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Apple officially renamed Apple Search Ads to Apple Ads on April 14, 2025, saying its advertising offerings had expanded beyond search. App Store advertising did not disappear: it remains part of Apple Ads, alongside Apple News advertising and an Apple Maps ad program announced for businesses in the United States and Canada.
What changed—and what did not
Apple announced on April 14, 2025, that “Apple Search Ads is now Apple Ads.” Apple Search Ads was the former brand; Apple Ads is now the broader advertising brand. The App Store campaign products are called Apple Ads Advanced and Apple Ads Basic.
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This was a brand and platform-positioning change, not an announcement that App Store search advertising had ended. Apple continues to offer App Store placements including search results, the Search tab, the Today tab and product pages. The rebrand announcement did not announce a general change to the App Store auction, ad formats or billing model.
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- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
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- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Why Apple changed the name
Apple said its advertising offerings had grown beyond search, making “Search Ads” too narrow a label. The company’s current portfolio includes advertising associated with Apple News, and in March 2026 Apple announced local advertising in Apple Maps for U.S. and Canadian businesses, with availability beginning in summer 2026.
That expansion makes Apple Ads a more encompassing brand than Apple Search Ads. It is reasonable to read the rebrand as positioning one advertising identity across multiple Apple properties, but Apple’s announcement did not cite a revenue target, a detailed organizational rationale or privacy changes as the cause.
App Store advertising: Advanced or Basic?
Apple Ads Advanced and Apple Ads Basic are different App Store promotion solutions, not two names for the umbrella brand. Advanced is aimed at advertisers who want campaign controls; Basic automates much of setup and delivery. Apple’s comparison is available in its Advanced and Basic guide.
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- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
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- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
| Feature | Apple Ads Advanced | Apple Ads Basic |
|---|---|---|
| Best suited to | Developers, growth teams and agencies needing campaign control | Developers seeking a simpler, automated app-promotion setup |
| App Store inventory | Today tab, Search tab, search results and product pages | Search-results promotion |
| Billing model | Cost per tap (CPT): you set a maximum bid; the actual cost can be lower under Apple’s auction | Cost per install (CPI): you set or accept a maximum CPI |
| Controls | Keyword and bid controls, daily campaign budgets, placement options and Custom Product Page destinations | Automated targeting and delivery; no equivalent keyword, audience or API controls |
| Budget limits | No minimum spend is stated by Apple; its comparison lists no maximum monthly budget, while campaigns use daily budgets | In the United States, up to $10,000 per app per month; up to 50 apps |
| Reporting and APIs | Campaign reporting and campaign-management API access | Does not provide Advanced’s campaign-management API access |
Advanced’s multiple placements are described in Apple’s ad placement guide. The “no maximum monthly budget” comparison does not mean a campaign has no spend controls: Advanced campaigns use daily budgets, and Apple says monthly spend is capped at the daily budget multiplied by its 30.4-day average-month calculation. For example, a $100 daily budget implies a $3,040 monthly cap under that formula. Apple also says lifetime-budget campaigns were paused in June 2026; campaigns using both lifetime and daily budgets were switched to daily-budget handling. See Apple’s budget guidance.
What advertisers should do now
Apple directs advertisers to its current Apple Ads entry point and the relevant sign-in for Advanced or Basic. Do not assume every legacy Search Ads URL or interface will behave identically; use Apple’s current official entry point.
If you are setting up an Advanced account, Apple’s setup process requires an Apple Account, account and business details, country or region, currency, time zone, legal-entity information, acceptance of advertising terms and a payment method. Apple says the account should be created by the legal entity that will be invoiced. Its account setup instructions give the current steps.
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- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
For Basic, the practical flow is to access or create the account, connect the relevant App Store Connect account, choose an eligible app and the countries or regions to target, set a monthly budget and maximum CPI, and add a payment method. Apple’s Basic promotion instructions cover setup and limits.
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What the expansion means for Apple News and Maps
Apple News
Apple presents Apple News advertising as part of the wider Apple Ads portfolio, with branded opportunities alongside Apple News content. This is distinct from App Store app-install advertising; an umbrella brand does not make the products or their campaign workflows interchangeable. Apple’s current portfolio page describes its offerings.
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- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Apple Maps
Apple announced local Maps advertising for businesses in the United States and Canada, appearing in the Maps app on iPhone and iPad during search and discovery moments. The announcement said availability would begin in summer 2026 and that existing Apple Ads advertisers and agencies could book through their existing Apple Ads experience. It did not give a universal launch date or public price. The announcement establishes planned availability and scope, not that every eligible business already has access; see Apple’s Apple Business announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Apple Ads a fit for your campaign?
Apple Ads is most directly suited to app developers seeking discovery or installs through App Store search and browsing, especially when their audience uses iOS or iPadOS. Advanced may fit teams that need keyword and placement control, detailed reporting or APIs; Basic may suit developers prioritizing a simpler setup over granular controls.
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It is not a one-platform solution for Android and web acquisition, broad cross-network reach, extensive off-platform retargeting or large display and video campaigns. Google, Meta and TikTok can provide broader or social discovery options, but no platform is universally cheaper or more effective: results depend on the app, market, competition, creative, conversion rate, retention and monetization.
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- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Apple describes its advertising approach as privacy-oriented and says it does not link user or device data collected from Apple apps with data collected from third parties for advertising purposes. That is Apple’s stated policy, not proof that its advertising is inherently more effective or preferable for every advertiser. Its explanation is at Apple’s privacy and data-use page.
Did the rebrand change prices?
Apple’s April 2025 announcement did not announce a general price change. App Store Advanced is generally billed on a cost-per-tap basis, while Basic uses cost per install. Apple’s cited Maps announcement did not provide a public price. Any one-time offer or product-specific billing term should be checked against its current eligibility rules rather than inferred from the rebrand.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
