# Install the Unity Ads SDK for Android

> Install the Unity Ads SDK in your Android project. Add the required dependencies to your build.gradle files and sync the build to apply the changes.

You can use Gradle dependencies to integrate the Unity Ads SDK. Unity supports Android 4.4 "KitKat" (API level 19) and later.

> **Note:**
>
> Unity Ads has new dependencies from SDK version 4.5.0. Manually including the linked aar file (which contains all metadata, Android manifest, classes.jar, proguard rules, and so on) will lead to runtime errors if dependencies are not properly resolved. It's recommended to use a package management system such as Gradle to handle dependency management. Refer to the [Android SDK integration steps](/monetization/sdk-integration/android-sdk.md) for details.

## Add the Unity Ads SDK to your project

> **Important:**
>
> Java 8+ targeting will be required from the Unity Ads SDK version 4.7.0 and higher.

1. Add the following code to your app-level **build.gradle** file inside the `repositories` section:

```java
repositories {
  mavenCentral()
}
```

2. Add the following code to the `dependencies` section:

```java
dependencies {
  implementation 'com.unity3d.ads:unity-ads:4.7.0'
}
```

3. If your project is not already using Java 8+, set your Java version to 8 in **build.gradle** in the `compileOptions` section:

```java
android { 
  compileOptions {
    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
  }
}
```

## Advertising ID

> **Note:**
>
> If your app uses the Unity Ads SDK version 4.1 or later, you can skip this step because the SDK automatically declares the permission and can access the Advertising ID whenever it is available. Apps using the Unity Ads SDK version 4.0.1 or earlier must include the declaration manually.

When an Android user opts out of interest-based advertising or ads personalization, the advertising identifier will not be available. Publishers will receive a string of zeros in place of the identifier.

Additionally, when apps update their target to Android 13 or later, they need to declare a Google Play services normal permission in the manifest file as follows:

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

> **Important:**
>
> Google will enforce this declaration beginning April 1, 2022. For more information, refer to the Google Play Console Help documentation on [Advertising ID](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6048248?hl=en).

**Next steps**: To continue your integration, refer to the [Initialize the SDK in Android](/monetization/sdk-integration/android-sdk/initialize-sdk.md) documentation.