New Delhi: Apple has officially announced that App Store search results will soon show more than one ad by expanding sponsored placements beyond the single promoted result at the top. The ad placement change will roll out from March 2026 and will be supported on both iPhones and iPads. The company updated its Apple Ads website to outline how the expanded ad placements will work and when users and developers can expect to see the change. App Store search results have included just one sponsored app at the very top of the page. Starting in March, Apple will be inserting additional ads further down the search results list, mixed in with organic results.
The rollout will begin on March 3 in markets such as the UK and Japan, before expanding to all Apple Ads markets by the end of the month. The latest ad placement will be supported on iPhones running iOS 26.2 and later, and iPads running iPad OS 26.2 and later. Developers running search ads do not need to create new campaigns or make changes to existing ones. If the search results campaign is active, Apple will automatically make it eligible for all available ad positions. Advertisers will not be able to select or bid for a specific slot, as placement will be decided by Apple’s ad ranking system.
The increase in ad placements, Apple is also testing changes to how sponsored results are displayed. Some of the users running the beta version of iOS 26.3 have reported that Apple has removed the blue background that traditionally highlights search ads. The only visual indicator separating an advertisement from an organic result is a small Ad label next to the app icon. Apple has not confirmed whether this design will roll out more widely, but the timing suggests it may be linked to the upcoming increase in search ads.
With the multiple sponsored results appearing on the same page, blending ads more closely with organic results would make them feel more integrated into the list. However, it could also make it harder for the users to identify which results are paid placements quickly. But currently, Apple has not commented on whether the latest design will become the default once multiple ads begin appearing in search results from March.
