ironSource Ads direct demand: sunset completed; LevelPlay and iSX remain
Analysis
By UA Ledger staff — 2 min read
Unity’s FAQ and sunset guide place direct-demand end on 30 April 2026; programmatic iSX and LevelPlay mediation are documented as continuing.
Unity announced the ironSource Ads (iAds) direct demand sunset on 26 March 2026 and set 30 April 2026 as the date direct-demand campaigns stop serving. Checked against Unity’s FAQ (last updated 4 August 2026) and the Grow sunset guide, that end date is in the past relative to this research day. What remains is not “the whole ironSource stack vanished”: LevelPlay mediation, ironSource Exchange (iSX) programmatic demand, and time-boxed historical reporting are documented as continuing under stated rules. Sunset FAQ; Sunset guide.
Migration status card
| Item | Documented status | Buyer / publisher action |
|---|---|---|
| Direct-demand serving | Stopped 30 April 2026 per Unity | Do not plan new iAds direct campaigns |
| New iAds campaigns / creatives / publisher onboarding | Blocked from 15 April 2026 | Use Unity Ads / Vector path instead |
| iAds dashboard | Reporting-only from 30 April 2026; advertiser historical downloads emphasised through 31 May 2026, then support-ticket path through 30 April 2027 | Archive needed reports |
| Final invoices | Unity states 15 May 2026 final billing cycle including late April installs | Finance reconciliation only |
| LevelPlay mediation | Documented as unaffected core open mediation; iAds removed as a direct-demand network | Confirm network list no longer expects iAds direct fill |
| ironSource Exchange (iSX) | Programmatic continues; keep iAds SDK for iSX | Do not remove SDK solely because direct demand ended |
| Advertiser continuity | Unity directs spend to Unity Ads powered by Vector; claims historical iAds signals can shorten learning | Re-create budgets/creatives in Unity Ads; treat continuity claims as vendor statements |
Brand, adapter and playable clarity
This supply follow-up is deliberately separate from corporate merger outcomes. Unity’s documents frame the change as retiring direct demand on the iAds network while keeping LevelPlay and programmatic exchange paths. They do not, in the pages read here, publish a playable-format migration matrix or certify that every historical iAds playable package is valid on Unity Ads without re-moderation.
Silence on a specific adapter version or playable rejection code after 30 April 2026 is “not confirmed” in public docs—not proof of failure. Mediation owners should verify live network status and creative approvals in their own LevelPlay / Unity Ads consoles.
Inspect the evidence
Download the migration status card. The extraction separates documented facts from our analysis and unknowns.
| Field | Evidence or limit |
|---|---|
| Earlier record | 2026-03-26 — Archive migration checklist covered the announcement and 30-day buyer actions. |
| Later evidence | FAQ updated 2026-08-04 and Grow guide: direct demand ended 2026-04-30; LevelPlay unaffected; iSX continues with iAds SDK; dashboard reporting-only. |
| Outcome supported | Direct-demand sunset date has passed per Unity; mediation and programmatic paths remain documented |
| Still unconfirmed | Studio fill/revenue impact; playable creative parity on Unity Ads; whether every adapter row was cleaned in third-party mediation |
| Next check | Confirm LevelPlay network list, Unity Ads campaign recreates, and retained reporting exports |
Further reading in the existing archive: Unity is shutting the ironSource ad network. A 30-day migration checklist for buyers. That checklist is the buyer-facing announcement record; this follow-up is the later supply-status check. It does not independently verify the checklist’s full contents.
Research checked 19 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review and byline assignment pending.
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