Why My YouTube App Preview Still Had Ads
I uploaded an app preview to YouTube for use on Google Play, but a few days later Google Play removed it. I suspected advertising: when I opened my own video, an ad would sometimes appear.
The documentation said to turn off monetization. I searched through YouTube’s settings but could not find the button. My channel did not even qualify for the YouTube Partner Program, so how could I disable monetization? Where were the ads coming from?
After trying for a long time, I contacted Google Play support. This is an English translation of our exchange in December 2022.
My question to support
My app’s video preview is no longer visible. I suspect my YouTube video still contains ads. However, my YouTube account is not in the Partner Program, and I cannot find an option to turn off ads on the monetization page or a monetization option for the selected video. Is there a way to disable YouTube ads, or another way to restore the app preview?
Google’s reply
After investigating, we found that the system currently detects monetization on your promotional video. The system determines whether these features are present. If your video contains ads, they must be disabled before the video can appear on the Play Store. We want users browsing the Play Store to see your app in the video, rather than advertising that could confuse them.
Please refer to the Help Center and the following video requirements:
- Turn off monetization for the video.
- Upload a video without a monetization claim, then update its URL in Google Play Console.
- Set the video to public or unlisted, rather than private.
- Make sure the video can be embedded in the Play Store Android app and website.
If the video uses copyrighted material, turning off monetization may still not prevent ads. In that case, replace it with a video that contains no such copyrighted material or monetization claim.
On inspection, the background music in my video did indeed have a copyright claim.
That explained why looking for my own monetization switch had not helped. YouTube’s handling of music rights was stricter than I had expected from using short-video platforms in China. For a commercial preview, I needed music I was authorized to use, whether through a purchased license or an appropriate Creative Commons license. “Free” music still needs its usage terms checked.
Creative Commons music sources I collected
- The Creative Commons collection on Aigei.
- The Audio Library in YouTube Studio.
Comments
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