Starting in 2026, there will be more contextual app advertisements in the App Store search results
It will start appearing not only at the top of the search results page but also at the bottom.
As Apple believes, increasing the advertising volumes will help developers attract more users to their products. Currently, search is one of the main sources of traffic in the App Store. According to the corporation's estimates, approximately 65% of all app downloads occur immediately after a search in the store.
Apple indicated that developers will not need to change anything in their advertising campaigns. Ads at both the top and bottom of the search results will look the same, and the payment system will not change. It won't be possible to reserve a specific spot for an ad either — App Store algorithms will choose it.
“The display of ads in search results above other advertisers who bid on the same query is determined by a combination of factors. Specifically, the relevance of the app to the search query and the keyword bid amount. If an app doesn’t match what the user is searching for, it won’t be shown — regardless of how much you’re willing to pay,” Apple explained.