Apple to Roll Out More App Store Search Ads From 2026

Apple is gearing up to change the way users discover apps on the App Store, with plans to introduce more advertisements within search results starting in 2026. The move, confirmed through Apple’s Apple Ads platform, is aimed at offering developers and advertisers greater visibility at moments when users are actively searching for new apps.

So far, advertising on the App Store has followed a relatively simple structure. Typically, when users searched for an app, they would see a single sponsored listing placed at the very top of the results page. For example, searching for a popular app like Facebook might show a competing app’s advertisement above the organic listings, depending on which advertiser won the keyword auction. Apple now plans to expand beyond this one-ad format.

Under the new system, search results will feature multiple ad placements spread throughout the page, not just at the top. These additional sponsored listings will appear further down the results, creating more opportunities for developers to promote their apps without disrupting the overall search experience. Apple says the goal is to balance monetisation with usability, keeping search as the primary discovery method for users.

Explaining the reasoning behind the decision, Apple said, “Search is the way most people find and download apps on the App Store, with nearly 65 percent of downloads happening directly after a search.” According to the company, adding more ad slots will help advertisers reach users more effectively without forcing them to redesign or relaunch their existing campaigns.

From an advertiser’s perspective, however, there will be limited control over where these ads appear. Apple has clarified that developers will not be able to choose or bid for specific positions in the search results. Instead, ad placement will be determined automatically based on factors such as bid value and auction ranking. As a result, the same campaign could appear in different positions at different times.

Importantly, Apple says its billing model will remain unchanged. Advertisers will continue to pay on a cost-per-tap or cost-per-install basis, depending on their current setup. Once the new ad placements are introduced in 2026, all existing App Store search ad campaigns will automatically become eligible for these additional slots, without requiring any extra configuration.

Apple has also reassured developers that the look and feel of ads will stay the same. Sponsored listings will continue to use the standard product page format, supporting both default and custom product pages, along with optional deep links. In essence, only the position of ads will change, not their design.

Backing its decision with usage data, Apple highlighted the scale of the App Store’s reach. More than 800 million people visit the platform every week, and over 85 percent of them download at least one app during their visit. Apple also noted that ads currently placed at the top of search results see conversion rates of around 60 percent, reinforcing the effectiveness of search-based discovery. Nearly two-thirds of all app downloads, the company says, happen immediately after a user performs a search.