ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Unwanted software
Google disapproves ads for software that could be deceptive or hard to remove. The ad must name the product type and give an accurate one-line description. The landing page must say plainly what installing changes, and include the Terms of Service or End User License Agreement. Fix the ad first, then the landing page, then choose the appeal button that matches what changed.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, as Disapproved under this policy.
- What stops
- The flagged ad stops serving until the ad and its destination meet the policy.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Google warns at least 7 days before any account suspension, but repeated violations can lead to one.
- How long
- Google says re-review typically takes 24 to 48 hours after an edit.
What it means
Google's policy describes unwanted software as software that does not give users a positive experience. It names deception as the core problem: software that promises a value it does not deliver, collects private information without the user's knowledge, or is difficult to disable or uninstall.
The policy is about disclosure. An ad for a legitimate tool still breaks it when the ad and the landing page do not say what the product is, or do not explain what installing it changes.
What actually triggers it
An ad with no product type or one-line description
The ad does not name the type of product, or it gives no accurate one-line description of what the software does.
A landing page that does not say what installing changes
The landing page does not explain the changes installing makes, such as to a browser or its settings, or the disclosure is too small or too technical to read.
No Terms of Service or End User License Agreement
The product or its landing page has no Terms of Service or End User License Agreement.
Software bundled without the user's knowledge
The download includes other software the user did not ask for.
Fix it in this order
- In Google Ads, go to Campaigns, then Ads, hover over the ad, and select Edit. Add the product type and an accurate one-line description of what the software does.
- Select Save.
- On the landing page, name the product type, repeat the one-line description, and state plainly what installing changes. Make the disclosure prominent, in type large enough to read.
- Add a Terms of Service or End User License Agreement to the product or its landing page.
When to appeal
Use Made changes to comply with policy when the only change is on the landing page.
Use Dispute in the Policy Manager when you have fixed the destination or believe the decision was wrong.
Often confused with
App or web store policy violation
The destination breaks an app or web store's rules. This one is about the product's own disclosure, so the store's notice is not the place to start.