#AppleAds: Search results expansion in 2026
Now:
- Ads appear only at the top of App Store search results
In 2026:
- Ads can appear both (❗️) at the top and further down in search results
No campaign changes needed - all Search Results campaigns are automatically eligible. You can’t choose or bid on a specific position.
Ad format and billing (CPT / CPI) remain the same.
💡 In theory, this unlocks the ability to measure how much traffic actually reaches lower search positions and how it converts vs top placement - a new signal for understanding user intent and scroll depth in App Store search.
𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: 𝗔𝗦𝗢 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 and Apple
Kudos: @max_foux and @Mariia_Povolotska
Now:
- Ads appear only at the top of App Store search results
In 2026:
- Ads can appear both (❗️) at the top and further down in search results
No campaign changes needed - all Search Results campaigns are automatically eligible. You can’t choose or bid on a specific position.
Ad format and billing (CPT / CPI) remain the same.
💡 In theory, this unlocks the ability to measure how much traffic actually reaches lower search positions and how it converts vs top placement - a new signal for understanding user intent and scroll depth in App Store search.
𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: 𝗔𝗦𝗢 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 and Apple
Kudos: @max_foux and @Mariia_Povolotska
❤15🔥6
🆕 Insights Report in Apple Ads
Since March 3, Apple introduced an additional ad placement in App Store search, replacing the 2nd organic position. As of March 17, it has been rolling out WW.
Yesterday, Apple released an updated Insights report — you can now see Daily Search Term Impressions Share across All Ad Positions.
💡Since the First Ad Position share is shown separately in this report, it’s easy to calculate how many Impressions the new 2nd placement is capturing.
For example:
1st Ads Position = 500 Impressions
All Ads Position = 750 Impressions
So, the 2nd placement gave 250 Impressions
Everything else in the report remained the same, except for the design.
It's good that Apple updated it, because it used to be less user-friendly.
But it's a shame that we still don't know the Search Popularity for search terms less than 44 (2nd screenshot). 😐
Main source
ASO Discord Community
Yesterday, Apple released an updated Insights report — you can now see Daily Search Term Impressions Share across All Ad Positions.
💡Since the First Ad Position share is shown separately in this report, it’s easy to calculate how many Impressions the new 2nd placement is capturing.
For example:
1st Ads Position = 500 Impressions
All Ads Position = 750 Impressions
So, the 2nd placement gave 250 Impressions
Everything else in the report remained the same, except for the design.
It's good that Apple updated it, because it used to be less user-friendly.
But it's a shame that we still don't know the Search Popularity for search terms less than 44 (2nd screenshot). 😐
Main source
ASO Discord Community
👍10❤1
🔥 🍏 WWDC 2026 — ASO updates
Apple finally gave us more tools for creatives.
What's now possible:
1. The big Product page header - for ALL apps. Video or image at the top of your product page. Works in CPP too.
2. This large banner also works right in Search Results. You can run it instead of screenshots - so the 1st thing a user sees in the results is under your control.
The same goes for Apple Ads (Search Ads & Today tab).
3. You set all of this up in App Store Connect in the new sections.
4. 🆕 Asset Library - one place to store all your creatives (screenshots, headers). Best part: you upload them separately from the build. Want to refresh a creative? No need to wait for a release 🌟
Rolling out this fall 2026. Start prepping your assets now. 🙂
Source: ASO Busters & Apple
Apple finally gave us more tools for creatives.
What's now possible:
1. The big Product page header - for ALL apps. Video or image at the top of your product page. Works in CPP too.
2. This large banner also works right in Search Results. You can run it instead of screenshots - so the 1st thing a user sees in the results is under your control.
The same goes for Apple Ads (Search Ads & Today tab).
3. You set all of this up in App Store Connect in the new sections.
4. 🆕 Asset Library - one place to store all your creatives (screenshots, headers). Best part: you upload them separately from the build. Want to refresh a creative? No need to wait for a release 🌟
Rolling out this fall 2026. Start prepping your assets now. 🙂
Source: ASO Busters & Apple
❤20🔥11👍8
🤔 How do users discover apps?
