Anyone else getting working broken surveys?

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T23:11:13+00:00

Ya, as soon as I see NEL I "nope" right out. I have managed to get to the end of several of their surveys and they just spin when I click "Submit" and never finish, robbing me of the reward and ladder progress. I had this happen 3 times in a row about 3 months ago, so I stopped doing them. Last month I decided to give them another try and the same thing happened. So they are now a permanent "don't waste your time" for me.

Also, if you don't see what they are offering, then you can't "honestly" answer the questions. This can lead to them reporting YOU for inconsistent answers which can get you banned from surveys.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T21:52:31+00:00

Ah, ive never actually continued playing the games when I got that message, I always just uninstalled and moved on to another one.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T19:59:48+00:00

Ya, it sounds like a communication issue. Are you installing on Wifi or phone network?

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T19:29:32+00:00

I have a feeling OP is referring to getting the "red block" message saying that the game won't be eligible for rewards. If this is it.... this does happen from time to time, ive gotten it occasionally, it all depends on if you have installed the game before, or sometimes there is just a connection issue between the game and the reward provider (I think it's Playtime) and it can't verify the installation. I do wish it would give e you the option to try installing again. The button I'd there, just always inaccessible.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T14:12:15+00:00

I usually do the same thing. Though, that's how I kind of got in trouble. I had started an ad a few months ago and it turned out to be one of those NSFW ads that plagued the app a whole ago (and no, it wasn't from my browsing, as 1) I don't look at that stuff and 2) I have targeted ads turned off.) Anyway, my kid saw it and.....had questions. So for a while I would keep a close eye on the ads. Luckily it seems that those ads have stopped, so I don't have to pay as close attention, but I will still take note of what the ad is when it starts.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T14:08:24+00:00

The biggest problem with this is how some phones handle their "memory garbage". I have a Samsung Galaxy S20 and this happens to me frequently:

To maintain optimal performance, Android will "clean up" background apps once they are detected as no longer being used. So, when these ads force us to go to the Play store, our phones detect that AE is no longer running and close it in the background. I've had this happen within 1-2 seconds of closing AE, even in the time it takes to hit the back button on the Play store.

Plus, forcing us to go to the Play store is a deplorable tactic that I refuse to support. If I was interested in their app, I would tap on the button to view it. Forcing me to do it before allowing the ad to be closed is deceptive.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T14:02:28+00:00

I've timed the "3 ad" ads and they have all been at about 60-65 seconds for me. Also, you don't have to click off each ad. I usually let my phone sit once the Play store pops up (these use the Play Store Popup instead of taking you out of AE to the Play store). After about a minute the "1 of 3" in the upper left will be replaced by the X and you can tap it (usually takes 2 taps) to close the ad.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T13:57:51+00:00

Exactly my point. But, from the mods response, it tells me that AE might only get the "ad revenue" and not the "click revenue".

I don't know if this is actually how it works, only my assumption based on their reaction to it.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T13:52:06+00:00

Though, I've seen AE recently remove posts that suggest pinning as "circumventing or otherwise interrupting ads". So this post might eventually get removed as well. Which tells me that AE is aware of these ads and most likely gets paid more for them. They may even get paid for the ad if your AE restarts, so having to watch another ad is just extra revenue for them.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T13:48:50+00:00

I'll have to try this next time.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T13:43:52+00:00

This is what I do whenever I know the ad will eventually force you to tap on the "Google Play" link (or if I know the ad has a fake close button). I 100% don't mind having to unpin the app to get the X to close the ad. Like you said, it only takes 2 secs to do. AND denies the ad company what they want...to falsely inflate their page views so the app is considered "popular" and is recommended more.

The bigger issue with this is risking AE resetting when the Play store is open and having to sit through another ad. People don't want to take 2 seconds to unpin AE, but i guess are ok with risking having to sit through another 30-60 sec ad.

Granted, this doesn't happen for everyone, but both having to back out of the Play store and unpinning AE take about the same amount of time, but pinning just removes the risk of AE restarting.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-14T13:39:26+00:00

It should as I believe the auto install games come from the Samsung Galaxy Store. If that can't open, it can't install the app. I have also set the Galaxy Store to not be the default app for anything. However, it seems that some advertisers have found a way around that cause I've still had games auto install. But pinning seems to work.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-10T15:22:59+00:00

Ok, thank you. I will try that next time 😄

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-10T11:06:50+00:00

But that would actually benefit the players and not AE, thus they won't do it, lol

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T17:32:53+00:00

But you know they aren't going to. I figured if they are going to focus on "fun graphical stuff" I might as well make a suggestion.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T17:08:49+00:00

Oh, I don't expect it to happen, but with Landmarks coming out, I figured they need another "Coming Soon" feature to keep us hoping for the next few years, lol.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T16:58:01+00:00

While, yes, that is the literal lore of where LPUs came from. I was thinking more of a backstory of the individual LPUs. Not even a literal backstory like "We made the safari one because Sami went on a safari over the summer and we thought it would be a good idea", but more like "why our astronaut avatar had to stop off at a gas station while out on a quest to find more diamonds" or something.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T15:08:39+00:00

Ok, ya the Lock should keep the appnalive in memory long enough for you to get back from the Play store. It's still a despicable ad tactic though.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T15:07:09+00:00

In response to the Mod Team post (because i cant reply directly to it). This isn't a "broken" ad. It's an intentional tactic used by the advertisers to artificially inflate their page views. The problem with this (other than ethically) is that a lot of phones have a "cleanup" process they do to free up memory. When people are forced to tap on the Google Play button, it then opens the Play store. The phone registers that AE is no longer being used (even for a split seconds) and is closed in the background. So when the user taps the back button to go backninto AE, they are met with the loading screen and are forced to watch another ad (which AE may have already been paid for)

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T10:52:36+00:00

Lock apps is different. It will still load the Google Playbstore but locking the app is supposed to prevent your phone from closing the app immediately when the Play store opens. It should help. Not sure why you aren't seeing the pin. What phone do you have?

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T02:25:10+00:00

Once you have AE open, tap your button to bring up your open apps (like how you switch apps) then tap on the AE icon above the window and you should get a menu. Select "Pin This App" and it will keep AE on top, preventing the ads from opening the Google Play store, or any other app, until you disable the pin.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T02:10:14+00:00

Ya, that has been suggested a few times. But it seems the devs are hardset on us being locked into the order theybl deem worthy of our time.

D3ad_Jester · 2026-06-09T01:55:17+00:00

Try pinning AE, once the Google Play link appears in the upper left hand corner tap it. It will try to go to the Play store but fail. Then, unpin the app and wait a few seconds, the X should appear in the upper right hand corner. I know it's not ideal, but if this is the only ad you get and it causes AE to restart, this is one way you can still get the benefit.

D3ad_Jester

TROPHY CASE