As App Tracking Transparency is about to affect the marketing industry, Apple is reportedly working to expand its own advertising business with new App Store ads.
App Store to gain more ads
All advertisers will be required to conform to Apple's App Tracking Transparency rules from April 26, 2021. However, Apple is believed to be expanding its own ad business at the same time.
According to the Financial Times, the App Store is to add a second advertising slot in its Suggested Apps section. Citing two unnamed sources, the publication says that this new slot is to be launched by the end of April.
It's reportedly going to enable advertisers to promote their apps directly to App Store users, rather than only being surfaced when a relevant search is made.
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has previously criticized Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature for being more about business interests than privacy.
"With the upcoming iOS 14 changes, many small businesses will no longer be able to reach their customers with targeted ads," he said in January 2021. "Now, Apple may say that they're doing this to help people, but the moves clearly track their competitive interests."
Apple declined to comment on the Financial Times report.
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