The moment after the video
When a rewarded or interstitial ad finishes inside an app, the next screen is the end card. It usually holds an app icon or logo, a rating and a single button, most often “Install” or “Learn more.” The format exists because full-screen video leaves little room for a call to action while the creative is playing, and in rewarded placements viewers have a reason to stay through the last frame.
For performance marketers, that makes the end card the real conversion surface of mobile video. A viewer may watch the whole ad, but the install usually begins with the tap on this one screen.
Why a tap is worth more than a view
The moment matters for attribution. Apple’s SKAdNetwork gives StoreKit-rendered ads a 30-day install window, but a view-through impression has only a 24-hour window. A tap on the end card can move the same install from a short impression claim into a much longer click window.
Most mobile measurement partners apply similar logic, with click windows around seven days and impression windows around 24 hours. Since rewarded video completes by design, and AppLovin’s CEO has said average watch time is above 35 seconds, the card is usually where the action happens.
Standards, specs and network rules
Under the hood, an end card travels as a companion ad attached to the video. In VAST 4.1, it is flagged with renderingMode=”end-card”; OpenRTB 2.5 signals it with vcm=1, and the rwdd attribute marks rewarded placements. That may sound technical, but the practical takeaway is simple: every network renders the card a little differently.
- AppLovin recommends full-screen companions around 1024×768 and disables HTMLResource companions by default.
- Unity’s static end cards default to 800×800 pixels, with alternatives at 800×600 and 600×800 and a 5 MB ceiling.
- Google has moved to auto-generated end screens in some app-install placements, according to March 2026 trade reports.
- MRAID 3.0 requires the host app to provide a close indicator of at least 50×50 density-independent pixels.
The rules exist because the incentive system is strong. Buyers want taps, so some networks have tested smaller close buttons or auto-fired clicks. Kayzen documented close buttons as small as 30×30 and 18×18 pixels across different platforms, and Apple’s SKOverlay has no click callback, which makes genuine tap measurement harder than it should be.
The AppLovin-Unity fight is about this exact screen
The format is now at the center of a legal dispute. AppLovin has asked a California court for a temporary restraining order against Unity, alleging that Unity’s Ad Quality SDK collected HTML, JavaScript, click-through destinations and advertiser identities from end-card and playable units on impressions AppLovin won. Unity denies wrongdoing and says collection happens with permission. A hearing was scheduled for September 30, 2026.
Whatever the outcome, the dispute is a reminder that end-card creative is commercially sensitive. It contains the destination, the engagement mechanics and often the playable interaction that a UA team has spent budget to test.
What to do about it
Treat the end card as its own creative brief. Design to each network’s specification, test the tap target, and watch where the close button sits. More importantly, separate click and view-through reporting so a suspicious click spike does not look like organic demand.
The end card looks small, but in mobile app-install video it is the last and best chance to convert attention into an install.
Source: PPC Land
