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{{Breadcrumb|}} {{Breadcrumb|Digital}} {{Breadcrumb|International DCR}}  {{CurrentBreadcrumb}}
[[Category:Digital]]

== Overview ==
The Nielsen SDK is one of multiple framework SDKs that Nielsen provides to enable measuring linear (live) and on-demand TV viewing using TVs, mobile devices, etc.
The App SDK is the framework for mobile application developers to integrate Nielsen Measurement into their media player applications. It supports a variety of Nielsen Measurement Products like Digital in TV Ratings, Digital Content Ratings ([[DCR & DTVR]]), and [[Digital Ad Ratings]] (DAR). Nielsen SDKs are also equipped to measure static content and can track key life cycle events of an application like:
*Application launch events and how long app was running
*Time of viewing a sub section / page in the application.

== Prerequisites ==
To start using the App SDK, the following details are required:
* '''App ID (appid):''' Unique ID assigned to the player/site and configured by product.
* '''sfcode:''' Unique identifier for the environment that the SDK should point to.
* '''Nielsen SDK:''' The Nielsen SDK package contains a variety of sample players for your reference.
If you do not have any of these prerequisites or if you have any questions, please contact our SDK sales support team.
Refer to [[Digital Measurement Onboarding]] guide for information on how to get a Nielsen App SDK and appid.

==  Implementation ==
This guide covers implementation steps for Android Studio utilizing the Standard Nielsen SDK for DCR.
=== How to obtain the NielsenAppApi ===
The Nielsen AppSDK can either be downloaded directly or can be integrated directly within an application through the use of Gradle. We recommend using the Gradle-based integration whenever possible to ensure you maintain the most recent changes and enhancements to the Nielsen libraries.
* [[Digital_Measurement_Android_Artifactory_Guide|Select to obtain Gradle implementation guide]]
* [[Special:Downloads|Select to Download Directly]]

== Setting up your  Development Environment  ==

=== Configuring Android Development Environment ===
*The Nielsen App SDK (located in the [https://engineeringportal.nielsen.com/docs/Special:Downloads Downloads section] of the website) class is the primary application interface to the Nielsen App SDK on Android.
*The Nielsen App SDK class is defined as the only public class belonging to the com.nielsen.app.sdk package.
*The Nielsen App SDK can also be added via [https://engineeringportal.nielsen.com/docs/Digital_Measurement_Android_Artifactory_Guide Artifact Repository].

'''Nielsen App SDK is compatible with Android OS versions 2.3+. Clients can control / configure the protocol to be used – HTTPS or HTTP to suit their needs.'''

The requirement for the Java ''AppSdk.jar'' library and the ''libAppSdk.so'' native library will depend on the type of host application that will make use of them.
* '''For Video player applications'''
** The Android OS hosting the App SDK should use a media player supporting HLS streaming (Android 3.0 and later will support it natively).
** If the player application uses a 3rd party media player implementing its own HLS, then the minimum Android version will be limited to version 2.3, since the SDK depends on Google Play support to work properly.

Once SDK is downloaded ensure to unzip the Nielsen SDK and copy the AppSdk.jar in your app (Android Studio) libs folder, then right click the AppSdk.jar and select '''Add As Library'''.
Ensure the AppSdk.jar file is added in 'build.grade (App Level) file.
* App SDK 1.2 provides support for x86, mips, and armeabi-7a architecture.

==== Google Play Services ====
Add the Google Play Services in the project,
Steps: Android Studio -> File -> Project Structure ->(In module selection) select App -> Dependencies (tab) -> Click "+" button and search for <code>"*play-services*"</code>.  Then select the most recent version of the play-services Artifact.
Ensure it is added in build.gradle (App level) file

==== Google AD ID Permissions ====
The following is required if target API level is set to 31 (Android 12) with the Ad Version of the Nielsen SDK.

<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
<uses-permission android:name="com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID"/>
</syntaxhighlight>
</br>

==== Manifest File ==== 
* Add the following permissions on the project’s ''AndroidManifest.xml'' file.
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/></syntaxhighlight>
For more details to handle runtime permissions in Android versions, please visit [https://developer.android.com/training/permissions/requesting.html].   

