Apple’s App Store will for the first time ever begin displaying ads in its Today section, as per a report. Apple has previously displayed advertisements in the App Store, but has never done so in the Today section since its introduction. The tab until today, only displayed content that had been handpicked from the App Store’s editorial staff. The Today tab is the first section that users are greeted with when they launch the App Store on their iPhone or iPad.
Apple reportedly emailed developers about the update last week as pointed out by MacRumours. According to the report, ads will also begin appearing in the “You Might Also Like” section that appears below an individual app listing. Apple reportedly said that ads would begin to appear in all countries except China.
The new ad placements in both areas can be recognised by a blue background with an “Ad” icon inside it, informing users that the listing is an advertisement. According to the report, Apple said that showing advertisements on the Today tab will help developers get their apps noticed more prominently on the front page of the App Store. The “You Might Also Like” section is also another area where developers can place and promote their apps on other apps’ pages.
At the moment it is unclear how this would affect the browsing experience for a user. It’s also unclear about how the “You Might Also Like” section will affect developer relations as developers would need to scramble to show their own apps on their own app pages before someone else’s apps show up in there, driving users and potential customers away to other alternatives instead of the one they opened the App Store to download.
According to an earlier report by Bloomberg, Apple has plans to bring ads to more first-party apps. After the App Store, this may include the Maps app that the company has internally been testing for a while. The ads similar to what was earlier available on the App Store, are expected to show up in search. The article also mentions how Apple could also bring advertisements to its Podcasts, Books and Apple TV+ in a similar manner.