We counted every Google Ads change in a year. There were 280

If you manage Google Ads alongside everything else in a business, it can feel as if the platform is different every time you log in. So we went through twelve months of Google's own announcements, help pages and policy updates and counted every change that affects advertisers.

The feeling holds up: Google announced or released a change on at least 139 days of the year, and several of the biggest changes arrived without anyone asking for them.

How we counted

A number like this is only useful if you know what went into it. We counted a change when Google announced it or rolled it out through its own channels: its help centres for Google Ads and for Merchant Center, where retailers manage the product data behind Shopping ads, its policy change log, its blogs, or an email or statement to advertisers.

It could be a new feature, a new default, a new rule or something taken away.

Each change counts once, on the day Google first announced it or made it available. A feature announced in May and rolled out in August is one change in May, while a blog post that announced five separate features counts as five. We also sorted every change into one main area and one of four kinds: a new option, something switched on by default, a change to the rules for everyone, or a removal.

We left out tests that Google only confirmed after someone spotted them, redesigns of the interface that don't change what you can do, and the four new major versions of the Google Ads API, a dozen smaller releases and other changes only developers see. Separate products such as Google Analytics fall outside the count too.

So do changes Google announced before mid-October 2025 that only took effect during the year, such as total campaign budgets for Search, Shopping and Performance Max, announced in September 2025 and opened in January, and the phase-out of call-only ads, announced in early October 2025. One announcement that Google withdrew a month later, Shopping ads in 14 more European countries, isn't counted either.

More than five changes a week, with a spike in May

Over the twelve months, Google made 280 changes that affect advertisers, more than five a week. The pace was uneven, though, because Google saves many product launches for its events, while policy updates arrive in a steady trickle all year.

May was the busiest month by far, with 51 changes.

Google Marketing Live, the company's yearly ads event, fell on 20 May and brought 28 changes on that day alone, from new ad formats in AI Mode to new creative tools. December was the quietest full month, with 6.

Late summer and autumn were busy too, and that is when many of the defaults and rule changes retailers have to handle before the holiday peak took effect, as we described in our Black Friday guide.

Policy changed most, then YouTube and Shopping

Counted by area, the busiest part of Google Ads wasn't a campaign type but policy. There were 77 changes to ad policies, account rules and billing, more than one in four of the total.

Most were narrow: 33 concerned gambling, typically a country or US state opening or closing to betting ads, so they matter a great deal to a few advertisers and not at all to most.

A handful reached everyone. Google rewrote its Google Ads Terms of Service and began requiring passkeys, a check with your phone's or computer's fingerprint, face or screen lock, before sensitive actions in a growing number of accounts. It also widened limited ad serving, which limits how often ads can show from advertisers Google doesn't yet trust, such as new accounts or brands with unclear identities, and is extending it across Search and its other ad products in phases until 2028.

YouTube and Shopping tied for second place, with 43 changes each. On the YouTube side, most were in Demand Gen, Google's campaign type for ads on YouTube, Discover, Gmail and Maps, which got new features almost every month along with the news that standalone Display campaigns will move into it by 2027.

Measurement and reporting followed with 36.

Search and AI Max had only 25, but four of them were among the year's major changes, including two of the heaviest. Older Search settings moved into AI Max, Google's bundle of AI features that widens keyword matching, writes ad text and picks landing pages, and Dynamic Search Ads are being retired.

Half were options. Most of the big ones weren't

This split is where the count gets interesting, because it shows how much of the year's change you could simply ignore.

Of the 280 changes, 143 were new options: features, reports and controls that wait until you decide to use them. The other 137 were Google's decisions: 112 changed the rules or how something works for everyone affected, 14 were switched on by default, so they applied unless you opted out, and 11 removed something.

That looks balanced until you look at the changes with the widest effect.

We rated 22 changes as major because they move results, spending or required work in many accounts, and only 3 of those were new options. The other 19 were Google's call, such as AI voice-overs added to silent Performance Max videos and local inventory ads switched on in Standard Shopping campaigns.