* In <code>AndroidManifest.xml </code>under <code><application></code> add the following metadata

<syntaxhighlight lang="java"><meta-data 
android:name="com.google.android.gms.version" 
android:value="@integer/google_play_services_version"/></syntaxhighlight>

* App SDK checks to see if there is a Google service available and updated.
* If not available or updated, App SDK will not use this service when executing its functions and will make reference to missing imports and the app will not be compiled.

==== Library ====
Nielsen App SDK uses the following packages/classes from the Google Play service.
* google-play-services_lib

==== Classes/package ====
* com.google.android.gms.ads.identifier.AdvertisingIdClient;
* com.google.android.gms.ads.identifier.AdvertisingIdClient.Info;
* com.google.android.gms.common.ConnectionResult;
* com.google.android.gms.common.GooglePlayServicesUtil;
* com.google.android.gms.common.GooglePlayServicesRepairableException;
* com.google.android.gms.common.GooglePlayServicesNotAvailableException;

== SDK Initialization ==
The latest version of the Nielsen App SDK allows instantiating multiple instances of the SDK object, which can be used simultaneously without any issue. The sharedInstance API that creates a singleton object was deprecated prior to version 5.1.1. (Version 4.0 for Android)

* A maximum of four SDK instances per appid are supported. 
* When four SDK instances exist, you must destroy an old instance before creating a new one.

The following table contains the list of arguments that can be passed via the AppInfo JSON schema.

* The appid is provided by the Nielsen Technical Account Manager (TAM). The appid is a GUID data type and is specific to the application.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Parameter / Argument !! Description !! Source !! Required? !! Example
|-
| appid || Unique id for the application assigned by Nielsen. It is GUID data type.|| Nielsen-specified || Yes || PXXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX
|-
| appname || Name of the application || Client-defined || Optional; automatically detected in SDK 6.0.0.4 and above || Nielsen Sample App
|-
| sfcode || Nielsen collection facility to which the SDK should connect.
* "pl"
|| Nielsen-specified || Yes || pl
|-
| nol_devDebug || Enables Nielsen console logging. Only required for testing
|| Nielsen-specified || Optional || "DEBUG"
|}

== Debug flag for development environment ==
Player application developers / integrators can use Debug flag to check whether an App SDK API call made is successful. To activate the Debug flag,
Pass the argument <code>@"nol_devDebug":@"INFO"</code>, in the JSON string . The permitted values are:

* '''INFO''': Displays the API calls and the input data from the application (validate player name, app ID, etc.). It can be used as certification Aid.
* '''WARN''': Indicates potential integration / configuration errors or SDK issues.
* '''ERROR''': Indicates important integration errors or non-recoverable SDK issues.
* '''DEBUG''': Debug logs, used by the developers to debug more complex issues.

Once the flag is active, it logs each API call made and the data passed. The log created by this flag is minimal.
<blockquote>'''Note''': DO NOT activate the Debug flag in a production environment.</blockquote>

==== Sample SDK Initialization Code ====
[[AppSDK()]] is no longer a singleton object and should be initialized as below.

'''Initialization of App SDK object through a JSON object'''
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">  

try
{
  // Prepare AppSdk configuration object (JSONObject)
  JSONObject appSdkConfig = new JSONObject()
          .put("appid", "PDA7D5EE6-B1B8-XXXX-XXXX-2A788BCXXXCA")
          .put("sfcode", "pl")
          .put("nol_devDebug", "DEBUG"); // only for debug builds

// Pass appSdkConfig to the AppSdk constructor
mAppSdk = new AppSdk(appContext, appSdkConfig, appSdkListener);
}
catch (JSONException e)
{
  Log.e(TAG, "Couldn’t prepare JSONObject for appSdkConfig", e);
}
</syntaxhighlight>
Here, <code>appContext</code> is the App context object and <code>appSdkConfig</code> is JSON object for holding the parameters (<code>appid</code>, <code>sfcode</code>) the App passes to the Nielsen App SDK via a JSON string. The appid is obtained from Nielsen operational support and is unique to the app.


The integration of Nielsen App SDK will depend on type of client app.<br />
* Ensure that SDK files (AppSdk.jar and libAppSdk.so [App SDK 1.2 Only]) are included under the App’s project and the App SDK is linked to the App (the setting to link App SDK to the App can be found on property page of the App’s project).

