ANR caused by google Interstitial ads

Question

In the google play console - I keep getting ANR caused by google Interstitial ads. the application probably freeze for 0.5 seconds or more.

Broadcast of Intent { act=android.intent.action.SCREEN_ON flg=0x50200010 }, InvisibleToUser

Should I use thread somewhere? this is the code that I am using to init the ads:

'''

mAdView = findViewById(R.id.ad_view);
MobileAds.initialize(this, "ca-app-pub-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx");
AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
mAdView.loadAd(adRequest);
mInterstitialAd = new InterstitialAd(this);
mInterstitialAd.setAdUnitId("ca-app-pub-123123123123461/1231236530");
mInterstitialAd.setAdListener(new AdListener()
{
  @Override
  public void onAdLoaded()
  {
   //log interstitial loaded
  }
  @Override
  public void onAdFailedToLoad(int errorCode)
  {
  }
  @Override
  public void onAdClosed()
  {
  //reload interstitial
  AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
  mInterstitialAd.loadAd(adRequest);
  // Ad interstitialAd reLoaded
   }
});
mInterstitialAd.loadAd(new AdRequest.Builder().build());
}
'''

this is the stack submitted in the google play console

"main" tid=1 Runnable
"main" prio=5 tid=1 Runnable
  | group="main" sCount=0 dsCount=0 flags=0 obj=0x728685e0 self=0xb0384000
  | sysTid=18461 nice=0 cgrp=default sched=0/0 handle=0xb3dbd4a8
  | state=R schedstat=( 1710859708561 515750767270 4655929 ) utm=110119 stm=60966 core=1 HZ=100
  | stack=0xbe79b000-0xbe79d000 stackSize=8MB
  | held mutexes= "mutator lock"(shared held)
  at java.util.Arrays.asList (Arrays.java:3728)
  at dalvik.system.DexPathList.findClass (DexPathList.java:473)
  at dalvik.system.BaseDexClassLoader.findClass (BaseDexClassLoader.java:91)
  at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass (ClassLoader.java:379)
  at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass (ClassLoader.java:312)
  at com.google.android.gms.ads.internal.util.m.l (m.java:3)
  at com.google.android.gms.ads.ChimeraAdManagerCreatorImpl.newAdManagerByType (ChimeraAdManagerCreatorImpl.java:4)
  at com.google.android.gms.ads.internal.client.at.a (at.java)
  at jy.onTransact (jy.java:3)
  at android.os.Binder.transact (Binder.java:604)
  at csk.a (csk.java:2)
  at com.google.android.gms.ads.internal.client.o.newAdManagerByType (o.java)
  at com.google.android.gms.ads.AdManagerCreatorImpl.newAdManagerByType (AdManagerCreatorImpl.java:6)
  at com.google.android.gms.ads.internal.client.l.a (l.java:18)
  at csj.onTransact (csj.java:3)
  at android.os.Binder.transact (Binder.java:604)
  at com.google.android.gms.internal.ads.zzfm.transactAndReadException (zzfm.java:10)
  at com.google.android.gms.internal.ads.zzzm.zza (zzzm.java:10)
  at com.google.android.gms.internal.ads.zzxv.zza (zzxv.java:6)
  at com.google.android.gms.internal.ads.zzyj.zzow (zzyj.java:7)
  at com.google.android.gms.internal.ads.zzyq.zzoz (zzyq.java:29)
  at com.google.android.gms.internal.ads.zzyq.zzd (zzyq.java:54)
  at com.google.android.gms.internal.ads.zzabb.zza (zzabb.java:40)
  at com.google.android.gms.ads.InterstitialAd.loadAd (InterstitialAd.java:9)
  at com.arbelsolutions.BVRUltimate.GalleryActivity.ConfigAds (GalleryActivity.java:156)
  at com.arbelsolutions.BVRUltimate.GalleryActivity.acknowledgedPurchase (GalleryActivity.java:301)
  at com.arbelsolutions.BVRUltimate.PlayDonateClient.onBillingSetupFinished (PlayDonateClient.java:101)
  at com.android.billingclient.api.BillingClientImpl$BillingServiceConnection$1.run (BillingClientImpl.java:1521)
- locked <0x0ddd2f0b> (a java.lang.Object)
  at android.os.Handler.handleCallback (Handler.java:789)
  at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage (Handler.java:98)
  at android.os.Looper.loop (Looper.java:164)
  at android.app.ActivityThread.main (ActivityThread.java:6592)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke (Method.java)
  at com.android.internal.os.Zygote$MethodAndArgsCaller.run (Zygote.java:240)
  at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main (ZygoteInit.java:769)