Bidding shows what that means in practice. Target CPA and Target ROAS are the cost per conversion and the return on ad spend you ask Google to aim for, and since August, campaigns that run short of budget aim at those targets instead of beating them.

Nobody had to change a setting for that to happen.

An option waits for you, but a default or a rule change acts on your account whether you notice it or not.

The changes that mattered most

About half of the 22 major changes are still rolling out, and some have deadlines in early 2027. Here they all are on a timeline, followed by what each group means for you.

Budgets and bidding. Campaigns whose ad schedule skips whole days now pace toward a monthly limit of 30.4 times the daily budget, so on the days they do run they can spend up to twice the daily budget. Google also announced demand-led pacing, which will let daily spend in Search and Shopping follow demand within the monthly budget.

In October came channel prioritization, which lets you cap what search partners and the Display Network take from a budget once it reaches your account over the coming months.

Search moved into AI Max. During September, Google moved Search campaigns that used campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets into AI Max, and Dynamic Search Ads follow in February 2027. Automated promotions, which pull offers from your website into ads, have been on by default since 12 October in Search and Performance Max campaigns that use location assets and have no promotions of their own.

We explained what the migration and automated promotions do to an account in our September–October roundup.

Retail and Merchant Center. Local inventory ads, which tell shoppers that a product is in stock in a nearby store, were switched on in every Standard Shopping campaign on 31 August, which matters for retailers with store inventory in Merchant Center. Product images smaller than 500×500 pixels risk disapproval from 31 January 2027.

In the EEA, Google removed its free product listings from its general search results in September, which leaves Shopping ads, placed through Google Shopping or another comparison shopping service, as the main way to show products there.

YouTube and Demand Gen. Standalone Display campaigns are moving into Demand Gen, and Demand Gen's lookalike segments, audiences modelled on lists of your customers or visitors, turned from hard limits into suggestions that Google may go beyond. Google also now counts a video engagement only after 10 seconds of viewing, up from 5, or a click. The change surfaced in October without a date, so engagement rates won't compare cleanly with last year's.

Accounts and policy. Beyond the new terms and the passkeys, Google added AI labels: advertisers can declare assets made with AI, and ads in the EU, India and New York may show a visible label. In accounts with several admins, high-risk changes to who has access now need a second admin's approval.

What we'd do

A year like this argues for a routine rather than for chasing every launch, because the changes that cost money are rarely the ones Google announces loudest.

Check what's switched on, not just what's new. Once a quarter, go through the settings Google can turn on for you: automated promotions, AI-generated assets such as voice-overs and resized videos, local inventory in Shopping, and the automatic links to YouTube channels and Merchant Center. Defaults are easy to miss because nothing in the account asks you to decide.

Read the emails and the policy log, not just the blogs. More than half of the changes we counted appeared only on a help-centre page, in Google's policy change log, in an email to advertisers or in a post on X, not in any Google blog or announcement post. If you only follow Google's blogs, you will miss more than half of what changed.

Keep your own change log. Note the date each of Google's changes reached your account next to your own edits. When performance shifts, you can then tell a Google default from a change in your market or your own work, which saves weeks of guessing.

Take up options on your own schedule. About half the year's changes were options, and most won't fit your account. Pick the few that solve a problem you have, such as channel caps once they reach your account, and test them one at a time.

Every change, month by month

Here is the full list of the 280 changes, by the date Google first announced or released each one. The label after each change says what kind of change it was.

October 2025 (from the 16th)

• 20 Oct · Cancelled accounts with no campaigns deleted after six months (changed for everyone)
• 21 Oct · Web to App Connect deep linking for iOS in Demand Gen (new option)
• 24 Oct · Directional experiments for App campaigns (Android) (new option)
• 27 Oct · Merchant Center for Agencies (new option)
• 28 Oct · Sports betting ads allowed on the Google TV Masthead in the UK and Brazil (changed for everyone)
• Oct · Melatonin supplements allowed in Shopping ads in Germany, France and Spain (changed for everyone)

