Apple Introducing New App Store Ads to Help Users Discover More Apps

Apple today announced it is expanding its offering of how developers can promote their apps on the App Store, helping developers expand their reach and making it easier to discover more of what the ‌App Store‌ has to offer.

new app store ads today tab
Until now, Apple has offered developers two ad opportunities on the ‌App Store‌: in the Search tab and within the Search results page. Both ad placements have been a tremendous success for developers, helping them find users who may be interested in their apps, according to Apple. The expansion of ad opportunities in the ‌App Store‌ is part of the company's efforts to maintain the ‌App Store‌ as the best place for developers to grow their businesses.

Apple Search Ads provides opportunities for developers of all sizes to grow their business. Like our other advertising offerings, these new ad placements are built upon the same foundation—they will only contain content from apps’ approved App Store product pages, and will adhere to the same rigorous privacy standards.

As part of those efforts, the first new ad opportunity will be within the Today tab - the front page of the ‌App Store‌. With Today ‌App Store‌ ads, developers will be able to promote their apps right alongside the daily editorial content by the ‌App Store‌ team. Ads are clearly marked as ads and are distinguishable from the normal editorial ‌App Store‌ stories. The Today tab is the first tab that's pre-loaded when the ‌App Store‌ app is opened and was introduced as part of the ‌App Store‌ redesign in 2017.

The second new ad placement for developers in the ‌App Store‌ will be directly within app product pages. Ads will appear under the "You Might Also Like" section towards the bottom of the page and will also be clearly marked as ads.

At the cornerstone of Apple's ‌App Store‌ ads is the company's focus on user privacy. The new ads will follow the same strict guidelines and policies applied across all of Apple's platforms and services. When users first open Apple's apps, such as the ‌App Store‌, Apple News, and Apple Stocks, they're given the freedom to choose whether they want to enable personalized ads.

In a presentation to advertisers obtained by MacRumors in May, it was revealed that in the first quarter of 2022, 78% of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 search volume on the ‌App Store‌ was from devices with Personalized Ads turned off across all countries and regions where Apple's Search Ads are available.

Whether or not users have Personalized Ads enabled, Apple does not show personalized ads to users under the age of 18, to users with an Apple ID associated with a minor under 13, or to managed accounts. Furthermore, unlike some social media giants who allow advertisers to target extremely specific user demographics, Apple limits developers from targeting ads to segments and demographics with less than 5,000 other similar users, helping prevent hyper-targeting.

Apple also never uses factors such as religion, political affiliation, or health to target its customers, claiming it's able to deliver highly effective ads without the need to track individual users. Additionally, Apple's ads are never tied to an individual ‌Apple ID‌, and a "user profile" is never created to target a specific user across all of the company's services.

Ron Schneidermann, CEO of AllTrails, a popular app for hikers and campers, said that Apple's ‌App Store‌ ads have helped "attract new, more engaged customers across markets" and that they've become a crucial aspect of its growth strategy.

Apple Search Ads helped us attract new, more engaged customers across markets. We rely on Apple Search Ads for cost-effective customer acquisition – it’s a critical component of our growth strategy. As they become available, we plan to invest in new placements to reach even more customers on the App Store and continue to drive our business growth.

Apple will be testing the new ad placements with limited developers soon.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Apple Products

Saturday July 5, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Amazon is soon to be back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront, and there are already many deals you can get on sale ahead of the event. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a ...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...

Top Rated Comments

krspkbl Avatar
39 months ago
yey more ads
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
39 months ago
New ADs to "help users"

This is gaslighting 101 folks
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aston441 Avatar
39 months ago
How about letting us search by free, most popular, etc, instead of having to scroll forever... oh, that would mean less revenue for the giant Apple Machine TM. Jerks


ETA: Ideally should be able to search for apps without subscriptions too. I don't mind even paying BIG $ if an app is worth it, but I'll never subscribe to anything ever. Period. My money is for investing, and myself, not GiantCorp(TM).

Subscriptions are for poor people, to make them even more poor.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spaceboi Scaphandre Avatar
39 months ago
The App Store becoming an even bigger mess with ads now. Yay.

EU, hurry up and force Apple to enable sideloading already.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andrewxgx Avatar
39 months ago
oh yes, forcing users to see ads on product with premium branding and massive margins
like that is going to end well
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MastersoftMobile Avatar
39 months ago
Couldn't they just improve the search? Maybe add non-IAP charts, paid charts etc that are easily accessible (basically how it used to be) ?
As an Indie developer, I am not sure how much it will help me having a "You might also like this" link to a premium major app by another company :rolleyes: on my product page.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)