App Store Search Results to Show More Ads Next Year, Says Apple

[josehill]

One can’t get rid of Tim Cook soon enough, hopefully his final act of trying to nickel and dime the users..

Careful what you wish for. With today's Apple, Eddie Cue could be Cook's replacement, and they'll find a way to charge us by the amount of time we spend using Apple "services".

 

[It’s always something]

I’m glad I did all my browsing and shopping for text editors in the days before ads and subscriptions were forced on us. If I use the App Store for anything other than updates now, it’s when I read about an app someplace else.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The App Store has become like "trying to find good food in a casino".

If you've been to Las Vegas, you know what I mean.

 

[UliBaer]

Just try to search for $free apps!
For example try to search for wBlock, a free excellent ad blocker - nowhere to be found in the "App Store"!
Only via direct link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wblock/id6746388723

 

[jonnyb098]

Smart phones have essentially become slot machines with ads. Most apps are freemium garbage. "Oh buT loOk I hAvE 3 cAmeRas on my iPhone 17 Pro Max Ultra Plus!"

"$4.99 is too much for an app!!!!" (proceeds to buy $150 worth of gems and $50 worth of Robux)

Standards clearly are a thing of the past.

 

[josehill]

where do you get your apps from then?

In general, I get apps directly from developer web sites or from links to the App Store that are posted on developer web sites.

I very, very rarely go to an App Store first to get an app. 99% of the time I am at the App Store, it's to download an update, rather than to deal with a poor experience to get a new app.

 

[mka2802]

Well, Apple was once at the brink of collapse.. no doubt they can manage to do that again

 

[Omega Mac]

It's amazing anyone is against intense regulation of these entities.
They're all out of control, including Apple.

Double edged sword.

 

[xSushi]

App Store search is terrible. I often know what app I already want from someone, a google search, an article read, or watching a YouTube video before I open the App Store App.

 

[platinumaqua]

I was going to get mad, but then I realized I haven’t used the App Store (as in downloading new apps) in a long time since it has been filled with garbage for a while.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I think that's what Palm, Nokia, Windows Phone and Blackberry thought, too. Well maybe not Windows Phone, those were never more than niche. But the others, they all OWNED the market like 100-ish percent, at their time.

They failed to evolve though, I think that's where the issue lies

 

[turbineseaplane]

I wonder if we'll ever get to the point where they go full Microsoft and allow ADs elsewhere in the OS.

I mean 3rd party.
We all know they love to pump their own products all over the place already.

 

[Anonymous123]

While I dislike this decision, I’m particularly annoyed that this was announced after iOS 26.2 was released. Now users who have already installed it are stuck with this new “feature” unless they want to downgrade iOS on their device.

 

[Matsamoto]

next up: paid subscription based adfree App Store.

Don’t give them ideas…🤫

 

[Wasp14]

This sucks, it's not what the Apple user experience was ever like or about before. It just comes across as desperate to make a few more dollars while making it worse for the user. People pay a premium for Apple to not see stuff like this.

 

[I7guy]

This is why having alternative app stores is so important. They introduce competition.

Apple will continue adding more and more ads over the coming years because they’ve got literally no incentive not to. Their users have no choice but to put up with them.

If you want real competition you can get a startup going develop a phone etc and open the innards to anybody who asks. Should be easy peasy.

 

[Porco]

My typical process for finding an app for a specific function nowadays:

1. Search for app in ad-blocked browser
2. Find link to app store.
3. Visit page of app in app store.
4. Scroll down to check privacy report (the best feature of the app store).
5. If app is trying to mine me for data and generally behave appallingly, return to step 1.
6. If app is not collecting data, or I can hold my nose for minimal intrusion, install.
7. Get out of dodge immediately, repulsed by the nickel-and-diming user-farming hellscape almost everything has descended into.

How it should work, IMHO:

1. Search app store with filter to only allow privacy-respecting apps in results.
2. Find good top result
3. Install app
4. Smile at the elegant, respectful environment created by the company who charge a fortune to use their products but you feel the value like it was the mid-2000s again.

The latter process would end with me spending a lot more money on apps by the way.

 

[turbineseaplane]

My typical process for finding an app for a specific funtion nowadays:

1. Search for app in ad-blocked browser
2. Find link to app store.
3. Visit page of app in app store.
4. Scroll down to check privacy report (the best feature of the app store).
5. If app is trying to mine me for data and generally behave appallingly, return to step 1.
6. If app is not collecting data, or I can hold my nose for minimal intrusion, install.
7. Get out of dodge immediately, repulsed by the nickel-and-diming user-farming hellscape almost everything has descended into.

How it should work, IMHO:

1. Search app store with filter to only allow privacy-respecting apps in results.
2. Find good top result
3. Install app
4. Smile at the elegant, respectful environment created by the company who charge a fortune to use their products but you feel the value like it was the mid-2000s again.

I would just add one thing to your "how it should work" #1 item

1. Search app store with filter to only allow privacy-respecting and non IAP apps in results.

It really gives the game away when Apple doesn't allow folks to filter out IAP driven Apps.

 

[Ct applefan]

Apple the new Google. That’s so sad.

 

[zilchfox]

Ah, another incentive to not move off IOS 18.....

The App Store ads are served remotely, so it’ll probably affect anyone that can still connect to the App Store regardless of iOS version.

 

[bmark]

Every day continues to get worse for Apple! The Tim Cook era can't end soon enough.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The App Store ads are served remotely, so it’ll probably affect anyone that can still connect to the App Store regardless of iOS version.

It will be funny if they backport the ability to pump the new ADs to those not on iOS 26..

 

[boswald]

I guess I’m not the target audience for this because I only use the App Store to check for updates (old habits die hard).

 

[yabeweb]

Soon they will charge people to browse the store....and someone will still find a way to defend them.

 

[bmark]

It will be funny if they backport the ability to pump the new ADs to those not on iOS 26..

That would be easy, they could another iOS 18 update under the guise of security updates.