Apple has announced its decision to implement additional advertisements within App Store search results, though the upcoming change will initially be limited to users in the UK and Japan.
While many of us are familiar with the advertising and branding campaigns of Apple itself, ads within the company's iOS App Store are often little more than a nuisance for end users. Now, iPhone and iPad users will have to deal with even more advertisements, according to an Apple note to developers this week.
As spotted by social media users on Tuesday, Apple revealed new details about its plans to run additional ads in App Store search results, starting March 3, 2026. The advertisements themselves will be visible to users in the United Kingdom and Japan, running iOS 26.2 or later, and iPadOS 26.2 or later.
The additional advertisements will reach App Store users in all other markets by the end of March, according to Apple's developer note. The change itself was to be expected, as Apple announced the move back in December 2025.
"To help give advertisers more opportunities to drive downloads from search results, Apple Ads will introduce additional ads across search queries," reads Apple's website.
Apple's note about this matter explains that developers and advertisers do not need to do anything for their content to appear in these new ad slots. The iPhone maker uses keywords to match user searches to relevant advertisements within the App Store, meaning developers can't force their ads to appear for unrelated searches.
Default ads are created based on an app's product page; however, developers also have the option to create ad variations. "Ad variations allow you to align ad creative with specific audiences and keyword themes," says Apple. There are no changes to how developers are billed for ads, though.
This isn't the first time Apple has "updated" the App Store with more ads. The iPhone maker made a similar move in October 2022, when it brought ads to the Today section. More recently, in April 2025, the company's advertising was renamed from "Apple Search Ads" to "Apple Ads."
