News

Latest Google Ads Features & Updates Advertisers Should Know

TAThe AdPilot Team· Google Ads automation•11 July 2026•8 min read
What this page is: an ongoing digest of Google Ads updates that genuinely impact how advertisers create and manage campaigns, explained in straightforward language, with a brief “what it means for you” note on the items that merit one. Last updated 7 October 2026. We review the release notes and industry coverage so you do not have to. Previous editions are available in the news archive.

October 2026

Conversion Lift studies are now self-serve for Search and Performance Max source ↗

Advertisers can now set up user-based Conversion Lift studies for Search and Performance Max themselves; until now these needed a Google representative. To qualify, an account needs at least 1,000 observed conversions and a campaign budget of at least $5,000. Eligible campaign types are Display, Search, Video, Demand Gen, App and Performance Max, but not App campaigns targeting iOS or Travel Ads. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: If you meet the thresholds, a lift study is the most direct way to see how many conversions a campaign actually adds, rather than how many it is credited with.

Google is testing a Direct offer asset for AI Mode source ↗

A Direct offer asset has appeared in beta next to Promotion, Message and Lead form. It is the Google Ads side of Direct Offers, which shows a promotion to shoppers inside AI Mode as a “Claim one-time code” bar under a sponsored result. Offers only serve on campaigns using AI Max or text customization. You give the offer a short description that Google’s AI uses to decide when to show it and to write the offer text, set an incentive (with optional single-use promo codes), and can cap claims per day by value or count. Spotted by Christian Cabrera.

For your campaigns: Set a daily claim limit if you try it. Without one, the offer runs until its end date or until every code is claimed.

The Merchant Center UCP integration hub starts rolling out in the US source ↗

The Universal Commerce Protocol integration hub in Merchant Center is rolling out gradually in the United States, with Australia and Canada following next year. In it, merchants choose which capabilities to turn on: cart transfer to their own site, native checkout on Google, and identity linking. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

Google Ads Editor 2.10 and older stop working on 19 October source ↗

Google Ads Editor versions 2.10 and earlier will no longer be supported from 19 October 2026. The previous cutoff, in March 2026, covered versions 2.9 and earlier.

For your campaigns: Check the version number in Editor now and update before 19 October, so bulk edits are not interrupted.

Loyalty Customer Match reaches AI Mode, Gemini and more countries source ↗

Merchant Center’s help pages now say Loyalty Customer Match covers AI Mode and Gemini and is available in 14 countries, newly including India, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea and Spain. It can now be set up through the Merchant API, is open to merchants who do not advertise, and counts loyalty points and completed orders as membership types. A free-to-join program cannot require payment later, which rules out some free trials. Flagged by Barry Schwartz.

For your campaigns: If you run a loyalty program, member-only prices can now reach shoppers in AI Mode and Gemini as well as in Shopping.

A beta tool translates Search campaigns into other languages source ↗

Google has published a help page for an AI campaign localization tool, in beta, that builds a Search campaign in another language. It translates text assets and keywords, replaces the text in image assets with translated text, and can translate landing pages through a JavaScript snippet added with Google Tag Manager. It starts with translation from US English into 10 languages, and Google plans to extend it to Performance Max. Spotted by Dario Zannoni.

For your campaigns: Have a native speaker check the keywords before launch. Machine-translated keywords often miss the words local customers actually search for.

Manager accounts can open Google Ads accounts without building a campaign source ↗

Manager accounts can now create a new Google Ads account by entering its name, type, country, time zone, currency and business details, with no campaign needed at setup. The flow also offers to link YouTube, Business Profile or Merchant Center. It is available to managers that have spent more than $1,000 and comply with Google Ads policies, and new account names can no longer contain a URL. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: Agencies can set up a client account first and build campaigns later. Leave URLs out of account names.

Google removes the 50-conversion figure from its learning period guidance source ↗

Google has edited its help page on bid strategy learning periods again. It now says calibration typically takes 1 to 2 conversion cycles and no longer mentions a number of conversions; in September it said up to about 50 conversion events or 3 cycles. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: This replaces the September guidance below. Judge a new bid strategy by the conversion cycles it has completed.

Brand names in ads can differ from the domain in some cases source ↗

In October 2026 Google is updating its business name requirements so an ad’s business name can differ from its destination domain in some cases. The name must be the advertiser’s recognized brand, there must be a verified direct relationship with the domain owner, and the products or services must be offered directly on that domain. Resellers and other intermediaries still cannot use a brand name on its own as their business name.

For your campaigns: If your brand name and domain do not match, you may now be able to show the brand name. Resellers should keep using their own.

Google is testing Shopping ads that look like the organic product grid source ↗

Google is testing a layout in which sponsored products in search results look like the organic product grid. Shared by Brodie Clark and Barry Schwartz.

For your campaigns: When paid and organic listings look alike, the product image, title and price do the work. Keep feed data accurate.

September 2026

AI Mode shows longer summaries above brand ads source ↗

Longer summaries have been seen above brand ads in Google’s AI Mode. They had earlier appeared below ads for ecommerce searches. Shared by Sachin Patel.

For your campaigns: Search your own brand in AI Mode to see what the summary says before a customer reads it.

Complex speculative financial products: new rules for Chile and Denmark source ↗

From October 2026, advertisers of complex speculative financial products targeting Chile must be registered with the Financial Market Commission or the Central Bank of Chile, depending on the products, and in Denmark they need authorization from the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority. Both also need Google certification. A violation brings a warning at least 7 days before any account suspension.

