MobileAction’s 2026 Apple Ads benchmark report

Apple Ads in 2026: What to expect, and how to stay ahead

Search has always been one of the most decisive moments in the App Store discovery. It is where intent is explicit, comparison behavior is high, and small shifts in relevance and presentation can change outcomes quickly. That is also why search results ads have remained the performance backbone of many Apple Ads strategies, and why they account for the majority of spend in MobileAction’s 2025 Apple Ads dataset.

Now, that search environment is entering a new phase.

Apple has announced that starting in March 2026, Apple Ads will introduce additional ad placements for search results campaigns, expanding beyond the single placement visible at the top of the page. Per Apple Ads’ official announcement, these new opportunities will roll out in phases across markets through the end of March. Importantly, advertisers do not need to change their search results campaigns to be eligible, and there is no ability to select or bid into a specific position. Ads may appear in the current top position or further down in search results, using the same format and tap destination options that exist today.

For advertisers, the headline is straightforward: more search results inventory will change the shape of the auction and the baseline behavior of key metrics. 

What’s changing in March 2026

Apple Ads help center outlines several points that matter for planning and benchmarking:

More ad positions in search results. Apple Ads will introduce additional ads across search queries, with ads appearing both at the top and further down within search results.

Phased rollout across markets. The expansion will roll out in phases and is expected to appear across all markets by the end of March.

No campaign changes required. If you already run a search results campaign, your ads will be automatically eligible for all available positions.

No position selection. Advertisers cannot select or bid for a particular search results position. Placement is determined by Apple Ads systems based on auction factors.

Same ad format and destinations. The ad format remains the same in any position. Ads use a default product page or a custom product page, with an optional deep link. Billing remains based on your current pricing model (cost per tap or cost per install).

When placement density changes without a format change, the biggest impact tends to show up in exposure mix, scroll behavior, and average metric baselines as we examined in the other platforms that are offering search ads inventories.

Alongside additional ads across search queries, some industry observers have shared examples that suggest Apple Ads may be testing variations in the search results layout. These are not confirmed as a permanent UI change, but they are worth noting because interface refinements can amplify the impact of new inventory.

Why these changes could be benchmark “reset” for both paid and organic metrics

In practical terms, the meaning of “average search results performance” can shift, even if your account fundamentals remain strong.

Here are the most common ways this change can influence measurement:

1) A bigger impression pool can move TTR baselines

With more opportunities in search results, advertisers may see a higher total volume of impressions and taps coming from a wider set of placements within the results page. Even if relevance stays strong, tap behavior can vary by where the ad appears in the list. That means account-level TTR can start to reflect position mix, not just keyword to message alignment.

This is where 2025 benchmarks remain valuable. They capture performance in a search results environment that is largely defined by one primary position. Once March 2026 begins, year-over-year comparisons may require an extra layer of context around where impressions were served.

2) CR may become more sensitive to intent segmentation

Search intent is still search intent, but user behavior can differ depending on whether the ad appears at the top of results or after the user has already scanned multiple organic listings. In a multi-position environment, the same keyword may begin to attract multiple “micro audiences”, including users who decide quickly and users who prefer to compare first.

That makes intent segmentation, ad group structure, and custom product page mapping even more important. When your keyword themes and tap destinations are aligned, you are better positioned to convert users consistently across different parts of the results page.

3) Auction dynamics may change without moving uniformly across categories

More inventory creates more opportunity, but it can also rebalance competition. Some categories may see more room to scale, while others may see increased density on their highest value queries. Because Apple Ads considers both relevance and bid factors, and does not run auctions for ads that are not a good match, quality signals remain central.

In other words, expansion does not remove the need for relevance. It can raise the value of relevance, because the system has more ways to place ads where they fit. As a result, custom product pages can become a more important performance lever. Matching each keyword cluster to custom product pages helps to keep the promise of the ad consistent after the tap.

4) Search results composition may influence the overall discovery experience without altering organic strategies

As search results campaigns evolve, the user’s discovery path can shift. Scrolling patterns can change. Comparison sets can change. The share of sessions that end after a tap can change. Even when your organic presence is stable, the surrounding context can alter outcomes like product page views, conversion rates, and how users move between branded and non-branded discovery.

Rather than making quick changes, focus on measurement. Monitor organic and paid side by side with regular reporting to understand how these changes affect your campaigns. 

Closing perspective

As additional ads across search queries becomes available, many advertisers may find it easier to capture incremental volume in search results campaigns without relying on a single top placement. In the early weeks, the priority is to validate that scale is coming from the right demand, by tracking impression share, taps, and installs. 

From a benchmarking standpoint, March 2026 is likely to become a new reference point. Pre-March metrics will reflect a search results environment dominated by a single top placement. Post-March metrics will reflect a blended environment where position mix becomes part of the story.

That is exactly why the 2025 benchmarks in this report matter. They capture a clear baseline before the rollout, and they offer a way to interpret what changes next without losing sight of fundamentals: relevance, intent mapping, product page alignment, and disciplined measurement.

Use these insights, data points, and proven strategies to optimize your campaigns and if you’re interested in deeper, real-time intelligence and expertise, remember that MobileAction’s all-in-one app store marketing platform and its app growth expertise can help you analyze, optimize, automate, and elevate your Apple Ads efforts every step of the way.