Skip Button for tvOS

[Pratham Gupta]

Hello,

I am currently working on a tvOS project that uses the following pod: GoogleAds-IMA-tvOS-SDK (version 4.16.0).

I have two specific requirements and would like clarification on their feasibility:

1. Custom Skip Button Timing:
   I would like to display a custom skip button with my own skip-timer logic, instead of relying on the skippable time defined in the ad tag. Is it possible to hide the default IMA skip button and replace it with a custom one?

2. Force-Skipping Ads:
   Once my custom skip button becomes available and the user chooses to skip, I need to skip the ad regardless of whether the ad itself is defined as skippable. Is there any way to force-skip an ad on tvOS using the IMA SDK?

If there are any alternative approaches or recommended solutions that could help achieve these requirements, I would greatly appreciate your guidance.

Thank you.

[IMA SDK]

Hi Pratham,

Thank you for contacting the IMA SDK Support Team.

Please find the answers below for your queries:

1. Custom Skip Button Timing

Q: Is it possible to hide the default IMA skip button and replace it with a custom one with custom timing logic?

A: No, this is not supported by the IMA SDK.

• Custom Skip Button: Creating a custom skip button or changing the visual appearance of the skip button is not supported by the IMA SDK, as noted in the IMA SDK FAQ.
• Custom Timing: You cannot override the skippable time defined by the VAST ad tag. The SDK strictly enforces the time set by the ad server to maintain ad delivery compliance.

2. Force-Skipping Ads

Q: Is there any way to force-skip an ad on tvOS using the IMA SDK, even if the ad is not skippable?

A: No, the IMA SDK does not provide any public API that allows force-skipping ads.

• The SDK does not offer any method to skip an ad unless the ad itself is marked as skippable in the VAST response.
  
  
• The IMAAdsManager.skip() method will only function when:
  • The ad is designated as skippable in the VAST response, and
  • The skip offset (the required wait time before skipping) has been reached.

The SDK is designed to enforce the ad-serving rules defined by the ad provider through the VAST response, and therefore does not allow bypassing skippability or skip timing.

Thanks,
 

IMA SDK Team

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[2025-11-17 15:09:57Z GMT] This message is in relation to case "ref:!00D1U01174p.!500Ht01vTd3Z:ref" (ADR-00339503)