Google Mobile Ads SDK updates leave CocoaPods after 2 December

What changed

Separate SDK distribution from campaign delivery

Google’s Mobile Ads Developer Relations team says the CocoaPods Specs repository will become read-only on 2 December 2026. After that date, Google will stop publishing new iOS Mobile Ads SDK and mediation adapter versions through CocoaPods. The notice is dated 6 November and is signed by Justin Malandruccolo.

The immediate audience is the team maintaining an iOS app’s advertising integration. This is a software-distribution change. Google says already published SDK and mediation versions remain available from the read-only repository and existing builds are unaffected. The notice does not say that live campaigns, existing app installations or all ads stop working on 2 December.

Identify the packages the app needs

Google specifically calls out apps that use CocoaPods for Google-Mobile-Ads-SDK or GoogleUserMessagingPlatform. Ask the app owner which packages and adapters are installed, where they are obtained and how future updates are incorporated into a release. An advertising dashboard does not identify the dependency manager used to build an app.

Google recommends Swift Package Manager for future Mobile Ads SDK updates and also points to manual framework downloads. The official announcement links to the separate AdMob and Ad Manager setup instructions. It also says Mobile Ads mediation adapters support Swift Package Manager, with package destinations listed in the mediation documentation. Check each adapter’s instructions rather than assuming that changing the main SDK automatically migrates every network.

Plan a controlled app release

Have the app maintainer review the applicable setup guide and the app’s dependency configuration before choosing a migration. If CocoaPods also manages unrelated packages, removing the entire integration requires a separate assessment. The announcement’s removal step is explicitly conditional on removing CocoaPods from the project completely.

After a reviewed migration, the app team should validate its own build, consent flow and ad integration in its established test process before an approved release. PMC has read the notice; it has not compiled an iOS app, run an SDK or verified a particular mediation setup. A documentation-based migration plan is not runtime certification.

Keep the 6 November publication date separate from the 2 December distribution change. Existing releases remaining downloadable provides continuity for current builds, but future fixes and features require a supported distribution route. Assign an owner for that review so the deadline is visible alongside the normal app-release calendar.

Why it matters for advertisers

App teams need a supported route for future advertising SDK fixes and features. The repository transition should be planned without presenting it as an immediate shutdown of existing ads.