Answer 1

Following Saxenarishav question, I will post the complete code that made this problem never to repeat. First: it was the admobs preference update in the dependencies. Second was to check before loading if the ad is already loaded. But most important is making the initialization on thread.

mInterstitialAd = new InterstitialAd(this);    
mInterstitialAd.setAdUnitId("ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/1033173712");    
AdRequest adRequestInterstitial = null;
adRequestInterstitial = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
final AdRequest guiAdRequestInterstitial = adRequestInterstitial;
runOnUiThread(new Runnable() {
     @Override
     public void run() {
          if(!mInterstitialAd.isLoaded()) {
              mInterstitialAd.loadAd(guiAdRequestInterstitial);     
              mInterstitialAd.setAdListener(new AdListener() {

     @Override
     public void onAdFailedToLoad(int errorCode) {
           Log.d(TAG, "onAdFailedToLoad : errorcode : " + String.valueOf(errorCode));
           super.onAdFailedToLoad(errorCode);
     }

     @Override
     public void onAdClosed() {    
         AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
         mInterstitialAd.loadAd(adRequest);
         // Ad interstitialAd reLoaded
         Log.d(TAG, "Ad interstitialAd reLoaded");
         super.onAdClosed();
    }
});
Log.d(TAG, "ads initialize");
}


}
});

Edit II : to prepare for version 20.0.0 of admobs - some changes were made: https://developers.google.com/admob/android/interstitial-fullscreen

I am posting here the new solution. it runs for the last 2 monthes on half a million users - until now - without ANR.

private void SetInterstitial() {
    String interadUnit = "ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/1033173712";        
    mAdRequestInterstitialAd = new AdRequest.Builder().
                    .addNetworkExtrasBundle(AdMobAdapter.class, getNonPersonalizedAdsBundle())
                    .build();            
    InterstitialAd.load(GalleryActivity.this,interadUnit, mAdRequestInterstitialAd, new InterstitialAdLoadCallback() {//getString(R.string.Interstitial)
        @Override
        public void onAdLoaded(@NonNull InterstitialAd interstitialAd) {
            // The mInterstitialAd reference will be null until
            // an ad is loaded.
            mInterstitialAd = interstitialAd;
            mInterstitialAd.setFullScreenContentCallback(new FullScreenContentCallback(){
                @Override
                public void onAdDismissedFullScreenContent() {
                    super.onAdDismissedFullScreenContent();
                    mInterstitialAd=null;
                    SetInterstitial();
                    Log.d(TAG, "perform your code that you wants todo after ad dismissed or closed");
                }

                @Override
                public void onAdFailedToShowFullScreenContent(com.google.android.gms.ads.AdError adError) {
                    super.onAdFailedToShowFullScreenContent(adError);
                    mInterstitialAd = null;
                    Log.d(TAG, "perform your action here when ad will not load");
                }

                @Override
                public void onAdShowedFullScreenContent() {
                    super.onAdShowedFullScreenContent();
                    Log.d(TAG, "onAdShowedFullScreenContent");
                    mInterstitialAd = null;
                }
            });
        }
        @Override
        public void onAdFailedToLoad(@NonNull LoadAdError loadAdError) {
            // Handle the error
            mInterstitialAd = null;
            Log.e(TAG, "Adsmobs:Interstitial:loadAdError:" + loadAdError);
            if (adsInterstitialFailCounter++ < 4)
                SetInterstitial();
        }

    });
}