applovin-ads-integration

AppLovin Ads Integration

Overview

AppLovin is a leading mobile advertising platform for commerce apps — combining the MAX mediation SDK (monetizing your app with ads) and AppLovin Ads (acquiring users and running retargeting campaigns). This skill applies to merchants who have a native iOS or Android shopping app and want to run user acquisition campaigns or monetize with in-app ads. It is not relevant for web-only stores.

When to Use This Skill

• When running user acquisition campaigns for a native mobile commerce app
• When monetizing a mobile commerce app with in-app advertising using MAX mediation
• When setting up purchase event postbacks for ROAS-optimized bidding
• When migrating from MoPub/ironSource to AppLovin MAX mediation
• When building a retargeting campaign for mobile app users who added to cart but did not purchase
• When implementing SKAdNetwork attribution for iOS 14+ compliance

Core Instructions

Step 1: Determine what you need

AppLovin serves two distinct use cases — choose the right one:

Goal	What to Use	Difficulty
Acquire new app users and retarget existing ones	AppLovin Ads (demand-side platform)	Medium — configure via dashboard at manage.applovin.com
Monetize your app by showing ads to users	AppLovin MAX SDK	High — requires SDK integration in your mobile app
Track purchase events for ROAS optimization	SDK + MMP (Adjust, AppsFlyer, or Singular)	High — requires server-side postback setup

Prerequisite: You need an AppLovin account at applovin.com and a mobile app that exists on the App Store or Google Play.

Step 2: Install the AppLovin MAX SDK in your mobile app

iOS (CocoaPods):

Add to your Podfile:

pod 'AppLovinSDK'
pod 'AppLovinMediationGoogleAdMobAdapter'
pod 'AppLovinMediationMetaAudienceNetworkAdapter'

Initialize in AppDelegate.swift:

import AppLovinSDK

func application(_ app: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions opts: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
  ALSdk.shared().mediationProvider = "max"
  ALSdk.shared().userIdentifier = currentUser?.id ?? ""
  ALSdk.shared().initializeSdk { sdkConfig in
    // SDK ready — load your first ad
  }
  return true
}