you can still earn advertising revenue until June 30. If you’d like to continue promoting your apps through iAd until then, you can create a campaign using iAd Workbench. We will continue to keep you updated, but if you have any questions, contact us.
Which seems pretty plain and simple - no more iAd integration for new apps that are not currently in the iAd program.
Other new sources (unofficial to Apple themselves) quote the development as a good thing for mobile developers in general. Although exactly how this is good for mobile app developers escapes me.
Add the fact that there are still so many active questions, answers and dialogues at StackOverflow surrounding iAds and their implementation in apps currently under development.
If iAds is closing down, why are people still integrating them into their current projects (for apps not yet released)?
Can anyone please explain this to me?
I emailed Apple iAd support last week.
This is the response I got today:
Hi XXX,
Thanks for your interest. After June 30th, the iAd app network will no longer be available to help monetize your app. No new apps will be accepted into the network if you are not live already. We have campaigns live within our network up until that date. You should connect with another provider as an alternative to iAd. Workbench will still be available to promote your app. Thanks for being a part of our network.
Please go to our developer site to get the latest news regarding iAd here
Best,
Louis
Note the specific line :
You should connect with another provider as an alternative to iAd.
So, for all new apps that have not already been submitted to the App Store and approved by Apple, you cannot use any iAds.