In July, Apple disclosed its plans to expand its advertisement business by showing ads in the App Store’s Today tab and on individual app pages.
This plan has been brought to fruition, as Apple will start rolling out two additional ad categories on the App Store effective October 25, 2022, in all countries except China.
According to a new report from MacRumors, the Cupertino giant in an email sent to developers last week announced that the company is placing app-related ads in the App Store’s main Today tab.
“With Today Tab advertising, your app can appear prominently on the front page of the App Store – making it some of the first content users see when they begin their App Store visit,” reads the Apple Search Ads support page.
“The prominence of this placement makes it a great option to increase awareness of your app, especially for new content launches, special events, and seasonal promotions.”
Further, the product app pages will also get ads at the bottom of app pages, in a “You May Also Like” section, which will appear at the bottom of individual app listings on the App Store.
“Product pages — while browsing ads let you reach people while they browse apps on relevant pages across the App Store, whether their journey started on the App Store or from an outside link,” the company added.
“When interested users have scrolled to the bottom of relevant product pages, ads appear at the top of the You Might Also Like list.”
Additionally, the “You May Also Like” section will also allow developers to promote their apps on their rival’s app pages.
“Once your custom product page has been approved in App Store Connect, it will then need to be approved by Apple Search Ads to be used for advertising,” it stated.
The two newly added advertisement categories will have an “Ad” icon with a blue background to distinguish them from other recommendations.
Starting October 25, 2022, Apple will offer four different ad placements in the App Store, which are the Today tab, the “Suggested” section of the Search tab, Search results based on keywords, and Product pages (while browsing).
Florian Mueller, a legal expert, argued the “You Might Also Like” ads are “another means of increasing the effective app tax rate, forcing developers to buy ads on their own app pages in order to avoid that others steer customers away from there.”
Apple just sent all developers an email that "Today tab and product page campaigns start October 25." It's another means of increasing the effective app tax rate, forcing developers to buy ads on their own app pages in order to avoid that others steer customers away from there.
— Florian Mueller (@FOSSpatents) October 21, 2022
This recent expansion by Apple shows that it is a part of a broader push to enlarge its advertising business and increase its revenue model.
According to earlier reports, the tech giant is planning to bring ads to Apple Books, Apple Podcasts, Maps, and even Apple TV+.
