Apple is planning to show ads in the App Store’s Today tab and on individual app pages. According to reports, two new ad placements will expand upon the ads users can already see in the App Store’s search tab and in search results. Ads in the Today tab will appear in the larger card format used by other content in that tab, but users will see a small blue box with the word ‘Ad’ inside it under the app’s name. Ads in individual app pages will appear under the ‘You Might Also Like’ header that suggests apps related to the one a user is looking at.
Like in App Store search, ads on app pages will be highlighted in blue to distinguish them from other recommendations. According to a report by 9to5Mac, ad buyers won’t be able to target specific applications for these ads, but the ads will be relevant to the app they’re shown under.
“Apple Search Ads provides opportunities for developers of all sizes to grow their business,” Apple said in a statement to 9to5Mac.
They added, “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.”
The company plans to begin testing the new ads soon. As previously mentioned, developers who want to promote their application on Apple’s App Store will not be able to target a specific application for product page ad placement, but users will see ads relevant to each product page, according to the report.
According to a report by The Verge, Apple first started showing ads in App Store search results in 2016 and began asking users for their permission to enable Personalized Ads in September.