== APP SDK Error & Event Codes ==
To view the Error and Event codes for iOS and Android, please review the [[APP SDK Event Codes|App SDK Event Code]] Reference page.

== Configure Payload ==
=== Handling JSON Metadata ===
All metadata needs to passed to the SDK using JSONObject instances.
* JSON values must be string value.
** This includes boolean and numeric values. For example, a value of true should be represented with "true", number value 123 should be "123".
* All the variable names like appid, appname, sfcode, title, type etc. are case-sensitive. Use the correct variable name as specified in the documentation.
 <syntaxhighlight lang="java">
JSONObject contentMetadata = new JSONObject()
//SDK Metadata
    .put("type", "content")
    .put("assetid", "vid345-67483")
    .put("program", "Program Name")
    .put("title", "Program S3, EP1")
    .put("length", "3600")
    .put("adloadtype": "2")
    .put("segB", "CustomSegmentValueB")  //optional
    .put("segC", "CustomSegmentValueC")  //optional
    .put("isfullepisode", "yes")
    .put("airdate", "20161013 20:00:00")
</syntaxhighlight>

=== ChannelName metadata === 
channelName should remain constant throughout the completion of an episode or live stream.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Key !! Description !!	Values	 !! Required
|-
| channelName	|| ChannelInfo refers to the Channel name. This can be a free-form value
value such as a friendly name for the content being played. the SDK<br/>
will pass the application name automatically.
|| custom	|| No
|-
|}

==== Content Metadata ====
Content metadata should remain constant throughout the completion of an episode / clip including the ads play.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Key !! Description !!	Values	 !! Required
|-
| type || type of asset	|| "content" || ✓
|-
| assetid	|| unique ID assigned to asset (max 64 characters; only characters 0-9, a-z, A-Z underscore and minus are allowed - no special characters or vowel mutations) || custom (no [[Special Characters]])|| ✓
|-
| program	|| (string) name of program (max 254 characters)	|| custom	|| ✓
|-
| title	|| (string) episode title (max 254 characters)	|| custom - no backslash allowed in string (because of 3rd party data processing) || ✓
|-
| length	|| (int) length of content in seconds	|| 86400 seconds for live stream. For Event-Livestreams planned length. For VoD video length||	✓
|-
| airdate || The airdate in the linear TV. Original (local) air date and time (hh:mm:ss as 24h time stamp); if not known set it to eg. "19700101 00:00:00"	||	YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MI:SS<br>
YYYY-MM-DDHH:MI:SS<br>
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MI:SS+xx:xx<br>
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MI:SS-xx:xx<br>
YYYYMMDDHH:MI:SS<br>
YYYYMMDD HH:MI:SS<br>
MM-DD-YYYY<br>
MM/DD/YYYY<br>
 (pass beginning of epoch if unknown)
	|| ✓
|-
| isfullepisode || full episode flag	||	"y"- full episode, "n"- non full episode	|| ✓
|-
| adloadtype || type of ad load:
<code>"1"</code> Linear – matches TV ad load

<code>"2"</code> Dynamic – Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI)
|| <code>"2"</code> - DCR measures content with dynamic ads ||  ✓
|-
| progen || program genre	||	custom	||
|-
| segB || custom segment	||	custom	||
|-
| segC || custom segment	||	custom	||
|-
| crossId1 || standard episode ID	||	custom	||
|-
| clientid	|| 
parent ID – value is automatically populated through provided AppID.<br/>
In order to override the brand configured to the AppID, pass parent <br/>
value here and the sub-brand ID associated to that brand in the subbrand <br/>
key (e.g. multiple brands in App)	
||
provided by Nielsen	
||
|-
| subbrand	|| vcid/sub-brand ID – value is automatically populated through provided<br/>
AppID. In order to override the sub-brand configured to the AppID, value can <br/>
be passed here (e.g. multiple sub-brands in App)
||
provided by Nielsen
||
|}

=== Ad Metadata ===
The ad metadata (if applicable) should be passed for each individual ad, if ads are available during or before the stream begins.
<br/>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Keys	!! Description	!! Values	!! Required
|-
| type	|| type of ad	|| 'preroll', 'midroll', or 'postroll' ||	✓
|-
| assetid ||	unique ID assigned to ad	|| custom <br>(no [[Special Characters]])	|| ✓
|}

