{"id":50754,"date":"2026-01-20T18:08:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=50754"},"modified":"2026-01-20T18:08:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:08:58","slug":"blurring-app-store-ads-and-search-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/20\/blurring-app-store-ads-and-search-results\/","title":{"rendered":"Blurring App Store Ads and Search Results"},"content":{"rendered":"

Benjamin Mayo<\/a> (Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

“Phenomenal<\/a> customer experience.”<\/p>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n