Monetization SDK Integration Checklist: Everything Before You Ship

Monetization SDK Integration Checklist: Everything Before You Ship

You have integrated the SDK. The test ads are loading. But before you push to production, there is a checklist of items that will save you from support tickets, policy violations, and missed revenue. Here is every item, in the order you should check it.

Consent and Privacy (Do This First)

• Consent UI is shown before any data collection starts. Do not initialize the SDK before getting consent. Policy violation risk is significant if you collect data before consent on EU/California users.
• Consent is stored per-user, not per-device. If a user reinstalls or upgrades, your stored consent should survive. Asking users to re-consent every reinstall destroys trust.
• Opt-out is easy to find. Users should be able to revoke consent in your app settings without multiple taps or dark patterns.
• Privacy policy is updated. Your privacy policy must describe what data is collected and shared. Generic policies that predate your SDK integration are a compliance risk.
• GDPR: consent is opt-in, not opt-out. EU users must actively choose to consent. Pre-checked boxes do not count.
• CCPA: do-not-sell link is present if you serve California users. A visible "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link is legally required.

SDK Initialization

• SDK initializes after consent, not on app launch. Check that consent is confirmed before any SDK call that could collect data.
• API keys are not hardcoded in plaintext source. Use environment variables or a secrets manager. Your SDK keys should not be in your GitHub repository.
• SDK version is pinned in your dependency manager. Floating to latest can introduce breaking changes in production silently.
• SDK initializes gracefully if network is unavailable. Test in airplane mode. SDK initialization should not crash your app.
• Timeout handling is in place. If the SDK does not initialize within N seconds, your app should continue normally without blocking UX.

Ad Placement Testing

• Test mode is disabled for production build. Every SDK has a test mode that serves fake ads. Shipping with test mode on means zero revenue.
• Ad slots have been tested on every screen size you support. A banner that looks fine on an iPhone 15 Pro may overlap content on an older small-screen device.
• Ads are not shown in the wrong contexts. Check that ads do not appear during onboarding, loading screens, or on top of content where they would obscure the primary UX.
• Fill rate is measured. Set up logging for ad request vs. ad received, so you can monitor fill rate in production.
• CPM floor prices are configured. If your network supports floor prices, set them. Do not accept fractions-of-a-cent CPMs.

Revenue Verification

• Test transaction is confirmed in dashboard. Before shipping, verify that a real impression in a test environment shows up in your revenue dashboard.
• Payout method is configured. You cannot receive revenue without a verified payout account. Do this before launch, not after.
• Revenue reporting is connected to your analytics. Know which screen, feature, or user segment generates the most ad revenue so you can optimize.

Performance

• App startup time with SDK is measured. Compare cold start time before and after SDK integration. A significant increase needs to be addressed with lazy initialization.
• Network usage is acceptable. Some SDKs are aggressive about background network calls. Measure data usage and battery impact.
• Memory usage is stable. Run the app for 10+ minutes and check for memory growth that could indicate a leak in the SDK.

Error Handling

• SDK errors are caught and logged. The SDK will occasionally fail. Uncaught exceptions from SDK callbacks can crash your app.
• Ad load failures fail silently. If an ad fails to load, the app should continue normally. Do not show error states to users for ad network failures.
• Fallback behavior is defined. If the SDK is completely unavailable (service outage), what does the user see? This should be tested.

App Store Compliance

• App Store guidelines reviewed. Both Apple and Google have specific rules about ad placement, consent flows, and data disclosures. Review the current guidelines before submission — they change regularly.
• Data nutrition label / data safety form is updated. Apple's App Privacy and Google's Data Safety sections require accurate disclosure of what your monetization SDK collects.
• SDK is on the app store's approved list. Some networks require you to disclose the SDK in your app store submission. Check requirements for your specific network.

Launch Monitoring

• Revenue alert is configured. Set an alert for if revenue drops to zero for 24 hours. This usually means test mode is on or the SDK failed to initialize in production.
• User feedback channel is monitored. Your first batch of real users will find UX problems with your consent flow or ad placements that you did not catch in testing.

Go through this list before every release that touches monetization code, not just the initial integration. Settings, API keys, and SDK versions drift over time.

Last updated: September 2026