=== Example Ad Object ===
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
JSONObject adMetadata = new JSONObject()
//SDK Metadata
    .put("type", "preroll")
    .put("assetid", "AD-ID123");
</syntaxhighlight>
== Nielsen API Documentation ==
=== play ===
Use [[DCR_Video_APP_SDK#play|play]] to pass the channel descriptor information through channelName parameter when the user taps the '''Play''' button on the player. Pass in channelName metadata as described above.
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">public void play(JSONObject channelInfo);</syntaxhighlight>

=== loadMetadata ===
Call to inform SDK about asset being played. Pass in metadata as described here [[#Configure Payload]], [[#Content Metadata]]
 <syntaxhighlight lang="java">public void loadMetadata(JSONObject contentMetadata);</syntaxhighlight>

=== setPlayheadPosition ===
Call to inform Nielsen SDK about position in video asset (for VOD pass second within video, for livestreams UTC timestamp in seconds).
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
public void setPlayheadPosition(long position)
</syntaxhighlight>

=== stop ===
Call to indicate interruption during playback, e.g. pause. (more on interruption scenarios here: [[#Interruptions during playback]] )
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">public void stop()</syntaxhighlight>

=== end ===
When content has finished playback and content cannot be resumed from the same position (it can only be restarted from the beginning of stream).
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">public void end()</syntaxhighlight>

== Call Nielsen APIs ==

=== Sample API Sequence ===
A Sample API sequence could follow this flow:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type !! Sample code !! Description
|-
|On App Start||<code>mAppSdk = new AppSdk(appContext, appSdkConfig, appSdkListener);</code> || // contentMetadata Object contains the JSON metadata for the impression
|-
| rowspan="2" | Start of stream || <code>mAppSdk.play(channelName);</code> || // channelName contains JSON metadata of channel/video name being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetadataObject);</code> || // contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
|-
| Content || <code>mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(position);</code> || // playheadPosition is position of the playhead while the content is being played
|-
| End of Stream || <code>mAppSdk.end();</code> || // Content playback is completed.
|}

=== Life cycle of SDK instance ===
Life cycle of SDK instance includes four general states:
# '''Initial state''' – The SDK is not initialized and hence, not ready to process playing information. Once the SDK is moved out of this state, it needs instantiation of the new SDK instance in order to get the instance in the '''Initial state'''.
# '''Idle state''' – The SDK is initialized and is ready to process playing information. Once Initialized, the SDK instance is not processing any data, but is listening for the play event to occur.
# '''Processing state''' – The SDK instance is processing playing information. The <code>'''play'''</code> and <code>'''loadMetadata''' </code> calls move the SDK instance into this state. In this state, the SDK instance will be able to process the following calls.
## <code>'''setplayheadPosition'''</code> – Call this API every one second when playhead position timer is fired.  If a LIVE event, use the current Unix timestamp (seconds since Jan-1-1970 UTC).
## <code>'''stop'''</code> – Call this API when the playback is paused, switches between content and ad (within the same content playback) or encounters interruptions.
## <code>'''end'''</code> – SDK instance exits from Processing state when this API is called.
# '''Disabled state''' – The SDK instance is disabled and is not processing playing information. SDK instance moves into this state in one of the following scenarios.
## Initialization fails
## <code>'''appDisableApi'''</code> is set to <code>true</code>

<blockquote>'''Note:''' For API Version 5.1 and above, App SDK will fire data pings and continue measurement even after the user has opted out from Nielsen measurement on a device. The data ping will be marked as opted-out ping.