For your campaigns: Only relevant if you advertise these products in either country. Apply for certification before the change.

Google Ads API v25.2 adds competitive benchmarks and asset group tracking source ↗

Version 25.2 of the Google Ads API adds percentile-based competitive benchmark metrics, a way to create Performance Max draft campaigns from Smart campaigns, and tracking templates, custom parameters and final URL suffixes at the Performance Max asset group level. Creator search can use YouTube channel handles, and travel advertisers get itinerary segments and price competitiveness metrics. Tools must update their client libraries to use the new features.

AI Max can be tested against Dynamic Search Ads in experiments source ↗

Advertisers can now run experiments that compare AI Max with Dynamic Search Ads, as a custom experiment or with a preset AI Max template. A custom experiment upgrades a test copy to AI Max and keeps the original as the control, and a winning test can be applied to the original or used to build new campaigns. Campaigns made up entirely of dynamic ad groups cannot use the template; in mixed campaigns only the standard ad groups convert to AI Max. Shared by Barry Schwartz.

For your campaigns: Before moving a Dynamic Search Ads campaign to AI Max, run it as an experiment and compare the results.

Cutting a budget now shows a forecast of lost conversion value source ↗

When you lower a daily budget, Google Ads now shows an alert in the budget settings with a forecast of how much weekly conversion value the campaign could lose, flags it as limited by budget and suggests a higher budget. Spotted by Thomas Eccel.

For your campaigns: The forecast is Google’s estimate and always argues for spending more. Check it against your own results before reversing a cut.

The September Demand Gen drop adds Business Agent to YouTube ads and one-click landing pages source ↗

Google’s September Demand Gen update has three parts. Business Agent lets viewers ask a conversational AI about a product while a YouTube ad plays. Image ads on YouTube Shorts and in Gmail can now open the landing page in one click. And affiliate location extensions let retailers and dealerships show Promoted pins in Google Maps to people nearby.

For your campaigns: If you sell through retailers or dealerships, look at the Maps pins first. Google gave no rollout dates for any of the three.

Merchant Center switches native checkout on by default source ↗

Google is turning on native checkout automatically for Merchant Center products that support the Universal Commerce Protocol, so shoppers can buy them directly on Google Search and in Gemini, with AI Mode supported too. Merchants on platforms such as Shopify need no extra setup. Google told merchants by email. The checkout first launched in February. Reported by Menachem Ani and Barry Schwartz.

For your campaigns: Check in Merchant Center whether your products can now be bought on Google, and make sure your order handling is ready for orders that never touch your site.

Google’s legal requirements policy adds local advertising codes in six countries source ↗

The Legal Requirements policy now lists self-regulatory advertising codes for Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and South Africa. Advertisers targeting those countries have to follow the local codes and research local law themselves, on top of Google’s own ad policies.

For your campaigns: Only relevant if you advertise in one of the six. If you do, read the code for your industry before your next campaign there.

Google will pilot ads for some gun accessories on US Search from October source ↗

From October 2026 Google will run a six-month pilot in the United States allowing ads for certain gun accessories, such as bipods, sights, slings, mounts and braces, under its dangerous products and services policy. The ads can run only on Search and only in the US. Ads for firearms, ammunition and regulated parts stay banned.

AI Brief reaches seven more languages, and AI Max gets a journey report source ↗

Google is bringing the closed beta of AI Brief to Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. It also announced a new AI Max reporting feature that shows the whole Search ad journey in one view: the search term that triggered the ad, the assets the user saw and the page they landed on. Google did not give the report a name.

For your campaigns: When it reaches your account, use it to check which landing pages AI Max is sending people to.

The Demand Gen FAQ now lists Display inventory as billed by the impression source ↗

Google updated its Demand Gen FAQ. Google Display Network image inventory is now listed as billed on CPM rather than CPC, the separate Google Video Platform row is gone, and an old note about a 2024 timeline was removed. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: If your Demand Gen campaigns serve on Display, compare cost per click there before and after this change. You may now be paying for impressions, not clicks.

Customer Match can now match on IP address and time of interaction source ↗

Customer Match has two new match keys: the IP address captured when a customer interacted with you, and the timestamp of that interaction. Both are uploaded unhashed, and the data file now has eight columns. IP and timestamp matching is not available for people in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, so they have to be left out, and you need the right disclosures and consent for everyone else. Several help pages now say customer data is “collected” rather than “shared”. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: If your match rates are low and you log IP addresses at sign-up or checkout, this can lift them. Check your privacy notice covers it first.

Recommended Investment Strategy adds Holistic and Growth modes source ↗

Recommended Investment Strategy now has two modes. Holistic moves budget from weaker campaigns to stronger ones and adds some extra weekly spend. Growth only adds budget to campaigns held back by their budget and leaves the rest alone. You enter an extra weekly spend or a target weekly rise in conversions, and a 7-day forecast shows the expected effect before anything changes. It also suggests Target CPA or Target ROAS changes, and “Apply all” makes them in one go. An account qualifies when at least one campaign is limited by budget or could win more conversions at a good CPA or ROAS. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: Read the forecast before you press Apply all. Holistic mode takes budget away from some campaigns to fund others.

