Apple is bringing in more ads when you search within the App Store, broadening the number of paid placements developers can access as early as next year, according to an update published on the companyâs Apple Ads website. The change will introduce additional ad slots within search results beyond the single placement currently shown at the top of the page, marking a further step in Appleâs gradual expansion of its advertising business.
At present, users searching for apps on Appleâs App Store typically see one sponsored result at the very top of the page, often promoting a competing app that has bid on the relevant keyword. From next year, Apple plans to place ads not only at the top of search results but also further down the page, integrating them directly among organic listings. Apple said the move is designed to âincrease opportunity in search results,â pointing to internal data showing that search plays a central role in app discovery.
According to the company, nearly 65% of App Store downloads occur immediately after a search. The new placements will appear automatically within existing search ad campaigns, meaning developers will not need to modify their campaigns to become eligible. However, advertisers will also have no ability to choose or bid for a specific ad position, a constraint Apple says is intended to preserve relevance and user experience. For developers, the additional placements could provide more chances to reach users in crowded categories where organic discovery has become increasingly difficult. At the same time, the expansion may intensify concerns among smaller developers about rising customer acquisition costs, particularly as more advertisers compete for limited attention within search results.
The Cupertino-headquartered tech titan informed that the ads may appear in any of the available search positions based on a combination of bid value and relevance, with placement potentially varying even within the same campaign. Apps deemed irrelevant to a userâs search will not be entered into the auction, regardless of how much an advertiser is willing to pay, the company added.
In addition to this, billing mechanics will remain unchanged. Advertisers will continue to pay on a cost-per-tap or cost-per-install basis, depending on how their campaigns are configured. Apple said the format of the ads will remain consistent across positions, using either a default App Store product page or a custom product page, with optional deep links. The new ad placements will be supported on devices running iOS and iPadOS 26.2 or later, with availability expected to begin sometime in 2026. A precise launch date is yet to be officially confirmed.
The expansion comes as Apple steadily increases its reliance on advertising as a services revenue stream, even as it maintains a public stance emphasizing user privacy and limited ad tracking. In 2022, Apple began introducing ads into additional App Store surfaces, including the Today tab, though those placements were not rolled out uniformly across all markets. More recently, Apple rebranded its ad business from âSearch Adsâ to âApple Ads,â a signal that advertising is no longer confined to search alone. The company said that over 800 million users visit the App Store each week and that over 85% download at least one app during their most recent visit, statistics frequently cited to attract developer interest.
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