The iPhone and iPad user experience is going to change in the coming years, and not just because of a new camera feature or an iOS redesign. Apple has confirmed on its advertiser portal that This will increase the number of ads shown when searching for apps in the App Store.moving from a single prominent space to several advertising blocks spread throughout the results list.
This shift in the company's business strategy, which will be rolled out globally and will also affect users of Spain and the rest of EuropeIt is officially presented as a way to offer more visibility to developers and advertisers. However, the move once again raises the question of how far Apple is willing to go. fill their own ecosystem with advertising And how does this fit with the image of a “clean” and privacy-focused platform that it has championed in recent years?
More ads in App Store search results
Until now, the App Store only showed an advertisement at the top of the results When the user performed a search, it was common that, upon entering the name of a social network like Facebook or Instagram, the first result would be an advertisement for another competing app that had won the auction for that keyword.
With the new approach, Apple will introduce multiple advertising positions within the same results pageThey won't be limited to the header: ads may also appear further down, interspersed among organic apps. In practice, this will result in a higher density of sponsored spaces while browsing the store.
Apple justifies this expansion by recalling that Search is the main channel for discovering new appsAccording to data shared by the company itself, around 65% of downloads on the App Store occur right after a search is performed, making this section a key showcase for any developer who wants to gain visibility against the competition.
The company has specified that these new ad locations will arrive from 2026 and will be deployed on devices with iOS and iPadOS 26.2 and laterIn other words, they will affect iPhones and iPads that are updated to the next versions of the operating system, which in Europe includes both recent models and many of those currently in circulation.
This is how the new advertising system will work in the App Store
From a technical point of view, the contracting mechanism does not change in essence: the announcements will continue to be managed through Apple Ads and an auction systemAdvertisers will bid on keywords related to their application, and the system will decide who is shown and in what position, based on the bid and other factors such as relevance and historical performance of the ad.
An important detail is that the Advertisers will not be able to choose the exact position where your ad will appear within the search results. It won't be possible, for example, to pay specifically for the second or fifth position. The algorithm will dynamically assign the position for each search, and this position may even vary within the same campaign depending on the competition and user behavior.
El The visual format of the ads will remain virtually the same.Developers will be able to continue using their app's standard product page or configure custom pages, as well as include deep links that take users to specific sections within the app after installation. Apple's idea is to expand the inventory of available spaces without significantly altering the look and feel that users are already accustomed to.
Regarding the payment method, the usual models will be maintained. cost per click (CPC or CPT) and cost per install (CPI)This way, advertisers can decide whether they prefer to pay every time someone clicks on the ad or only when a download actually occurs. Furthermore, Apple has indicated that Existing campaigns will automatically become eligible for the new positionsso that current customers will not have to reconfigure their ads when the system is updated.
The numbers Apple uses to defend more ads
To support this advertising expansion, Apple has presented several data points regarding App Store usage. According to the company, More than 800 million users visit the app store every weekAnd more than 85% of them download at least one app on their most recent visit. These figures reflect the enormous importance of the official store as a software distribution channel in the iOS and iPadOS ecosystem.
Furthermore, the company boasts about the effectiveness of its current inventory: ads placed in the top position of search results achieve, according to the shared data, a conversion rate close to 60%In other words, a majority of users who click on these ads end up installing the promoted application, which reinforces the appeal of these placements for large studios and small developers alike.
This context helps to understand why Apple sees room for further monetize the App Store through advertisingFor European developers, including Spanish studios competing in a saturated market, the possibility of accessing more sponsored spaces can be an additional way to gain visibility, although it also implies a potentially more expensive and competitive auction environment.
Impact on iPhone and iPad users in Spain and Europe
From the end user's perspective, the main consequence of this change is obvious: There will be more ads visible when searching for appsAlthough Apple insists that the formats will remain the same and that the ads will blend in with the rest of the results relatively discreetly, the increase in the number of sponsored spaces will push the list of organic apps lower on the screen.
For those accustomed to a clean system experience without too many commercial interruptions—an argument that has historically been used to justify the high price of high-end iPhones—, this increase in advertising may be particularly noticeable. Some users have already expressed concern that the App Store is increasingly resembling an advertising showcase, where they have to "dodge" more ads before finding the app they were actually looking for.
In Europe, moreover, the movement takes place within a complex regulatory context, marked by rules such as Digital Markets Law (DMA)which closely monitors the behavior of major platforms like Apple. Although, for now, the company presents these changes as a simple inventory expansion within its own store, it wouldn't be surprising if regulatory bodies and consumer associations closely scrutinize them. how much is the user experience affected? and if advertising remains within reasonable limits.
Privacy, competition, and Apple's business model
The expansion of ads in the App Store also reignites a fundamental debate: the apparent contradiction between Apple's privacy rhetoric and its growing commitment to advertisingOver the past few years, the company has significantly restricted third-party access to data for ad targeting, which has particularly affected giants like Meta or some mobile advertising networks.
At the same time, to deliver effective ads within its own store, Apple needs to rely on the user behavior and searchesIn other words, although it remains within the framework that the company itself has defined as respectful of privacy, the reality is that Apple is reinforcing its position as the dominant intermediary in advertising associated with its ecosystem, to the detriment of competitors who have seen their room for maneuver on the platform limited.
This dual role—arbiter of privacy rules and direct beneficiary of an expanding advertising inventory—raises concerns among some in the industry and also among some users who are more attentive to how their data is monetized. In Europe, where sensitivity regarding privacy is heightened, Data Protection It is high, it remains to be seen how this balance between more ads and the promise of maintaining a safe and respectful experience with personal information will be perceived in the long term.
Apple's decision to add More ads in the App Store It marks a new step in the transformation of its app store into an increasingly relevant source of advertising revenue, but it also represents a tangible change in the way iPhone and iPad users — including those in Spain and the rest of Europe — will interact with a space that, until recently, seemed relatively untouched by the logic of mass advertising.