New Demand Gen campaigns have view-through conversion optimization on by default source ↗

View-through conversion optimization is now on by default in newly created Demand Gen campaigns. It used to be off. It also covers Display inventory now, alongside YouTube and Discover, though it still applies only to video assets. View-through conversions stay only partly biddable and do not show in the main Conversions column. The feature is still an open beta. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: Decide whether you want it on before you launch a Demand Gen campaign with video. Early results can look different from older campaigns that had it off.

Automated promotions are showing up in Google Ads accounts source ↗

Automated promotions, which Google added to account-level automated assets earlier in September, are now live in advertisers’ accounts. They show relevant offers across your campaigns automatically, which suits ecommerce advertisers that run frequent promotions. Shared by Vivek Gupta.

For your campaigns: Check your account-level automated asset settings so you know whether this is on and which offers can appear.

AI Max settings get a clearer branded search control source ↗

A new AI Max settings layout has three choices for branded searches: show ads on all relevant searches, control branded searches with brand inclusions and exclusions, or show ads only on unbranded searches. Shared by Bia Camargo.

For your campaigns: If you already run a separate brand campaign, the unbranded-only option stops AI Max competing with it.

Google now puts the Smart Bidding learning period at around 50 conversions source ↗

Google’s help page on bid strategy learning periods now says calibration can take up to about 50 conversion events or 3 conversion cycles. It used to say up to 3 weeks or 1 to 2 cycles. Performance Max is now covered in the best practices for changing conversion goals too. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: Update, 4 October: Google has since removed the 50-conversion figure and now says 1 to 2 conversion cycles. See October.

Ask Advisor can now pause campaigns, change budgets and appeal ads source ↗

Ask Advisor in Google Ads now makes changes as well as answering questions. It can pause and rename campaigns, change daily budgets and target locations, appeal disapproved ads and update final URLs. It can also remember business context, such as how you judge ROAS, and give market insights like how you compare with peers and seasonal trends. It is still in beta and not available in manager (MCC) accounts. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: Check the change history after using it. A budget or location change made in a chat is easy to lose track of.

The AI Max search terms report is renamed “Search terms and ad combinations” source ↗

Google has renamed the AI Max report that was called “Search terms and landing pages from AI Max” to “Search terms and ad combinations”. The contents are unchanged: it still lists each search term alongside the headline, landing page, campaign and ad group involved. Hana Kobzová spotted the change on the AI Max reporting help page, and Google did not announce it.

For your campaigns: Nothing to do in the account. If you have internal notes or training that point people at the old report name, update them so nobody thinks the report has gone.

Offline uploads can fill in user data your tag missed source ↗

In the multi-source conversions beta, Google now documents that offline uploads can fill in user data such as email, phone and address when the tag records a conversion without it, which helps enhanced conversions matching. CRM data can also correct conversion values, for example a restated or final cart total. Google says to upload within 24 hours, GCLID and some other fields are ignored for matched transactions, and value updates are off during a 14-day trial. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: If your CRM holds the email or phone number your site tag does not capture, a daily upload closes that gap.

Merchant Center drops the impressum requirement for local listings in Germany and Austria source ↗

Merchants in Germany and Austria no longer need an impressum URL for local inventory ads and free local listings. It is now required only for in-store product and price availability hosted on Google. Switzerland still requires it for all local ads. Spotted by Hana Kobzová on Google’s help page.

Google is testing text anchor ads and ads with descriptions in AI Mode source ↗

Two new ad treatments have been seen in AI Mode. One presents the ad as a text anchor link that blends more closely with the organic content around it. The other adds a description that tells the searcher more about the advertiser before they click. Sachin Patel and Barry Schwartz reported the tests, and Google has not announced either format.

For your campaigns: There is no setting for this and it is a test, not a launch. It does mean the description lines in your responsive search ads may now be doing work in AI Mode, so treat them as more than filler.

AI Performance Insights goes live in five countries for the holidays source ↗

Google announced three commerce updates ahead of the holiday season. AI Performance Insights in Merchant Center, which reports how discoverable a brand is across Google’s AI surfaces, is now generally available in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and the US. A Business Agent beta lets selected US retailers run interactive conversations inside YouTube ads. And the Universal Commerce Protocol integration hub gained cart transfer and checkout flow testing, both rolling out gradually.

For your campaigns: If you sell in one of the five countries, AI Performance Insights is the first Google-provided view of whether your products appear in AI answers at all. Check it before you change anything else for the holidays.

Google publishes the store ratings threshold: 100 reviews, 3.5 stars, 24 months source ↗

Google’s merchant help page now spells out what it takes for store ratings to show on paid text and Shopping ads: around 100 eligible reviews, an average of at least 3.5 out of 5, and reviews from the past 24 months. Ratings are calculated separately per country, and a review only counts in the country it came from. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: If your rating has stopped showing, count reviews per country rather than in total. A store with 300 reviews split across four markets can fall below the bar in every one of them.

A Spend Benchmarks report compares your weekly spend with similar advertisers source ↗

A new Spend Benchmarks report has appeared in the Google Ads Overview section. It shows your weekly spend and clicks next to the figures for comparable accounts, based on industry and the regions you advertise in. Thomas Eccel spotted it, and Google has not announced it or said how the peer group is chosen.

For your campaigns: Treat it as context, not a target. Google has not said how it picks the peer set, so a gap between you and the benchmark is not on its own a reason to raise a budget.

Performance Max can send clicks to a Google-hosted Business Profile page source ↗

Performance Max campaign setup now offers two landing choices: your website, or a Google-hosted page built from your Google Business Profile and labelled as optimized for ads. The hosted page carries its own conversion tracking for actions such as calls and directions. Natasha Kaurra spotted the option, and Google has not announced it.

