AdMob iOS Banner not refreshing after returning from background (UITableViewCell, Release build only)

[deniswinwalla]

Hello,

I am experiencing an issue with Google AdMob banner ads in my iOS app when integrating banners inside custom UITableViewCell.
The issue only occurs in Release builds. In Debug mode everything works fine, and I could not reproduce the bug there.
In Release mode, after returning from background (app resume), banners sometimes fail to reload, appear as black container.

I am already listening for UIApplication.didBecomeActiveNotification and try to reload banners or reload the UITableView, but this does not always resolve the issue.

My questions:
• Why does the issue only happen in Release mode? Are there known issues with banner reload, caching, or memory management on production builds?
• What is the best practice for refreshing AdMob banners inside UITableViewCells on background/foreground transitions, specifically for Release builds?
• Is there a recommended pattern to reliably force banners to reload and update layout after the app resumes?

Environment:
• iOS version: 18.1
• GoogleMobileAds SDK version: 12.6.0
• Xcode version: 16.2
• Reproducible: Only in Release, not in Debug