November 2025

• 6 Nov · Performance Max channel report available in manager accounts (new option)
• 6 Nov · Waze ads in Performance Max store-goal campaigns (US) (changed for everyone)
• 7 Nov · Brand suitability controls for YouTube feeds and Discover (new option)
• 8 Nov · Asset-level reporting for Display campaigns (new option)
• 10 Nov · Phone numbers linked to fraud or past violations no longer allowed in ads (changed for everyone)
• 17 Nov · Google to bring images and videos from other ad platforms into Google Ads (via Pathmatics) (new option)
• 19 Nov · Hotel Center drops its suspension tool and reinstates suspended hotels (removed)
• 19 Nov · Lottery-courier ads allowed in Puerto Rico (changed for everyone)
• 20 Nov · Image generation in Google Ads upgraded to Nano Banana Pro (new option)
• 24 Nov · YouTube channels linked to Google Ads accounts automatically (opt-out) (on by default)
• 25 Nov · Custom segments available to more Display campaigns (new option)
• 29 Nov · Regional member pricing in Shopping ads (beta) (new option)
• Nov · Demand Gen Target CPA campaigns can get costs lowered automatically while learning (beta) (changed for everyone)
• Nov · Online gambling ads allowed in three more Argentine provinces (Entre Ríos, Mendoza, Santa Fe) (changed for everyone)
• Nov · View-through conversion optimisation for Android App install campaigns (new option)

December 2025

• 1 Dec · US: online gambling-promoting content for horse racing no longer allowed (changed for everyone)
• 8 Dec · AI-written ad text (text customization) in all languages and verticals (new option)
• 8 Dec · Text guidelines open to all advertisers in all languages (new option)
• 9 Dec · Argentina: licensed online gambling ads allowed in Córdoba province from 8 Jan 2026 (changed for everyone)
• 10 Dec · Comments on eligible YouTube Shorts ads (new option)
• 10 Dec · Shorts ads serve on mobile web (changed for everyone)

January 2026

• 5 Jan · Google tag gateway through Google Cloud in one click (beta) (new option)
• 5 Jan · US: ads for federally regulated prediction markets allowed (changed for everyone)
• 6 Jan · Belarus: licensed online gambling ads allowed from 22 Jan 2026 (changed for everyone)
• 6 Jan · Merchant Center: products that differ online and in store need separate IDs from March 2026 (changed for everyone)
• 7 Jan · Brazil: Shopping promotions tied to a payment method (e.g. wallet cashback) allowed (changed for everyone)
• 7 Jan · India: Rummy and daily fantasy sports ads banned from 21 Jan 2026 (changed for everyone)
• 7 Jan · Promotions may use abbreviations such as BOGO and MSRP (changed for everyone)
• 7 Jan · Subscribe-and-save promotions on subscription fees (new option)
• 9 Jan · Asset A/B experiments for all Performance Max campaigns (beta) (new option)
• 11 Jan · Business Agent: branded AI sales agent on Search, activated in Merchant Center (US) (new option)
• 11 Jan · Direct Offers pilot: exclusive discounts in AI Mode from Google Ads (US) (new option)
• 11 Jan · New conversational product attributes in Merchant Center, for all retailers from May (new option)
• 11 Jan · Universal Commerce Protocol: checkout in AI Mode and Gemini (US) (new option)
• 20 Jan · Ethiopia: online gambling ads no longer allowed (changed for everyone)
• 22 Jan · Campaign Mix Experiments (beta): test campaign types, budgets and settings across campaigns (new option)
• 22 Jan · Gambling certification requires good policy health, also at manager-account level (changed for everyone)
• 22 Jan · Travel feeds (Hotel Center) in Demand Gen (new option)
• 29 Jan · Google tag gateway through Akamai (new option)
• Jan · Turkey surcharge on ad costs cut from 7% to 4.5% from 1 January (changed for everyone)