For your campaigns: This is aimed at local businesses without a usable website. If you have one, keep sending traffic there: the hosted page gives you no control over content, testing or lead capture.

Asset Studio adds AI video dubbing in 33 languages source ↗

Asset Studio in Google Ads now includes a Video Ads Dubbing tool that re-voices a video ad into 33 languages and locales, so one video can run across markets without a reshoot. It was first seen as an internal feature in October 2025 and is now free to selected accounts. Shared by Jyll Saskin Gales, and Google has not announced it.

For your campaigns: If you run video in more than one language, this removes the main cost of localizing it. Have a native speaker check the dubbed output before it goes live.

Google publishes a guide to preventing invalid leads source ↗

A new help page, Prevent invalid leads, sets out what Google expects lead generation advertisers to do on their own side: add reCAPTCHA to web forms, use double opt-in, and validate emails and phone numbers server-side. Google says its invalid traffic filters are not enough on their own. The page also explains the billing: invalid traffic caught before the month closes is never charged, and anything caught afterwards comes back as a credit on a later invoice. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: If you are paying for junk form fills, Google’s position is now in writing: the fix starts with your form, not a refund request. reCAPTCHA and server-side validation are the two changes with the biggest effect for the least work.

Merchant Center documents the conversational product attributes source ↗

The Merchant Center product data specification now gives formatting rules, technical attribute names and file examples for the conversational attributes: document link, question and answer, popularity rank, variant option and item group title. Google also published a TSV template for them. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: These attributes feed Google’s AI shopping surfaces. If you want your products described accurately there, the question and answer and document link fields are where you put the detail a title cannot hold.

Demand Gen ad reviews take 3 to 5 business days, and any edit restarts the clock source ↗

Google’s help page on ad review status now gives timings by campaign type. Most ads clear within one business day, Demand Gen and Discovery ads take 3 to 5 business days, and complex formats can take up to 7. Changing the budget, bid strategy or ad text while an ad is in review resets the review. If nothing has changed after 7 business days, Google suggests a small edit to trigger a fresh review. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: Build a week of review time into any Demand Gen launch and leave the campaign alone until it is approved. Tweaking the budget on day two costs you the days already waited.

The Target CPA and Target ROAS change finished rolling out on 27 August source ↗

The change to how Target CPA and Target ROAS behave in budget-limited campaigns, which began on 17 August, completed worldwide on 27 August according to Google’s updated help page, which also reports that Performance Planner’s forecasting models have stabilized. Campaigns that used to beat their target while the budget was capped should now land closer to the target you entered. Google added a help page on the “Limited by budget soon” status, which warns when a budget may not cover forecast demand. Spotted by Hana Kobzová.

For your campaigns: If a capped campaign’s CPA or ROAS has moved toward its target since late August, that is the rollout, not a performance problem. Watch for the new limited by budget soon warning before the holiday peak.

Google Messages is being tested as a Message asset channel source ↗

Inside Search Message assets, Google is experimenting with Google Messages as another choice, joining WhatsApp, Messenger, Zalo, Line and SMS, so a searcher can begin chatting with you directly from the ad. Sachin Patel noticed it, and Google has made no comment on any launch.

For your campaigns: Before you turn on an additional messaging channel, make sure someone is assigned to reply and review how enquiries are managed.

Merchant Center accepts video at the product level source ↗

You can now add a video in Merchant Center directly to a single product, in addition to its images. Accepted formats are 9:16, 16:9 or 1:1, with a length of 6 to 240 seconds, a minimum resolution of 720p, and a maximum file size of 500MB. Arpan Banerjee spotted it, and Google has not said where the video appears.

For your campaigns: If you already have product videos for Demand Gen, consider attaching one to a product and see where it becomes available. Google has not said where these videos show up.

Shopping ads show an "X days left" countdown on discounts source ↗

Discounted products in Shopping ads have begun showing a countdown label that says “X days left” beside the offer. Arpan Banerjee spotted it, and Google has shared nothing about it, including what powers the countdown.

For your campaigns: No setting needs to be enabled. The most likely source for the countdown is the sale end date in your feed, so ensure that the date is one you would be comfortable presenting to a shopper as a deadline.

Supplemental feeds now work with automatic product imports source ↗

Merchant Center now allows a supplemental feed to be attached to products brought in through automatic import from your website; previously, supplemental feeds could only be applied to a primary feed uploaded via API, XML or CSV. Merchants using automatic crawling can now add or replace attributes without moving to a file feed. Emmanuel Flossie flagged this.

For your campaigns: For businesses using automatic imports, a supplemental feed makes it possible to fix custom labels, GTINs or missing attributes without rebuilding the main data source.

Google is testing "sold last week" badges in Shopping ads source ↗

Google is experimenting with a Shopping ads badge that indicates how many units of a product sold over the last week; in the example spotted, it read “200+ sold last week” and appeared with the other product details. Arpan Banerjee spotted it, and Google has said nothing about the source of the number or which merchants are eligible.

For your campaigns: Google has not released eligibility rules or clarified how the badge influences performance.

