Apple is putting more focus on its advertising business as the company quietly builds a new group inside its Apple Ads division to bring more developers into the ecosystem.
The new group, called Emerging Team, has started reaching out to developers through direct emails, especially those who have never used Apple Ads before or stopped running campaigns in the past. Apple representatives are offering 30-minute meetings to explain how the platform works and how developers can improve app discovery and customer acquisition through paid campaigns.
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Apple originally launched Apple Search Ads back in 2016, when the product only showed promoted apps inside App Store search results. Since then, the company has steadily expanded advertising across the App Store, and now plans to bring ads to more services including Apple Maps.
Last year, Apple renamed Apple Search Ads to simply Apple Ads, which reflected the company’s broader plans for advertising beyond App Store search placements.
Apple continues to discuss advertising as part of its growing Services business.
During Apple’s Q1 2026 earnings call, Apple CFO Kevan Parekh said the company was expanding ads in App Store search while also introducing new Wallet features like Digital ID. He described advertising as another way for developers to drive app downloads through platforms users already trust.
Later, during Apple’s Q2 2026 earnings call, Parekh confirmed that Apple’s advertising business saw year-over-year growth. He also revealed that Apple Maps ads will launch in the U.S. and Canada this summer, allowing local businesses to appear during search and discovery moments inside the Maps app.
The new Emerging Team appears to play an important role in that larger expansion strategy.
Emails sent to developers mention campaign growth initiatives, keyword strategy improvements, and customer acquisition support. Apple representatives also offer to connect developers with specialists who can help structure campaigns and improve ad performance inside Apple’s ecosystem.
For developers, this shows Apple is no longer treating ads as a secondary business. The company now wants more apps, more businesses, and eventually more local advertisers spending money across its platforms.
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