Apple has informed developers that it will expand advertising in the App Store by adding multiple sponsored placements throughout search results — beyond the current single top slot — beginning March 3, 2026. The rollout starts in the U.K. and Japan, with full availability across markets (including the U.S.) by the end of March, aimed at providing advertisers more opportunities to reach users during high-intent searches while requiring no changes to existing campaigns.
Joe Rossignol for MacRumors:
Apple shared more details on its website:
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. To help give advertisers more opportunities to drive downloads from search results, Apple Ads will introduce additional ads across search queries. The additional ads will roll out in phases, appearing across all markets by the end of March. You don’t need to change your campaign in order to be eligible for any new positions. Your ad will run in either the existing position — at the top of search results — or further down in search results. If you have a search results campaign running, your ad will be automatically eligible for all available positions, but you can’t select or bid for a particular one.
The extra ad slots will be visible on iPhone and iPad devices running iOS 26.2 or iPadOS 26.2 and later. Apps with paid placement have an “Ad” label.
MacDailyNews Take: More revenue for Apple Services.
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