Store sales imports are moving into Data Manager source ↗

Store sales conversions are being integrated into Data Manager, enabling in-store transaction data from a CRM or a Google Sheet to be linked within Google Ads and matched to earlier ad interactions for reporting and Smart Bidding. Customer data is hashed using SHA-256, which Google Ads can handle during upload; for dynamic conversion values, transactions must be from the last 30 days, and Google recommends daily or weekly uploads. The rollout reaches eligible advertisers by the end of September, with some components limited to allowlisted accounts. Shared by Brooke Osmundson.

For your campaigns: This matters only when you operate physical locations and can export sales tied to a customer identifier. In that case, it fills the other half of your conversion picture, and Smart Bidding can optimize only to the information it receives.

Promotion Mode now works with daily budgets source ↗

Introduced in September 2025 for campaigns using a total budget, Promotion Mode allowed a broader ROAS tolerance and additional spend during a set sale interval. It now extends to daily budgets as well. When the promotion finishes, the campaign automatically reverts to its standard configuration. The feature remains in beta, applies to Search and Performance Max, and the baseline ROAS target stays locked while a promotion is running. Shared by Arpan Banerjee.

For your campaigns: Define the promotion period and inspect the temporary bidding and budget configuration before launch. Make sure the campaign returns to the settings you expect once the sale is over.

Product Value Optimization lets you weight products for bidding, in beta source ↗

Google is experimenting with Product Value Optimization. This feature allows a multiplier to be applied to the conversion value of chosen products, selected through product attributes, so automated bidding can treat a sale of those items as more or less valuable than the stated value. The modification is configured at the campaign level. It was shared by Adriaan Dekker and is in beta.

For your campaigns: Using a multiplier can help bring bidding signals into line with product margins. Record the math and evaluate what happens in the campaign; an adjusted conversion value is not the same as reported profit.

AI Max stops treating broad keywords as exact match source ↗

Google has changed the AI Max help documentation on keyword prioritization. When you disable the broad match setting or move a campaign to AI Max, broad match keywords no longer receive exact match priority. To restore that priority, you must add an exact match version of the keyword, and Google says this will wipe the historical data for those keywords. Reported by Barry Schwartz.

For your campaigns: If a small set of broad keywords is doing the heavy lifting in AI Max, verify whether they depended on that exact match priority. You can add exact copies, but the missing history means several weeks of learning.

Phone call and offline conversion requirements get spelled out source ↗

Google has revised its help pages for phone call conversions and offline conversion imports to include the details. Call reporting needs to be enabled and the conversion action must be marked primary; the minimum call length is worth reviewing; and the Call Details report is the place to verify everything. For offline imports, conversion names must match exactly, processing can take 24 to 48 hours, and Google Click IDs must be uploaded within 90 days of the click. Reported by Barry Schwartz.

For your campaigns: The exact-name requirement and the 90 day cutoff are the places where imports often fail without notice. If offline conversions seem sparse, check those first.

Google bundles new data and measurement tools source ↗

Google has unveiled several measurement updates: Data Manager now connects directly with Google Analytics and Display & Video 360, enhanced conversions are being expanded across its platforms, a Data Strength Uplift metric in Google Ads is designed to indicate what your first-party data contributes, and the Meridian marketing mix model now includes faster modeling, agentic features and worldwide availability for its GeoX geo-experiments.

For your campaigns: The metric to focus on is Data Strength Uplift, since it quantifies whether your enhanced conversions and uploads are having any effect. Meridian applies to accounts that are big enough to operate a mix model, which most accounts are not.

Performance Max can pre-fill an asset group from Asset Studio source ↗

When creating a Performance Max campaign, assets made in Asset Studio can now be inserted directly into a fresh asset group, removing the old step of adding each item manually. Barry Schwartz noticed this in the product interface on 8 September; Google has not announced it and has said nothing about any release schedule.

For your campaigns: Before you go live, review the assets that were placed into the group. Automatic filling may reduce setup work, but generator-selected assets are not necessarily the right ones for your offer, and the asset group determines where a Performance Max campaign is eligible to show.

Google is testing exact and phrase match keywords inside AI Mode source ↗

Google is conducting a limited test that allows exact and phrase match keywords from standard Search campaigns to show text ads in AI Mode, but only when the query intent is straightforward. AI Mode is distinct from AI Max and Performance Max, which are meant for more conversational searches. Anthony Higman spotted the test, and Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, confirmed it.

For your campaigns: There is nothing to enable, and this is an experiment rather than a broad launch. The test indicates that closely matched keywords are being evaluated for AI surfaces.

Google Ads API v22 stops working on 7 October source ↗

Google has sent out a sunset notice for version 22 of the Google Ads API: starting 7 October 2026, any request sent to that version will fail, and anything still using it must first upgrade to a newer version. Google directs developers to Cloud Console to see which API methods a project is actually calling.

For your campaigns: This matters only if you, or a tool you depend on, connects to the API directly. If a script or connector fails in early October, the first place to look is an API version that has not been migrated.

Google Ads is recommending ROAS targets from your own history source ↗

Google Ads has begun surfacing recommendations to set a Return on Ad Spend target, including an Apply target button that restores a target using the campaign’s historical data. Bia Camargo shared it; Google did not announce it.

For your campaigns: A target derived from history reflects what has already occurred, not what you intend to occur. Compare the figure with your actual margin before you accept it, because a single click alters campaign bidding.

Google tightens the developer policies behind API access source ↗

Google has updated what was formerly known as the Google Ads API Policy, now called the Developer Policies, to prevent integrations from depending on programmatic proxies and to require them to connect via their own dedicated Google Cloud project. Google says the Ads API Compliance team is auditing current integrations and will reach out to developers who need to make changes.