'''Note''': In case of any interruptions during playback due to alarm, calendar, call, flight mode, Wi-Fi toggle, channel change, etc., call [[stop]] to stop the measurement.
* As soon as the playback resumes, call <code>'''play'''</code>, <code>'''loadMetadata''' </code> and   <code>'''playheadPosition'''</code> </blockquote>

=== API Call Sequence ===
==== Use Case 1: Content has no Advertisements ====
Call [[play()]] with channelName JSON as below.
<syntaxhighlight lang="json">{
   "channelName": "TheMovieTitle"
}</syntaxhighlight>
Call [[loadMetadata()]] with JSON metadata for content as below.
<syntaxhighlight lang="json">{
    "type": "content",
    "assetid": "C77664",
    "title": "Program S2, E3",
    "isfullepisode": "Yes",
    "program": "Program Name",
    "length": "3600",
    "airdate": "20171020 10:05:00",
    "adloadtype": "2",
    "segB": "CustomSegmentValueB", //optional
    "segC": "CustomSegmentValueC", //optional
}</syntaxhighlight>
Call [[setPlayheadPosition()]] every one second until a pause / stop.
Use the sample API sequence below as a reference to identify the specific events that need to be called during content playback without ads.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type !! Sample code !! Description
|-
| rowspan="2" | Start of stream || <code>mAppSdk.play(channelName); </code> || // channelName contains JSON metadata of channel/video name being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);</code> || // contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
|-
| Content || <code>mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);</code> || // position is position of the playhead while the content is being played
|-
| End of Stream || <code>mAppSdk.end();</code> || // Content playback is completed.
|}

==== Use Case 2: Content has Advertisements ====
Call [[play()]] with channelName JSON as below.
<syntaxhighlight lang="json">{
   "channelName": "TheMovieTitle"
}</syntaxhighlight>
Call [[loadMetadata()]] with JSON metadata for ad as below.
<syntaxhighlight lang="json">{
   "type": "preroll",
   "assetid": "ad=123"
}</syntaxhighlight>
<blockquote>Note: In case the individual ad details are not available, send ad pod (presence) details through the [[loadMetadata]] and playhead position through [[playheadPosition]].</blockquote>

Call [[setPlayheadPosition()]] every one second until a pause / stop / another [[loadMetadata()]] is called. Playhead should be passed for the entire duration of ad pod, if the ad pod details are passed as part of [[loadMetadata()]].

The sample API sequence can be used as a reference to identify the specific events that need to be called during content and ad playback.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type !! Sample code !! Description
|-
| rowspan="2" | Start of stream || <code>mAppSdk.play(channelName); </code> || // channelName contains JSON metadata of channel/video name being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);</code> || // contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
|-
| rowspan="3" | Preroll || <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(prerollMetadataObject);</code> || // prerollMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the preroll ad
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);</code> || // position is position of the playhead while the preroll ad is being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.stop();</code> || // Call stop after preroll occurs
|-
| rowspan="3" | Content || <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);</code> || // contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);</code> || // position is position of the playhead while the content is being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.stop();</code> || // Call stop after the content is paused (ad starts)
|-
| rowspan="6" | Midroll || <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(midrollMetaDataObject);</code> || // midrollMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the midroll ad
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);</code> || // position is position of the playhead while the midroll ad is being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.stop();</code> || // App moves to background(midroll pauses) 
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(midrollMetaDataObject);</code> || // App moves to foreground (midroll resumes) 
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);</code> || // playheadPosition is position of the playhead while the midroll ad is being played 
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.stop();</code> || // Call stop after midroll occurs
|-
| rowspan="3" | Content (End of stream) || <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);</code> || // contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);</code> || // position is position of the playhead while the content is being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.stop();</code> || // Always call stop irrespective of postroll is followed or not
|-
| End of Stream || <code>mAppSdk.end();</code> || // Call end() at the end of content
|-
| rowspan="3" | Postroll || <code>mAppSdk.loadMetadata(postrollMetaDataObject);</code> || // postrollMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the postroll ad
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);</code> || // position is position of the playhead while the postroll ad is being played
|-
| <code>mAppSdk.stop();</code> || // Call stop after postroll occurs
|}

<blockquote>Note: Each Ad playhead should reset or begin from 0 at ad start. When content has resumed following an ad break, playhead position must continue from where previous content segment was left off.</blockquote>

== Handling Foreground and Background states ==
Foreground/Background state measurement is a requirement of Nielsen AppSDK implementation which is especially crucial for static measurement. It may be implemented in multiple ways for Android. This includes
* Enable the Nielsen SDK to measure background/foreground state by makingthe relevant update to the AndroidManifest.
* Integrate Nielsen’s SdkBgFgDetectionUtility class within your Custom Application Class.
* Custom implementation of the required methods within your application.

