Unity Ads and Mintegral sit at opposite ends of the ad-network formality spectrum — Unity with a dense, recently updated terms stack, Mintegral with a leaner publisher agreement — but both give the platform the decisive word on money. Unity can deduct invalid-activity amounts unilaterally or demand them back within 7 business days; Mintegral judges fraud by itself, and a confirmed finding means no payment plus immediate termination. Neither spells out what happens to balances after a ban.
What happened
Unity's One Operate Services Terms (updated June 30, 2026): payment is conditional on complete and accurate remittance and tax information, and typically lands within 60 days after the end of the natural month — though Unity may set different terms per app or customer (§2.2.1). An account-level minimum threshold exists; no uniform figure is published. Invalid activity, overpayments and payment errors can be deducted from future payouts at Unity's sole discretion, or the developer can be required to return the full amount within 7 business days. Breach lets Unity withhold amounts due, with setoff rights. Inaccurate information can trigger suspension or termination with loss of access. Unclaimed funds are the quiet trap: after a reasonable period as determined by Unity, uncollected money is treated as Unity's property. Post-termination balances have no published rule. Disputes: California law, binding AAA arbitration in San Francisco for US residents. Mintegral's Publisher Terms (PDF, updated April 29, 2026) are blunter on fraud: fraud is judged by Mintegral alone — confirmed fraud means no payment, immediate termination, and a damages claim. Inconsistent identity, entity, qualification or payment information lets Mintegral refuse payment without liability. The mechanics demand attention: publishers must actively request payment at each month-end — no request, no payment, possibly a breach. Confirmed USD/RMB payments land within 45 natural days, but payment days in April, June or December can slip to the next designated date for internal audit. A minimum threshold exists; its figure isn't published. Under sanctions or compliance risk, Mintegral can suspend or reject payment requests and terminate accounts; post-termination balance handling has no published rule.
Who's affected
Unity/LevelPlay publishers with messy remittance data or test traffic resembling invalid activity — including the documented edge case where requesting real ads on development devices can read as invalid traffic. Mintegral publishers who treat payout as automatic: it isn't — the monthly active request is a contractual step, and skipping it can itself be a breach.
KappS's take
- Unity: keep remittance and tax info complete and current — it's a payment precondition, not paperwork. Never let test devices request live ads.
- Mintegral: calendarize the month-end payment request — the cheapest action in the whole agreement. Treat "fraud" as a unilateral call you can only contest on facts, never on definition.
- Both: unclaimed-balance rules are the silent killer — Unity's "reasonable period, then it's ours" and Mintegral's missing post-termination rule mean dormant money needs active management.