16 WAYS to FIX zero and missing ads from Brave (BAT) Rewards

The Brave web browser allows users to earn basic attention tokens (BAT) when they turn on the option of Brave Ads and configure a set number of allowed ads per hour, e.g. maximum of 10 ads per hour.

You can install Brave on both desktop and mobile devices. Most of the time, there will not be any problems encountered.

However, there are instances where you start to notice that you cannot receive any Brave ads, and you wonder why. The ads seem to be frozen, and you cannot see any.

Note: There is no need to set up or verify any Brave/Uphold wallet at this stage. You are just trying to rectify the problem of missing ads, and it has nothing to do with whether you have a wallet or not.

Table Of Contents

How to FIX zero and missing ads from Brave (BAT) Rewards
Conclusion

How to FIX zero and missing ads from Brave (BAT) Rewards

Here are all the sixteen (16) ways to fix the issue of why Brave ads are not showing up on your device.

1. Set Maximum Brave ads per hour

On the desktop, go to Settings > Brave Rewards > Brave private ads. Turn ON the Brave private ads and set the Maximum number of ads to display to, say, 10 ads per hour.

On mobile, click the Brave triangle icon on the top-right and select View Details > Settings > Set to 10 ads per hour.

2. Toggle Brave Ads ON and OFF

Same as method one above, this time around, toggle ON and OFF the button for enabling Brave Ads. Force quit the brave browser and restart your device. Open Brave browser and see if this works. Many users have found this method to be the workaround.

3. Supported Region

Are you physically located in the supported region where there are active campaigns?

If not, you can overcome this by using a reliable VPN service. Contrary to what was mentioned online, a proven VPN service can help you get more Brave ads, especially when you connect to a highly active campaign country like the USA, UK, and Canada.

We have tested the following three (3) VPN services to work well with Brave ads and collect Brave (BAT) rewards.

ProtonVPN
NordVPN
ExpressVPN

Take note not to use any lesser-known or risky VPN services as you may encounter zero ads or an incompatibility issue.

4. Understanding Brave Ads’ behaviour

Brave ads are meant to be privacy-respecting, which means that you should see relevant ads based on your web browsing activity. So be sure to use Brave for most of your regular web surfing activities.

The amount of time you spend using the Brave browser also determines the potential ads you will see. Furthermore, within the Settings, you should configure the maximum number of ads you want to see, i.e. the current allowed 10 ads per hour.

Your location matters a lot in this instance as it determines the number of advertisers available for you. Use a VPN (mentioned in method 3 to connect yourself to a highly active campaign country like USA or UK if you are not from there.

In summary, use your Brave browser often for your daily surfing activities. Make it your default web browser if possible so that with any external links you click on, Brave will be automatically opened from there.

5. Clear app cache and Firewall

Clear your browser cache, but not the data files. Check if you have any form of firewall or filter application behind your device and if this is hindering brave ads from coming in. This method gives your browser a fresh “soft” reset without affecting your current BAT balance (if you have)

6. Pass the SafetyNet Test

For Android devices, install the SafetyNet Test app and let it check your device for any malicious files and the possibility of being rooted. If you failed the SafetyNet test, Brave ads would not work on your device.

7. Disable Do Not Disturb mode

Do Not Disturb mode prevents any form of notifications from reaching your device, and this includes Brave ads notifications. If your device is currently using it, disable it.

On macOS, disable the <Do Not Disturb> feature so that Brave ads can notify you when it arrives.

On Windows 10, you need to turn OFF the Focus Assist feature. Here is the detailed instruction on how to do so.

Make sure you turn OFF Airplane mode and Do Not Disturb mode on mobile devices.

8. Disable Full-Screen mode

Some devices have a “full-screen” mode that is meant to be immersive for the users and increase performance, especially in gaming environments. However, the full-screen mode can hinder the delivery of Brave ads from being pushed down to your device.

Brave notifications must be “pushed” to you via the form of ads. If you are in a full-screen mode environment, these notifications may not get delivered to you. Disable it if you have.

9. Check your mouse

Specific gaming mouse models have reported issues with getting zero ads from the Brave browser. This is likely because these gaming mouse models are constantly “moving” in the background, thus preventing Brave ads from delivering ads to you since they cannot locate and determine your idle web time.

10. Streaming media in the background

When you are streaming music or videos such as Netflix in the background, these are the times when you will not receive any Brave ads. So be mindful on these occasions and streaming usages.

11. Modification of web browser system files

If you had tried to modify or delete any browser system files, this could make your Brave browser unstable. So do not attempt to do so, and in such cases, do a re-install of the Brave browser all over again.

12. Update your OS version and Brave version

These should be the first few things to do for any troubleshooting issue. Always update your app and operating system to the latest version before attempting to troubleshoot any problems. Sometimes, the problem is fixed via the software update patch after updating.

13. Turn ON Brave Notifications

A critical factor for Brave ads to come into your browser is permitting it.

On mobile devices, go to Brave Settings > Notifications > toggle ON All “Brave” notifications,

14. Consult the Brave community

Brave has an official online community where users and the official tech support team can interact and troubleshoot issues. You can post any questions regarding the Brave browser project, from Brave rewards to Brave wallet to Brave ads. Many technical questions are left unanswered from my experience using that community channel. However, you can still try it and post your technical issue there.

15. Use different Brave build variants

If one variant encounter problems with Brave ads, the other two (2) variants should work fine.

Brave has three (3) types of variants, namely, the official Brave release version, the Brave (beta) and the Brave (Nightly). All three (3) releases are available on Android devices; you should always install them and test them out.

16. Re-install your Brave browser

Last resort, consider re-installing your Brave browser. In doing so, you risk losing your current BAT balance (if you have one). However, re-installing may also give your device and browser a fresh start.

Conclusion

If you follow all the troubleshooting methods stated above, surely one of them will be able to assist you.