Apple will soon show more than one ad inside App Store search results. When you search for an app, you will still see a sponsored result at the top. You will also start seeing sponsored apps further down the page, placed between regular search results. The change begins on March 3, 2026, starting in the UK and Japan, and expands to other Apple Ads markets by the end of the month.
According to Apple’s developer communication, this move expands search ads beyond a single top placement. Developers who pay for promotion can now have their apps appear deeper in the search results, mixed with organic listings, instead of being limited to the first position.
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What Apple is changing
Until now, App Store search usually shown only one promoted app at the very top. With this update, Apple adds extra ad slots lower in the results list. Apple describes this as a way to give advertisers “more opportunities” in search, where many app downloads begin.
Search carries strong intent. People typing a query already know what they want. When ads appear inside the natural flow of results, they can shape which app a user taps next, even if that app does not sit at the top.
What this means for Apple Ads advertisers
If you already run Apple Ads in search results, you do not need to change anything. Apple automatically makes existing search campaigns eligible for these new placements. There is no need to create new campaigns or adjust settings.
You also cannot pay for a specific position. Apple decides whether your ad appears at the top or further down the page. The system uses keyword matching, relevance, and ranking signals. Higher bids alone do not guarantee visibility.
The search update does not replace Apple’s other ad placements. Ads will continue to appear in familiar locations across the App Store, including the Today tab, the bottom of app product pages, and the suggested list shown in the Search tab before a user enters a query.
Device and software support
The expanded search ad placements will appear on iPhones running iOS 26.2 or later and iPads running iPadOS 26.2 or later in the initial rollout markets.
FAQs
Apple begins the rollout on March 3, 2026, starting in the UK and Japan, with wider expansion by the end of March.
No. Existing search results campaigns automatically become eligible for the new placements.
No. Apple controls ad placement within search results using its ranking system.
Apple’s search ads remain a major part of its growing Services business. Analysts estimate that App Store advertising already brings in several billion dollars per year, and this expansion gives Apple more room to grow that revenue inside search.
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