googleads-mobile-unity: Detection of ads showing when app is in background is broken.

Step 1: Describe your environment

• Unity version: 2019.3.5f1
• Google Mobile Ads Unity plugin version: I can’t find it, should be latest.
• Platform: Android
• Platform OS version: Android 7.1.1
• Any specific devices issue occurs on: Samsung J5
• Mediation ad networks used, and their versions: Only Admob

Step 2: Describe the problem

I was testing a build on my device and got the following warning message: “Rewarded ads that show when your app is in the background are a violation of AdMob policies and may lead to blocked ad serving. To learn more, visit https://googlemobileadssdk.page.link/admob-interstitial-policies”

It was followed by an OnAdFailedToShow callback with No Fill error.

This is weird because I was using the test ID : “ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/5224354917”

Steps to reproduce:

I believe I got maybe a notification and the plugin wrongly detected that my game was showing ads on background?

I couldn’t replicate this.

Relevant Code:

// Admob is initialized with:
MobileAds.SetiOSAppPauseOnBackground(true);

            RequestConfiguration requestConfiguration =
                new RequestConfiguration.Builder()
                .SetTagForChildDirectedTreatment(TagForChildDirectedTreatment.True).build();
            MobileAds.SetRequestConfiguration(requestConfiguration);

            MobileAds.Initialize(initStatus => { adManager.OnAdInitialized(); });



// I load the ad with:
private void CreateAndLoadRewardedAd()
    {
        if (this.rewardedAd != null)
        {
            this.rewardedAd.OnAdClosed -= this.RewardedAd_OnAdClosed;
            this.rewardedAd.OnAdFailedToLoad -= this.RewardedAd_OnAdFailedToLoad;
            this.rewardedAd.OnAdFailedToShow -= this.RewardedAd_OnAdFailedToShow;
            this.rewardedAd.OnAdLoaded -= this.RewardedAd_OnAdLoaded;
            this.rewardedAd.OnAdOpening -= this.RewardedAd_OnAdOpening;
            this.rewardedAd.OnPaidEvent -= this.RewardedAd_OnPaidEvent;
            this.rewardedAd.OnUserEarnedReward -= this.RewardedAd_OnUserEarnedReward;
        }

        this.rewardedAd = new RewardedAd(this.AdUnitID);

        this.rewardedAd.OnAdClosed += this.RewardedAd_OnAdClosed;
        this.rewardedAd.OnAdFailedToLoad += this.RewardedAd_OnAdFailedToLoad;
        this.rewardedAd.OnAdFailedToShow += this.RewardedAd_OnAdFailedToShow;
        this.rewardedAd.OnAdLoaded += this.RewardedAd_OnAdLoaded;
        this.rewardedAd.OnAdOpening += this.RewardedAd_OnAdOpening;
        this.rewardedAd.OnPaidEvent += this.RewardedAd_OnPaidEvent;
        this.rewardedAd.OnUserEarnedReward += this.RewardedAd_OnUserEarnedReward;

        AdRequest request = new AdRequest.Builder().AddExtra("npa", "1").Build();
        this.rewardedAd.LoadAd(request);
    }

// And only show when the user clicks a button with:
rewardedAd.Show();

It should NOT in any way ever show a hidden ad, this is a scary message to see popping up, and I believe there is probably an error on the plugin on whatever handles this check.

I was looking at my app with the device attached to logcat when I saw this warning pop up.