In 2016, Apple launched the "Search Ads" program, which displays advertising banners in the App Store search results. This new feature was not well received by users at the time, as they were subjected to advertising on very expensive devices.
The iPhone, an advertising panel like any other
The program also divides the developer community, with some accusing it of parasitism: a competing app can "buy" a rival's keywords and appear at the top of search results. But these banners also allow developers to make their app known in a store where it is notoriously difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Over the years, these ads have expanded throughout the App Store, directly on the homepage for example, as well as in app pages, which also hasn't particularly pleased developers. Elsewhere in iOS, banners have also appeared in the Apple News app (unavailable in France). To better reflect the expansion of advertising, Apple has decided to change the name of its program, which has become simply "Apple Ads".
"When Apple Search Ads launched in 2016, we only offered one ad placement, at the top of search results. Today, advertisers can show ads in multiple places in the App Store, which is why we decided to change the name", the company explained to developers.
This name change responds to a logic that goes beyond the App Store search results. But it could also be a signal sent to advertisers: Apple is ready to go further by displaying, for example, advertising in Maps. Other apps could also host advertising, such as Podcasts or Books.
Source: 9to5Mac
0 Comments