=== ForeGround/Background Measurement via AndroidManifest ===
The simplest way to measure the app background/foreground state is to add the following application tag to the Manifest XML. Integrating this into the Manifest XML will enable the SDK to measure app state directly. This approach is supported for Android 4.0 and up only; it requires that the application class is not in use for some other purpose.
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
<application android:name="com.nielsen.app.sdk.AppSdkApplication">
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Using the Android SdkBgFbDetectionUtility Class ===
For developers who are already using the application class, it is recommended that background/foreground state is implemented using the  [https://engineeringportal.nielsen.com/docs/Android_Background_Foreground SdkBgFgDetectionUtility class].  The  [https://engineeringportal.nielsen.com/docs/Android_Background_Foreground SdkBgFgDetectionUtility class] is compatible with Android 4+ and has been made available to Nielsen clients. (You will need to copy/paste the code provided into a file).

=== Manual Background/ForeGround State Management ===
In cases where the developer is not able to use the AndroidManifest.xml solution nor the Nielsen provided   [https://engineeringportal.nielsen.com/docs/Android_Background_Foreground SdkBgFgDetectionUtility class] the developer will need to manually identify the change of state through the application and call the respective API (appInForeground() or appInBackground()) to inform the SDK regarding the change of state from background to foreground or foreground to background.

The SDK is informed about app state using the below methods.
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
AppLaunchMeasurementManager.appInForeground(getApplicationContext());
AppLaunchMeasurementManager.appInBackground(getApplicationContext());
</syntaxhighlight>
Within the lifecycle of individual activities, onResume() and onPause() are best suited to providing indication of the app state.


Correct measurement of the foreground/background state is crucial to Static App measurement within Nielsen Digital Content Ratings (DCR).

== Interruptions during playback ==
As part of integrating Nielsen App SDK with the player application, the Audio / Video app developer needs to handle the following possible interruption scenarios:
* Pause / Play
* Network Loss (Wi-Fi / Airplane / Cellular)
* Call Interrupt (SIM or Third party Skype / Hangout call)
* Alarm Interrupt
* Content Buffering
* Device Lock / Unlock (Video players only, not for Audio players)
* App going in the Background/Foreground (Video players only, not for Audio players)
* Channel / Station Change Scenario
* Unplugging of headphone
In case of encountering one of the above interruptions, the player application needs to
* Call [[stop]] immediately and withhold sending playhead position.
* Start sending pings – <code>'loadMetadata'</code> and <code>'playheadPosition'</code> for the new viewing session, once the playback resumes.
Please see the [https://engineeringportal.nielsen.com/docs/Digital_Measurement_Interruption_Scenarios Interruption Scenarios Page] for more details

== Pre-Certification Checklists ==
After the application is ready to be sent for Nielsen Certification, please go through the [[Digital Pre-Certification Checklist App SDK]] and ensure the app behaves as expected, before submitting to Nielsen.

== Privacy and Opt-Out ==
There are two primary methods for implementing user Opt-out preferences:
# '''[[#OS-level_Opt-out|OS-level Opt-out]]''' - managed by ''Opt out of Ads Personalization'' setting on device ('''preferred approach''').
# '''[[#Legacy_Opt-out|Legacy Opt-out]]''' - Direct call to SDK; used only for older versions of Nielsen Android SDK versions (< 5.1.1.18)

=== OS-level Opt-out ===
''OS-level Opt-out'' method available on Nielsen Android '''SDK Versions 5.1.1.18 and above'''.

The Nielsen SDK automatically leverages the Android's ''Opt out of Ads Personalization'' setting. The user is opted out of demographic measurement if the OS-level ''"Opt out of Ads Personalization"'' ("Limit Ad Tracking" for iOS) setting is ''enabled''. As a publisher, you cannot override this setting.

=== Legacy Opt-out ===
The ''Legacy opt-out'' method is only necessary for Nielsen Android '''SDK versions less than 5.1.1.18'''.

Nielsen Android SDK 5.1.1.18 and above will check for ''OS-level opt-out'' first, if available. The user will be opted out if indicated at the OS-level '''OR''' the App-level.