February 2026

• 4 Feb · Multi-party approval: a second admin approves high-risk access changes (changed for everyone)
• 5 Feb · India: no personalisation of App campaigns for Daily Fantasy Sports and Rummy apps (changed for everyone)
• 11 Feb · Sponsored retailer listings in AI Mode (US test) (changed for everyone)
• 11 Feb · Veo image-to-video in Asset Studio (new option)
• 17 Feb · Crypto and other restricted-vertical certifications move into the Google Ads account (changed for everyone)
• 17 Feb · Demand Gen lookalike segments become suggestions rather than hard limits (on by default)
• 18 Feb · Gambling: licensed online gambling and sports betting allowed in the UAE (changed for everyone)
• 19 Feb · Campaigns whose ad schedule skips whole days pace toward a monthly limit (changed for everyone)
• 26 Feb · EU political ads: every existing campaign must be declared (changed for everyone)
• 26 Feb · Passkeys required for sensitive account actions, starting with a pilot and accounts Google notifies (changed for everyone)
• Feb · Indonesia: certified crypto exchanges and software wallets may advertise (changed for everyone)
• Feb · Parked domains removed from the Search Partner Network (removed)

March 2026

• 2 Mar · Government documents policy: India exclusion for business identifiers (changed for everyone)
• 2 Mar · US: alcohol subscriptions such as wine clubs allowed in Shopping ads (changed for everyone)
• 2 Mar · US: certified online pharmacies may sell prescription drugs by subscription in Shopping (changed for everyone)
• 4 Mar · Vehicle ads: new 'build to order' availability value (new option)
• 9 Mar · Malaysia: financial services verification required (changed for everyone)
• 9 Mar · Performance Planner drops Display and Video campaigns and impression-share plans (removed)
• 10 Mar · AI voice-over added to Performance Max videos by default (on by default)
• 18 Mar · Vehicle feeds on Search ads (US) (new option)
• 19 Mar · Merchant Center hub for onboarding to agentic checkout (UCP) (new option)
• 23 Mar · BrandConnect becomes YouTube Creator Partnerships, with Gemini-powered creator search (new option)
• 24 Mar · Commerce audiences from Blinkit, PChome, Shopee and Swiggy coming to Google Ads (new option)
• 24 Mar · Shopping ads political content policy: election verification in nine countries (changed for everyone)
• 25 Mar · Loyalty programme benefits shown in AI Mode and Gemini (new option)
• 27 Mar · Age and gender reporting in Performance Max (new option)
• 27 Mar · Asset group theming in Performance Max (new option)
• 27 Mar · Data Manager adds ActiveCampaign as a direct data source (new option)
• 27 Mar · Performance Max budget report with an end-of-month spend projection (new option)
• 27 Mar · Performance Max first-party audience exclusions (new option)
• 27 Mar · Performance Max placement report split by network (new option)
• 27 Mar · Vehicle ads launch in Spain, Italy and Germany (new option)
• 27 Mar · Vehicle ads: data-quality mismatches flagged and disapproved (changed for everyone)
• Mar · Indiana: new certifications for online gambling aggregators paused (changed for everyone)
• Mar · Out-of-stock products must show a greyed-out buy button on the landing page (changed for everyone)

