title: Banner Ads: best practices regarding refresh
body: <p>In my app, I have a banner ad which shows at the top of the screen at certain times (main menu and scenes that are inbetween levels, end of game etc.... basically, anything that is <strong>not</strong> actual gameplay).</p>
  
  <p>I'm using the MobFox SDK and I'm using mediation with AdMob so I get AdMob banners when MobFox doesn't load one.</p>
  
  <p>What I want to know is, how do you stop showing ads while stopping the 'refresh timer' as well?</p>
  
  <p>There are 2 methods.  I was previously using:</p>
  
  <pre><code>adView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The problem with the above is that although the banner disappears from view, it keeps refreshing while in the background.  <strong><em>This, is most definately not what I want</em></strong>.</p>
  
  <p>So, the next logical step (and one that I've been advised to use in the past is):</p>
  
  <pre><code>adview.pause();
  adView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>OK, so the ad disappears and is no longer updated.  Brilliant......well, not quite.  On resuming with:</p>
  
  <pre><code>adView.resume();
  adView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The Ad returns to the view, but we have to wait the <strong><em>entire</em></strong> refresh time (mine is set at 30 seconds) until the banner changes.</p>
  
  <p>This means, that if the user uses my app for say, 15 minues, it's very possible (and extremely likely) that they will only ever see <strong>one Ad</strong> throughout the entire session.</p>
  
  <p>So what I'm after is simply a way (which I would have thought would be the standard way) to have the banner <strong><em>not update, but remember where its timer was so that when it resumes it can pick up where it left off</em></strong></p>
  
  <p>This would mean that if the user spends 20 seconds on the main menu, then plays the game, when he finishes a level, we only have to wait 10 seconds for the banner to complete it's natural refresh cycle and be replaced with a new banner.</p>
  
  <p>Is this how things should work?  What am I missing?</p>