==== The legacy opt-out method works as follows: ====
* Get the current Nielsen opt-out URL via [[userOptOutURLString()]]
* Display a WebView element whose loadUrl is set to the value obtained from [[userOptOutURLString()]]
* Detect if the WebView URL changes to a special URL that indicates Opt-in, or Opt-out and close the WebView
** Opt-out if the WebView URL = <code>nielsenappsdk://1</code>
** Opt-in if the WebView URL = <code>nielsenappsdk://0</code>
* Pass the detected URL to the [[userOptOut()]] function
** Example: <syntaxhighlight lang=java>appSdk.userOptOut("nielsenappsdk://1");  // User opt-out</syntaxhighlight>

==== Legacy Opt Out example code ====
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
public class OptOutActivity extends AppCompatActivity implements IAppNotifier {

WebView webView;
AppSdk appSdk;

  private static final String NIELSEN_URL_OPT_OUT = "nielsenappsdk://1";
  private static final String NIELSEN_URL_OPT_IN = "nielsenappsdk://0";
 
//  Within your app you would provide your User the option to Opt Out.
//  Perhaps via a toggle or button
//  This is separate from Limit Ad Tracking 

      let urlStr = navigationAction.request.url?.absoluteString

        if(urlStr == NIELSEN_URL_OPT_OUT || urlStr == NIELSEN_URL_OPT_IN){
            let appApi = self.nielsenApi
            appApi?.userOptOut(urlStr)
}
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Retrieve current Opt-Out preference ===
Whether the user is opted out viaOS-level Opt-out or via App-level Opt-out, the current Opt-Out status as detected by the SDK is available via the [[getOptOutStatus()]] property in the Nielsen Android SDK API,

=== Required Privacy Links ===
Users must either have access to the "About Nielsen Measurement" page, or have similar text available within the native app. Include "About Nielsen Measurement" and "Your Choices" link in the Privacy Policy / EULA or as a button near the link to the app's Privacy Policy.

In addition, the following text must be included in your app store description.
<blockquote>
'''"Please note: This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which contributes to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. Please see http://priv-policy.imrworldwide.com/priv/mobile/pl/pl/optout.html for more information"'''</blockquote>
==== Webview Example  ====
The below code is an example of displaying the Nielsen Privacy page to the user.
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
public class OptOutActivity extends AppCompatActivity implements IAppNotifier {

    WebView webView;
    AppSdk appSdk;

    @Override
    public void onCreate(@Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_optout);
        webView = (WebView) findViewById(R.id.webView);

        webView.getSettings().setJavaScriptEnabled(true);

        webView.setWebViewClient(new WebViewClient() {
            @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
            @Override
            public void onReceivedError(WebView view, int errorCode, String description, String failingUrl) {
                Toast.makeText(OptOutActivity.this, description, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
            }
            @TargetApi(android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES.M)
            @Override
            public void onReceivedError(WebView view, WebResourceRequest req, WebResourceError rerr) {
                // Redirect to deprecated method, so you can use it in all SDK versions
                onReceivedError(view, rerr.getErrorCode(), rerr.getDescription().toString(), req.getUrl().toString());
            }
        });

        NielsenInit nielsenInit = new NielsenInit();
        appSdk = nielsenInit.initAppSdk(getApplicationContext(), this);
        //Getting the optPut URL from eventTracker
        String url = appSdk.userOptOutURLString();
        webView.loadUrl(url);
    }
</syntaxhighlight>
<br>

== Going Live ==
Following Nielsen testing, users need to make one update to the initialization call to ensure that the site is being measured properly.

# '''Debug Logging''': Disable logging by deleting <code>{nol_sdkDebug: 'DEBUG'}</code> from initialization call.
'''Note''': before going live you have to inform Nielsen team - this is necessary, because Nielsen team has to adjust internal configuration parameter to enable data collection. Without that notification no data will be collected and no data will be reported.

== Sample Applications ==
The below sample applications have been designed to show the API's functionality and are broken into two distinct categories:
* '''Basic''' - To show the functionality of the Nielsen  API using a standard no-frills player.
** [[Swift Basic Sample|Swift 4.0 Sample]]
** [[Objective-c Basic example|Objective-C Sample]]
** [[Android Basic example|Android Studio Example]]

* '''Advanced''' - Nielsen API integrated into a custom video player is bundled with the SDK.