More and more people skip App Store search and go straight to ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools:
💬 “Best budgeting app?”
💬 “Best habit tracker?”
💬 “AI assistant for work?”
AI is becoming the new discovery layer for mobile apps.
And here’s the reality:
If AI doesn’t understand your product’s brand, it won’t recommend it.
In 2026, your brand is incomplete if it’s not visible in AI.
And if your competitors are already there — you’re not just behind. You’re invisible in a growing discovery channel.
That’s why RadASO is launching AI App Visibility.
We help apps:
✅ get visible in AI systems
✅ improve AI understanding
✅ increase chances of recommendations
🎁 Free AI App Visibility Analysis is available for early requests.
🔗 https://radaso.com/ai-app-visibility
More and more people skip App Store search and go straight to ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools:
💬 “Best budgeting app?”
💬 “Best habit tracker?”
💬 “AI assistant for work?”
AI is becoming the new discovery layer for mobile apps.
And here’s the reality:
If AI doesn’t understand your product’s brand, it won’t recommend it.
In 2026, your brand is incomplete if it’s not visible in AI.
And if your competitors are already there — you’re not just behind. You’re invisible in a growing discovery channel.
That’s why RadASO is launching AI App Visibility.
We help apps:
✅ get visible in AI systems
✅ improve AI understanding
✅ increase chances of recommendations
🎁 Free AI App Visibility Analysis is available for early requests.
🔗 https://radaso.com/ai-app-visibility
👍6❤3🔥3👀1
Impressions have appeared in the Google Play Console 🔥
Only page views (Store listing visitors) and installs (Store listing acquisitions) were available previously. Impressions weren't tracked.
It appears that traffic from generic keywords is now categorized under Explore, while Search impressions - including branded and closely associated searches - are now grouped under Paid & Direct.
🔹 If you have few Impressions, it means you have poor rankings for your keywords.
🔸 If you have many Impressions but poor conversion rates, revamp your visuals (icon, screenshots, video).
You can find it under Statistics > Reach
ASO Discord Community
Only page views (Store listing visitors) and installs (Store listing acquisitions) were available previously. Impressions weren't tracked.
It appears that traffic from generic keywords is now categorized under Explore, while Search impressions - including branded and closely associated searches - are now grouped under Paid & Direct.
🔹 If you have few Impressions, it means you have poor rankings for your keywords.
🔸 If you have many Impressions but poor conversion rates, revamp your visuals (icon, screenshots, video).
You can find it under Statistics > Reach
ASO Discord Community
👍11❤5
🚨 Google Play Console gets a major UI/UX refresh
Google has redesigned the interface and changed how ASO performance is analyzed.
What's new:
1️⃣ The Conversion analysis section is gone 🫂
Analytics now live under Store Listings with updated charts.
All familiar filters remain available.
2️⃣ Metrics were renamed:
Store listing visitors → 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀
Store listing acquisitions → 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀
3️⃣ Store Listing Experiments are now created directly from each Store Listing instead of a separate section. So you can run experiments for both the Default page and CSLs.
You can "Import an asset from current listing" 👏
Looks like Google is turning Store Listings into the main hub for both analytics and A/B testing.
// There's no data available yet for July 10, but we think Google will fix that.
Have you already tried the new interface?
ASO Discord Community
Google has redesigned the interface and changed how ASO performance is analyzed.
What's new:
1️⃣ The Conversion analysis section is gone 🫂
Analytics now live under Store Listings with updated charts.
All familiar filters remain available.
2️⃣ Metrics were renamed:
Store listing visitors → 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀
Store listing acquisitions → 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀
3️⃣ Store Listing Experiments are now created directly from each Store Listing instead of a separate section. So you can run experiments for both the Default page and CSLs.
You can "Import an asset from current listing" 👏
Looks like Google is turning Store Listings into the main hub for both analytics and A/B testing.
// There's no data available yet for July 10, but we think Google will fix that.
Have you already tried the new interface?
ASO Discord Community
❤13😢4