When AdsBuddy should actively manage an app, when it should pause ads and watch, and what happens when you restart.
ManagedAdsBuddy keeps a plan active, checks drift, proposes or applies fixes, and watches spend against the gate.
Watch onlyAdsBuddy pauses ad spend, keeps reading revenue, and waits for season or performance to justify a restart.
RestartRestarting does not blindly resume old ads. It creates a fresh plan from the data available now.
What the modes mean
Each app has an ads mode. This controls how much AdsBuddy should do for that app today. It does not delete history, disconnect integrations, or hide the app.
Managed — the normal mode for an app you want AdsBuddy to run. The app has a plan, a budget, daily checks, validation gates, drift fixes, and recommendations.
Watch only — the safe mode for an app you do not want spending right now. AdsBuddy keeps syncing RevenueCat and Apple Ads, but it does not try to keep campaigns active.
Where you see mode recommendations
The Dashboard can show an Ads mode changes section when AdsBuddy thinks an app should pause, watch, or restart. These are not urgent drift alerts. They are spend decisions based on season, recent revenue, recent ad performance, and your history.
If AdsBuddy recommends Pause & watch, it explains the reason and the re-check date.
If you accept, AdsBuddy pauses the relevant Apple Ads spend and moves the app to Watch only.
On the re-check date, AdsBuddy reviews the app again and can recommend restarting if the data supports it.
If you ignore it, AdsBuddy leaves the app as-is and stops repeating the same recommendation.
Restarting ads
Restarting an app is intentionally conservative. AdsBuddy does not simply turn every paused campaign back on, because the old setup may no longer match the season, country, keyword economics, or budget you want now.
1Review data
Revenue, seasonality, historic winners, recent organic demand, and previous Apple Ads performance.
2Build plan
Create a fresh plan with the current target countries, budget band, and gate.
3Apply safely
Show the exact campaigns, bids, and budget changes before anything writes to Apple Ads.
Where to change it manually
Open My apps → your app → Settings. The How Buddy works on this app control lets you move an app between Managed and Watch only.
Good rule of thumb: Managed for apps you are actively investing in; Watch only for apps that are out of season, unprofitable at current prices, or waiting for enough organic demand before a new test.