According to TechSpot, Apple has announced it will increase the number of ads shown within App Store search results starting next year. Currently, there’s only one sponsored ad at the very top of the results page, but the new plan will place additional ads further down the list. Apple promises these ads will be “relevant” to the search and says irrelevant apps won’t be shown, regardless of how much an advertiser pays. Placement will still involve keyword bidding, but visibility will be determined “primarily by relevance,” not just the highest bid. The company also noted that deep-link support for these search ads requires iOS/iPadOS 18 or later, which runs on devices as old as the 2018 iPhone XS. Billing for advertisers will continue on the existing cost-per-tap or cost-per-install model.
User experience takes a backseat
Here’s the thing: this is a pretty significant shift in how the App Store feels. For years, that single ad at the top was at least predictable. You could scroll past it. Now, with ads potentially sprinkled throughout the results, the act of searching for an app becomes more of a minefield. Apple‘s emphasis on “relevance” is their defense, sure. But let’s be real. “Relevant” is a slippery term. Is a competing note-taking app “relevant” to a search for “Evernote”? In Apple’s new ad-driven world, probably. This feels like the slow, inevitable creep of ad density we’ve seen on every other major platform. The user’s goal—finding the exact app they want—is now competing directly with Apple’s goal of monetizing every single query.
A mixed bag for developers
For developers, this is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it “expands opportunities,” as Apple says. Smaller developers who couldn’t always win the costly top bid might find more affordable slots further down. If the relevance algorithm works, it could theoretically connect better apps to users. But that’s a big “if.” The fear is that this just inflates the entire App Store marketing budget. Now, to ensure visibility for a broad term, you might need to win multiple ad slots on a single results page. It turns organic search, already a tough game, into an even more paid-play environment. And the fact that you can’t bid for specific positions means you’re handing over a lot of control to Apple’s black-box relevance engine.
Apple’s ad ambitions are clear
Look, this isn’t an isolated move. It’s a strategic expansion. Remember, this service was renamed from “Apple Search Ads” to just Apple Ads earlier this year. That wasn’t for fun. It signals a platform ambition beyond the App Store, with rumors already swirling about ads coming to Apple Maps. This search change is just the next logical step in building a major, high-margin revenue stream. They’re leveraging their walled garden—the ultimate closed ecosystem—to create an ad network where they control all the levers: the audience, the placement, the rules, and the payout. From a business perspective, it’s brilliant. From a user perspective? Well, you’re no longer just the customer; you’re increasingly the product being sold to advertisers.
The relevance promise
So, does Apple’s “relevance over bid” promise hold water? It might, initially. They have a strong incentive to not make search results feel useless, as that would kill engagement and, ultimately, ad value. Their entire brand is built on a premium experience. But the pressure to grow that ad revenue is immense. There’s always a tension between relevance and revenue, and history shows which one usually wins. The technical note about deep links requiring iOS 18 also creates a fragmented experience. Users on older, but still supported devices like the iPhone XS or 6th-gen iPad mini won’t get the full ad experience. I think we’ll have to wait and see next year if the App Store starts to feel like a web search page, cluttered with labeled sponsors, or if Apple manages to integrate these ads subtly. My money’s on the former.
