How do Ad Supported Apps work?

leaskovski · 21 Jun 2011 at 10:15

Ok, I have come from WM6.5 and earlier to the world of android. Back in the days of WM, I used to use a lot of apps that were created by people off of xda-dev, and they were just free (with a donation here and there).

On Android, I regularly see this 'ad supported' text whilst looking at app descriptions which is obviously so that the dev doesnt have to rely on donations and instead can make money another way.

What I don't understand is how it actually works.

Can someone explain the theory of ad supported? Are they just mining data and selling it on, or is it some other way?

Cheers

TheVoice · 21 Jun 2011 at 10:23

App shows ads while you're running it, usually as a small banner at the top/bottom of the screen. For some apps it's only on the menus etc so they're not visible the entire time you're using them.

krooton · 21 Jun 2011 at 10:33

Yep, and people still block them, which doesn't seem fair tbh.

leaskovski · 21 Jun 2011 at 10:47

Ah, so if a custom rom has ad blocking added in, then the ad supported app doesnt show any ads and really dosnt pay out to the dev?

Scam · 21 Jun 2011 at 17:16

I would assume that it's much like ad-supported websites. Companies pay to have their banner on the website (or in this case on the app) regardless. So the dev still gets paid even if half the people using the app are blocking the ads. I might be wrong, though.

AbsenceJam · 21 Jun 2011 at 18:13

Some apps have ads built in, not retrieved from an advertising network server so ad blockers won't stop them.