Apple has always prided itself on the sleek and uncluttered look of its first-party apps, but introducing even more ads to the App Store risks undermining the company's generally clean approach to user experience.
Starting October 25, 2022, app-related announcements will begin appearing both on the Today tab of the App Store and in a new "You might also like" section at the bottom of individual app listings.
Apple announced the move in a recent email to developers (per MacRumors (Opens in a new tab)) and confirmed on its website (Opens in a new tab) that App Store users in all countries , with the exception of China, will be affected by the increased presence of ads. .
Ads on the App Store are currently limited to the search tab, but even here they are often intrusive and often irrelevant to what users are actually looking to download. App Store ads take up nearly the entire first page of any search, meaning less impressive (read: bad) apps get more exposure compared to objectively better alternatives.
Additionally, with Apple's existing ad system, companies can buy all the ad space for a specific ad name and have their product rank above the app name that users are searching for. Search for "Temple Run," for example, and the first app you'll see is an ad for Run Bear Run.
The new system will now see these ads appear on the main Today tab of the App Store, as well as in search. The Today tab is Apple's hub for editorial content, where App Store staff carefully curates a selection of apps based on trends and seasonal themes.
The ads in question will still be identifiable by a distinct background and a visible "Ad" icon, though it looks like they'll have as much space as the editorial sections in the Today tab (see example below from Apple).
More App Store Announcements Coming Soon
Apple first announced plans to increase the presence of ads on its App Store in July, confirming that these new ads "will only contain content from app-approved App Store product pages and will adhere to the same strict privacy standards." confidentiality".
It also seems likely that the move will pave the way for similar ad extensions in other Apple apps. Earlier this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported (opens in a new tab) that Apple expects to nearly triple its current annual ad revenue to at least €10 billion in the future.
Banner ads already exist in Apple's News and Stocks apps, but the company is expected to launch similar ads in Apple Maps starting in 2023.
For more App Store-related content, check out our reports on Apple's new program to help lesser-known app developers and the cryptocurrency controversy facing Apple and Google.