Google expanded iOS App Marketing Capabilities

Google expanded iOS App Marketing Capabilities

Google updates iOS App Install campaigns with new ad formats, smart bidding, and privacy-first measurement.

Google has rolled out major updates to iOS App Install campaigns, giving advertisers new ad formats, smarter bidding options, and privacy-focused measurement tools. These updates are designed to help marketers navigate Apple’s evolving privacy environment while still driving growth on iOS.

Google Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, took to LinkedIn to announce the numerous updates to iOS App Install campaigns. Google is making changes to help advertisers navigate this space more confidently. Their latest updates to iOS App Install campaigns are designed to give marketers a stronger mix of creative options, smarter bidding tools, and privacy-respecting measurement features. They do mark a meaningful shift in how advertisers can approach growth on one of the world’s largest mobile ecosystems.

New Ad Formats bring more creative opportunities

Addition of new creative formats designed for improving engagement and giving users a clearer picture of an app before they download.

Google is introducing fresh creative formats that make app ads more engaging and interactive, moving app advertising away from static placements and towards interactive formats that match user expectations.

• Co-branded YouTube ads

It includes the use of creator-driven content like YouTube Shorts and in-feed ads, and these authentic styles of creative often outperform traditional branded ads.

• Playable end cards

The feature enables users to try a lightweight demo of the app after watching an ad. By previewing the experience before downloading, users are likely to commit to installs having lasting value.

This is creating stronger alignment between ad messaging and in-app experiences for marketers.

Target ROAS Bidding Now Available for iOS

Google’s expansion of value-based bidding on iOS. Rollout of Target ROAS (tROAS) bidding for iOS.

tROAS enable campaigns to optimise for return on ad spend rather than raw install numbers. This is especially important for apps with varied monetisation models like subscriptions or in-app purchases.

Google has expanded the “Maximise Conversions” strategy for iOS, enabling campaigns to optimise for deeper in-app actions beyond installs. Using Google’s AI-driven modelling, budgets can now be allocated more effectively to maximize long-term results.

Measurement balancing privacy and clarity

• On-device conversion measurement

Implementing durable measurement strategies is important for understanding the impact of marketing efforts and optimizing your investments. Google’s on-device conversion measurement improves the amount of observable conversions to enhance campaign optimization and reporting for your iOS App campaigns in a privacy-preserving manner.

On-device conversion measurement helps you measure app installs and in-app actions from your iOS App campaigns while keeping user data private. There are 2 variants of this solution:

1. Using first party data
2. Using de-identified, temporary app event data

Benefits include: Improved campaign reporting & performance, as well as privacy preserving.

• Integrated conversion measurement

Platform and regulatory changes are making it more challenging to understand the full impact and performance of your App campaigns. Google’s Integrated Conversion Measurement (ICM) solution directly addresses the challenges by providing more accurate and comprehensive cross-channel attribution across iOS and Android in third-party APP Attribution Partner interfaces.

Google’s Integrated Conversion Measurement is an innovative protocol which provides more real-time, comprehensive, and accurate attribution in your third-party App Attribution Partner interfaces. Its key benefits include enhanced reporting across iOS & Android, privacy-preserving techniques, and flexible integrations.

The innovations are showing advertisers’ accessibility while respecting user privacy.

Furthermore, these changes provide an opportunity for advertisers to test and adapt their iOS campaigns.

• Experiment with new ad formats

New ad formats, including AI-powered tools and privacy-centric measurement capabilities, are transforming how marketers approach their iOS app campaign strategies. These developments mark significant changes in how advertisers may engage with important iOS users across Google’s vast network, including Search, YouTube, and Display Advertising.

• Assess tROAS for your business model

Advertisers who switched from Target CPA to Target ROAS saw a 14% increase in conversion value at a similar return on ad spend, per Google’s internal data from March 2021.

Google claims that advertisers who upgraded from Smart Shopping to Maximize Conversion Value and Target ROAS achieved as much as a 30% uplift in conversion value.

• Upgrade measurement frameworks

Updates like the introduction of the AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) framework on iOS last year have complicated measurement, and user expectations for privacy are still rising. Because of this, we are supporting solutions that assist advertisers in navigating these changes, such as the latest version 4.0 upgrades to Apple’s measurement API, SKAdNetwork.

Future Aspects

Google’s latest iOS updates do not eliminate the complexities of app marketing, but give advertisers sharper tools to work with. Engaging ad formats to value-based bidding and privacy-first measurement represent progress in a space that’s been difficult to navigate.

Marketers need to start testing, invest in measurement infrastructure, and don’t let short-term results cloud the bigger picture. These updates can help shift iOS campaigns from a defensive play into an opportunity for real growth.