For your campaigns: Advertisers do not need to take any direct action. If a tool connected to your Google Ads account later asks you to reauthorize it, this is the type of change likely behind that prompt.

Shopping ads are appearing inside AI Mode source ↗

AI Mode results are now displaying Shopping ads in two layouts: a multi-item carousel and a single-product unit. Brodie Clark and Barry Schwartz found it, and Google has not said anything publicly.

For your campaigns: No configuration exists to adjust this, because current Shopping inventory is what powers the placements. It is worth noting that your product feed is now appearing in a surface you did not explicitly set up.

August 2026

The alcohol advertising policy is rewritten from 30 September source ↗

On 30 September 2026, Google is replacing its separate country-by-country alcohol policies with one worldwide framework, broadening the places where alcohol ads may run and clarifying advertiser obligations. In territories that allow only 0% alcohol advertising, advertisers will have to request certification, and Google says every earlier authorization will be cancelled on that date. For a short period during the transition, ads may display more than one label, but Google expects that to resolve within a few weeks.

For your campaigns: Verify whether your current permission is still in force. If you advertise alcohol, any approval you already have will not transfer, so recertify before 30 September instead of discovering the problem after a suspension.

Automatic and manual payments are renamed postpay and prepay source ↗

Across billing interfaces, site navigation, and about sixty help articles, Google has changed the names of automatic payments to postpay and manual payments to prepay. With postpay, charges build up before you are billed; with prepay, payment is made before ads start running, and what were top-ups are now termed prepayments. Google says the billing process and timing of charges are unchanged. Hana Kobzová noticed the update.

For your campaigns: No action is needed for the rename. A billing page with new wording does not, on its own, indicate that the account’s payment setup has changed.

Performance Max gets channel priority sliders, in alpha source ↗

Within Performance Max, an alpha capability now lets you assign a Low-to-High priority level to each of seven channels: Search, Search Partners, Discover, YouTube, Maps, Gmail and Display. When Target CPA bidding is used, reducing a channel’s priority causes Google Ads to increase that channel’s CPA bid. Heidi Sturrock and Thomas Eccel shared the finding, and Google has not announced it.

For your campaigns: Advertisers have been asking for this kind of channel control in Performance Max, but it remains alpha and works by shifting bids rather than disabling a channel. Read the direction carefully: a lower priority raises the CPA bid for that channel, which is the opposite of what many would expect.

Book Online buttons reach Search and Performance Max source ↗

The Book Online button, previously restricted to Local Services Ads and Maps ads, is now extending to Search and Performance Max via the Reserve with Google partner integration. A click takes the searcher from the ad to your booking platform, and no additional configuration is required. Healthcare campaigns are excluded, because Google Ads does not permit booking links there. Michel van Luijtelaar and Barry Schwartz shared the news.

For your campaigns: If you already use a Reserve with Google booking link, expect it to begin showing on Search and Performance Max ads without any further action. Make sure the destination scheduling page is the one you want it to open.

Gemini Omni brings multi-format video creation into Google Ads source ↗

Google has introduced Gemini Omni in Asset Studio within Google Ads, creating video in both vertical and horizontal versions from either a prompt or existing static assets, through a four-step process: upload brand guidelines, generate concepts, refine scenes with prompts, and then launch to Google and YouTube campaigns. Every output includes a SynthID watermark. Google says it is available worldwide at no cost.

For your campaigns: It is free and built into the account, so it is worth testing if you need a first video and do not have one yet. Handle the result like any other generated asset: it should go live only after you have reviewed it.

Asset Studio adds one-click A/B testing for creative source ↗

Google has unveiled creative insights and experimentation features in Asset Studio, including a Save and Set Experiment action that converts an edit to a Performance Max ad or asset group into an A/B test in a single step. Ask Advisor now provides diagnostics for individual assets, and Demand Gen campaigns receive automated recommendations for logo placement, video trimming, and aspect ratio coverage.

For your campaigns: Creative testing in Performance Max has always been the difficult part, since the asset group is not visible from the outside. The useful change here is turning an edit into an experiment instead of replacing it outright.

The August Demand Gen drop adds messaging, hotel personalization and multi-format video source ↗

Google’s August Demand Gen update delivers three items: users can begin a conversation with a brand in a messaging app straight from a Demand Gen ad, hotel ads surface the property most relevant to a specific audience, and Asset Studio can create horizontal and vertical video assets in a single workflow.

For your campaigns: The real time saver is the one workflow for horizontal and vertical video, because Demand Gen needs both and making them separately is where most of the work sits.

Local Services Ads will charge for missed and follow-up calls from 1 October source ↗

Advertisers have been informed that, starting 1 October 2026, a missed call to a Local Services Ad during business hours becomes a chargeable lead if the caller remains on the line for more than 20 seconds, and one follow-up call after the initial contact is billed within 15 days if it satisfies the lead requirements. If callers have to press a key to reach routing, the 20-second timer begins when they press the key, and missed calls where the caller never gets through the menu are not billed. Barry Schwartz reported this, and Ginny Marvin clarified the follow-up rule.

For your campaigns: This is a billing adjustment. For Local Services Ads, answering the phone during business hours now has a direct cost, because an unanswered ring of 21 seconds counts as a paid lead.

