Blurring App Store Ads and Search Results
Apple is testing a new design for App Store search ads on iPhone. Some users on iOS 26.3 are noticing that the blue background around sponsored results is no longer shown, blurring the line between what paid ad results look like and the real search results that follow.
This means the only differentiator between organic results and the promoted ad is the presence of the small ‘Ad’ banner next to the app icon.
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Of course, this also has the effect of making it harder for users to quickly distinguish at a glance what is an ad and what isn’t, potentially misleading some users into not realising that the first result is a paid ad placement.
“Phenomenal customer experience.”
Previously:
- More App Store Ad Spots
- Google Changes Search Queries to Show More Ads
- The Dark Side of the Mac App Store
- App Store Ads Gone Wild
- App Store Ads in Today and App Pages
- Every Google Result Now Looks Like an Ad
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Am I the only one that, if I'm searching for an app from a bigger company and it shows up as both an ad and an organic result, I tap on the ad version to make it cost them money?
Idk... it's the little things, I guess.
Would be interesting to know what the real % cut Apple actually gets on average from developers when their App Store Ads / Search Ads spend is included.
For many developers, I am guessing it would add up to at least an additional few % on top of the 15/30%.
In essence, Apple Search Ads are simply another tax on developers to be able to sell software for Apple devices. Sure, it's an optional tax, but when competitors are paying this tax, many developers may feel they have no choice but to also take part to defend their potential downloads.
The most egregious bit about this for me is it cuts right to the core of what's wrong with Apple today. They make the argument for trustworthiness, and it used to be believable. I could tell people to search for a specific app, confident that it would be the top result. I could trust the app store enough to send novices there and trust they wouldn't install something that would try to steal their contacts or sign them up for predatory IAP. At least the clones would generally be lower down on the list.
Now the first result is almost guaranteed to not be what they wanted, and very likely to be something which will try to extract value from them when that's not what they intended. And if it is what they wanted that means they are now essentially extorting developers to show up in what used to be natural search results.
All of this benefits exactly one party, Apple. And I suppose to an extent, the companies who already specialize in advertising and have the money to do it, which are scammers and large developers.
