Starting August 27, 2018, creating TemplateAds with IDs 419 (HTML5 Ads) may result in an error in AdWords API and Scripts. AdWords API users will see the error AdError.Reason.USER_DOES_NOT_HAVE_ACCESS_TO_TEMPLATE when creating HTML5 ads using various services.AdWords Scripts users may see an error that the ad cannot be saved when using the HTML5AdBuilder class to create a new HTML5 ad.

Existing accounts that have used or are currently using HTML5 ads will be whitelisted, and will continue to be able to upload HTML5 ads. Existing HTML5 ads will also continue to serve after this date.

If your account is new, or has never used HTML5 ads before, you may be affected by this change. We recommend one of the following options to fix this error:

• You may apply for HTML5 access in your account by filling in the whitelist request form
• You can use an AMPHTML instead of a regular HTML file in your HTML5 bundle. AMPHTML ads won’t trigger the above error.
• You will automatically be approved for HTML5 access once you have spent more than $9000 USD on AdWords and your account is more than 90 days old

If you have questions about this change, please reach out to us on the AdWords API forum or AdWords Scripts forum.
- Anash Oommen, AdWords API Team

Starting September 26, 2016, we will be removing support for all TrueView in-search video template ads (template ID 231) from Display campaigns, and will no longer accept new ads for that template. Existing Display ads of this template ID will stop serving and be moved to the DISABLED status. This is in line with the upgrade of TrueView campaigns during the integration into AdWords.

Please note that this only affects Display campaigns, and not existing video campaigns. Historical stats for these ads will still be available in reports.

If you have any questions about this change, or other questions about the AdWords API, please contact us via the forum.

- Michael Cloonan, AdWords API Team

AdWords API has released a new template ad specifically meant for mobile app developers who want to run ads promoting mobile and tablet apps. This ad format, known as “click-to-download” ad or app promotion ads, makes it easier for people to download your mobile app, from Google Play Store or iTunes. Version v201302 of the AdWords API adds support for this new ad format. To use this format, you first need to upgrade your campaign to enhanced campaigns.

App promotion ads will only show on the device from which the app can be installed. This means that ads for Android apps will only show on Android devices, and not on iOS devices. Ads for apps available only for tablets won’t show on mobile devices. This ensures that your application is promoted only to the right device platforms.

App promotion ads can be created as a template ad, using template ID 353. You need to create template element fields for headline, description1, description2, appId and appStore; other element fields are optional. Check out the full list of template fields and a complete Java code example.

You can find your Android package name by looking up the app in Google Play. The package name can be determined from the URL, which is of the form https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=<package_name>. For iOS, you’ll find the App ID within the app’s URL, which appears in the following format: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/example-app-name/id#########. Appstore field can be 1 (iTunes), or 2 (Google Play Store).