Tag Manager will stop honoring gtag config commands source ↗

Google has emailed container owners to say that Tag Manager snippets will no longer recognize or wait for gtag config commands, which is the method some sites use to set up Google Ads and Analytics tags. Google describes that approach as unsupported and has posted examples of supported and unsupported configurations. No deadline has been announced, and Google says the affected container owners have already been notified.

For your campaigns: It is worth reviewing even if you think everything is fine, because the risk lives inside your Tag Manager container rather than in the code on your pages. If you received an email about it, that is the answer.

The short title attribute now feeds Performance Max source ↗

In Merchant Center, the short title attribute, which until now was used only by Demand Gen, also applies to visual placements in Performance Max, including YouTube and Discover. Google requests fewer than 40 characters and sets a maximum of 65 to prevent truncation on mobile. Rather than a formal announcement, it appeared as a Merchant Center specification update on 28 August.

For your campaigns: If your feed already contains short titles written for Demand Gen, they now have a second use. Anything beyond 40 characters is the first place to check, since that is where truncation begins.

Google shortens how long to wait after a Smart Bidding change source ↗

Google has reduced its suggested waiting time after a Smart Bidding change from three conversion cycles, or four weeks, to one or two conversion cycles. The guidance was revised on 27 August on both the Target ROAS and Smart Bidding best practice pages.

For your campaigns: So you can evaluate a change earlier than the old guidance permitted. That still does not mean evaluating it right away: on a low-volume account, one conversion cycle can still take weeks.

Bidding controls arrive for loyalty program members source ↗

Google Ads has introduced customer retention settings that allow higher bids specifically for loyalty program members, separate from the existing adjustment for lapsed customers, and that can show member benefits in eligible countries. Google Ads API v25 includes loyalty campaign goals so those same settings can be handled programmatically. It was observed on 27 August rather than officially announced.

For your campaigns: This is only worth using if you already operate a loyalty scheme and can link its members to Google. The notable change is that it now stands apart from the lapsed-customer lever.

Local Services Ads booking expands from 20 partners to over 500 source ↗

Google has raised the count of Reserve with Google booking partners tied to Local Services Ads from twenty to over five hundred. If a company already has an active booking link on its Google Business Profile, it now connects to Local Services Ads on its own, and the resulting bookings show up in reporting as paid leads. These options are located under Profile and Budget, and Google says they will transfer when Local Services Ads accounts are moved into Google Ads.

For your campaigns: This matters only if you use Local Services Ads. The automatic behavior is the main thing to review: a booking link you created a long time ago may now be feeding ad reports even though you never explicitly selected it.

Google Tag and Tag Manager become one measurement tool source ↗

Google has folded Google Tag into Tag Manager, centralizing the measurement controls for Google Ads and Google Analytics in one location. Dated 20 August, the announcement mentions a map view that shows which platforms are getting performance data, prepublish previews, and automatic event tracking that cuts down on manual setup. Google says the change is already active, and it cites Akamai, Cloudflare, Duda, Fastly and Webflow as data-accuracy partners.

For your campaigns: No migration process is outlined here, so this is something to inspect rather than immediately change. If you have ever wondered which of your tags is truly firing, the map view is the first thing worth checking.

Merchant Center promotions get a dedicated event section source ↗

Merchant Center promotions now include a new Event section that lets you construct a promotion around a sale or occasion instead of a single item. You can attach a dedicated event URL, upload as many as three promotional images, and link the promotion to specific product categories. Google says events may show in search results and product listings separately from individual products.

For your campaigns: The category linking is the part that matters. Connecting an event to the categories it actually covers helps it appear in relevant searches instead of every product query where you happen to show up.

You can now upload a business logo directly in Shopping and Performance Max source ↗

When you set up Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, Google Ads now allows a business logo upload instead of depending on whatever is in Merchant Center. Uploading is optional; if you do nothing, the campaign automatically reverts to your Merchant Center logo. The change was observed on 23 August, and Google has not released rollout information.

For your campaigns: This is worth a couple of minutes the next time you build something. Because of the fallback, skipping it will not break anything, but it also means an outdated Merchant Center logo keeps appearing until someone updates it.

Search campaigns get budget and bidding target experiments source ↗

On 23 August, Google said Search campaigns will be able to run experiments that test a budget increase or a bidding-target change such as Target ROAS, with multiple eligible campaigns able to be included in one experiment. Google says the rollout is scheduled for September 2026. This extends the one-click experiments introduced for AI Max in August 2025 beyond that single campaign type.

For your campaigns: This gives you the first simple way to answer “what happens if I raise the budget” without making a guess. It is better to wait for this than to do it manually, because a genuine split test reveals something a before-and-after comparison cannot.

Performance Planner can now test bid and budget changes before you make them source ↗

Performance Planner has been revised so you can review how a shift in bidding or budget targets could affect campaigns that are already running, then apply a suggested adjustment with one click. Google released it on 23 August together with its AI Max testing and planning features. The description does not specify which campaign types are included, or when it will be available in every account.

For your campaigns: Use the projections as a starting point, not as a forecast. Google has not said which campaign types are covered, so compare it with a campaign you know well before relying on it for one you do not.

The asset optimization panel adds a text section source ↗

The asset optimization panel now presents three groups instead of two, adding Text next to Image and Video, and each one has its own switch for the corresponding enhancement. This comes after an earlier layout update for Demand Gen campaigns. The redesign was noticed on 23 August, and Google has not said which campaign types it applies to or whether the switches begin turned on.

