Apple is expanding the number of ads that appear in App Store search results. The tech giant has confirmed its plans to introduce additional placements starting in 2026. The update was detailed on the Apple Ads website, where the company said the change is designed to “increase opportunity in search results”. App Store searches have until now featured a single ad slot at the very top of the results page. These ads appear when an advertiser targets a specific keyword and wins the auction for that term.
Searching for one app can therefore surface a promoted rival above the organic results.
But that is now about to change. Apple says it will begin showing ads further down the search results page, creating multiple ad positions within a single query. The new placements will sit below the existing top slot, effectively increasing the total number of sponsored results users may see when searching for apps.
According to the iPhone maker, search remains the primary way users discover apps on the platform, with nearly 65 percent of downloads happening directly after a search. By adding more ad inventory, the company says it is giving advertisers more chances to drive downloads without requiring changes to existing campaigns.
Advertisers and developers will not be able to choose or bid for specific ad positions. Instead, ads may appear either at the top of the search results or further down the page, depending on factors such as bid value and auction ranking.
Even within a single campaign, ad placement could vary from search to search.
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