For your campaigns: It is worth opening and checking before assuming your settings were carried over. A fresh switch inside a redesigned panel is exactly where an automatic enhancement can quietly end up enabled without anyone deciding to do so.

TrueView campaigns are being upgraded to Video View campaigns source ↗

Google is converting TrueView in-stream and in-feed consideration campaigns into Video View campaigns, which use multi-format ads chosen by Google AI. The entry, dated 22 August, says campaigns that had excluded YouTube Search may now show it. There is no published deadline, and the article does not explain whether the upgrade happens by default.

For your campaigns: The YouTube Search detail is the one to verify. If you intentionally blocked that placement, the upgrade may bring it back, so check your placement settings after the change reaches your account instead of assuming they stayed the same.

Google is testing bigger star ratings in Search ads source ↗

Google is testing a more visible star rating in Search ads, moving the score and review total into a separate block beside the ad text rather than placing them underneath it. The example seen on 16 August displayed a 4.4 rating from 5,000 reviews beside price and promotion information. This remains a test, not a rollout, and Google has published no eligibility criteria or schedule.

For your campaigns: There is nothing to enable here. If you sell products and collect seller or product ratings, it is a good reason to keep them in shape, since the format gives them much more prominence whenever it appears.

Google Ads now asks you to declare EU political content source ↗

Account owners are now being prompted to state whether their campaigns contain EU political content. Google says that if you do not make the declaration, ads are automatically labeled as containing EU political content, which limits where they may serve across EU countries. No deadline has been announced.

For your campaigns: This one penalizes silence rather than error. If you advertise into the EU and leave the declaration blank, the restriction is applied for you, so it is worth filling in even when the answer is clearly no.

Demand Gen changes how view-through conversions are optimized source ↗

Starting 15 August, view-through conversion optimization in Demand Gen is limited to video assets. Image view-through conversions still appear in reporting, but they can no longer be bid on. The scope now extends beyond YouTube and the Discover feed to Display placements, and video assets on Display switch from cost per click to cost per thousand impressions. New campaigns have the optimization turned on by default.

For your campaigns: Current campaigns retain their existing settings unless you opt in, so nothing changes under the hood. The ones to pay attention to are new Demand Gen campaigns: check the billing model before you set a budget, because video on Display is now billed per thousand impressions rather than per click.

Financial services verification expands to 13 more EEA countries source ↗

Google has broadened its financial services verification mandate to thirteen additional countries in the European Economic Area, after a comparable enlargement in June. The scope includes banking, loans, investments, trading, and insurance. Applications began on 11 August, and enforcement starts on 15 September.

For your campaigns: For advertisers promoting financial products in the EEA, 15 September is the key date. Verification does not happen instantly, and waiting until the deadline is nearly here is how accounts end up paused.

Google is removing language targeting from Search campaigns source ↗

On 14 August, Google said that beginning in late September, the campaign-level language setting will vanish from Search campaigns and will no longer apply to the Search Network portion of Performance Max. Instead, Google will match based on the language of your ad and landing page, together with what it already knows about the user. Language still remains in effect for Performance Max on YouTube, Display, Discover, and Gmail, while Shopping is unchanged.

For your campaigns: Google says nothing needs to be done, and campaign setups built around a single language will continue to function as they do today. The main point is that, from late September onward, the language you choose for a Search campaign will simply not apply, so the real control becomes the language used in your copy and on your landing page.

Merchant Center performance reporting changes on 24 August source ↗

Starting 24 August, YouTube affiliate traffic will appear as its own interaction type rather than being counted under organic, and YouTube organic clicks and impressions will be redefined to align with YouTube’s own standards. Product-level ads reporting is also expanding to include every channel and format, among them Performance Max, Video, App, and Demand Gen, and a new Network dimension will let you break down performance by channel.

For your campaigns: Your figures may shift even though nothing in the account has changed. Both YouTube updates are being applied retroactively to 1 July, which means organic can go down while ads metrics go up. Before drawing conclusions, compare equivalent periods.

Text disclaimers get an official help page, with the rules spelled out source ↗

Google has released a help page for the text disclaimer asset first introduced in June, answering the details advertisers had been left to infer. Disclaimers are limited to 90 characters, are added through the Assets menu after the campaign already exists, are available globally, and are compatible with AI Max. If a disclaimer is used, it replaces a description pinned to position 1, and if the asset is disapproved, the ad continues serving without it.

For your campaigns: Check it before relying on one. Because of the 90-character limit and the chance of truncation at larger font sizes or in certain languages, a long legal statement may not stay intact, and a disapproved disclaimer fails silently rather than blocking the ad.

Data Manager API adds a one-call audience wipe source ↗

The newest Data Manager API release introduces RemoveAllAudienceMembers, a function that removes every member from a specified user list in a single action, with an optional removeAsOfTime so you can exclude only members added before a selected timestamp. The same release also brings ingestion warnings for optional fields that fail validation, plus additional address fields for Google Analytics events.

For your campaigns: This matters only if you handle audience lists via the API, but the timestamp option makes rebuilding an outdated list much less cumbersome than deleting it and uploading it again.

Note
This roundup is assembled from Google’s announcements and industry reporting. One recurring source worth following is PPC News Feed, whose weekly digest often highlights many of these changes first. Look at the date at the top to confirm when this page was last refreshed.

When AdPilot builds campaigns, it applies Google Ads requirements, such as PMax asset completeness and Demand Gen media rules. You can see it on your own website for free, with no account required.

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