April 2026

• 7 Apr · Gambling: Australia certification applications reopen (changed for everyone)
• 7 Apr · Healthcare: online pharmacies allowed to promote prescription services in India (changed for everyone)
• 7 Apr · Healthcare: telemedicine providers allowed to promote prescription services in New Zealand (changed for everyone)
• 8 Apr · Google tag gateway through Fastly (beta) (new option)
• 10 Apr · Enhanced conversions for web and for leads merged into one on/off setting (changed for everyone)
• 13 Apr · Google Ads settings become the only control for Ads data from linked Google Analytics properties (changed for everyone)
• 14 Apr · Loyalty shipping benefits can be set per product (new option)
• 14 Apr · Minimum order value attribute for products (minimum_order_value) (new option)
• 14 Apr · New video_link attribute for product videos (new option)
• 14 Apr · Product images must be at least 500×500 pixels (disapprovals from 31 January 2027) (changed for everyone)
• 15 Apr · Campaign-level broad match and automatically created assets move into AI Max (September 2026) (on by default)
• 15 Apr · Dynamic Search Ads retired and upgraded to AI Max (now February 2027) (removed)
• 20 Apr · Gambling: Alberta (Canada) opens to AGLC-authorised operators, brand awareness only at first (changed for everyone)
• 21 Apr · AI-qualified call conversions, with call recording on by default (US and Canada) (on by default)
• 21 Apr · Ads Advisor grants some certifications instantly (new option)
• 21 Apr · Ads Advisor monitors account security around the clock, with a security dashboard (new option)
• 21 Apr · Ads Advisor troubleshoots policy issues and suggests fixes before an appeal (new option)
• 21 Apr · Real-time policy review while you create ads (changed for everyone)
• 22 Apr · Canada cannabis Search pilot opened to authorised private retailers (changed for everyone)
• 22 Apr · Click type segment removed from asset reports (removed)
• 23 Apr · Demand Gen inventory in Commerce Media Suite (Google Ads) (new option)
• 28 Apr · Pickup cost and minimum order value required for store-pickup products in the UK, Switzerland and EEA (changed for everyone)
• 29 Apr · Classic display (static image) ads on the Display Network inside Demand Gen (new option)
• 29 Apr · Image-to-Animation tool in Google Ads (new option)
• 30 Apr · AI Brief: steer AI Max in plain language (new option)
• 30 Apr · AI Max for Shopping campaigns (one-click upgrade, beta) (new option)
• 30 Apr · AI-written text for Shopping ads in Performance Max (new option)
• 30 Apr · Product reports now cover all Performance Max networks and Video, Demand Gen and App campaigns (changed for everyone)
• 30 Apr · Search campaigns for Travel (new option)
• 30 Apr · Text disclaimers that always show with final URL expansion (new option)
• Apr · Negative keyword impact prediction in Performance Max (new option)

May 2026

• 1 May · Daily, weekly and hourly report data kept for 37 months only (changed for everyone)
• 3 May · Vehicle ads can run in Standard Shopping campaigns (new option)
• 5 May · Data Manager adds store sales data (new option)
• 5 May · Data Manager map view (data summary) (new option)
• 5 May · Google tag upgrade brings Tag Manager features to every advertiser (new option)
• 6 May · Site visits asset: Google adds how often your site is visited to Search and Performance Max ads (on by default)
• 7 May · Demand-led budget pacing for Search and Shopping (coming months) (changed for everyone)
• 7 May · Out-of-stock rules relaxed: ‘sold out’ text or disabled options also allowed (changed for everyone)
• 7 May · Smart Bidding Exploration reaches Performance Max and Standard Shopping (new option)
• 11 May · AI dashboards in Google Ads built from text prompts (new option)
• 13 May · Affiliate Partnerships Boost (new option)
• 13 May · Buy with Google Pay on connected TV (new option)
• 13 May · Custom Sponsorships (AI-matched YouTube sponsorships) (new option)
• 13 May · Masthead with Custom Content Shelf (new option)
• 13 May · Video creation from text, images and links in Asset Studio (new option)
• 19 May · Agentic checkout to expand to Canada and Australia, later the UK (new option)
• 19 May · Checkout inside YouTube Shopping ads via the Universal Commerce Protocol (US) (new option)
• 19 May · Universal Cart: one shopping cart across retailers (US) (new option)
• 20 May · AI performance insights in Merchant Center (share of voice on AI surfaces) (new option)
• 20 May · AI-assisted Demand Gen campaign creation (prefill from Performance Max) (new option)
• 20 May · AI-powered Shopping ads: Gemini picks products and writes an explainer (US, coming) (changed for everyone)
• 20 May · App Connect in Ask Advisor (new option)
• 20 May · Ask Advisor comes to Merchant Center (new option)
• 20 May · Ask Advisor: one Gemini agent across Google Ads and Analytics (beta, English accounts) (new option)
• 20 May · Asset Studio ingestion: brand-guideline PDFs, YouTube Studio assets, Adobe and Canva (new option)
• 20 May · Asset Studio: brief-to-assets generation and natural-language refinement (new option)
• 20 May · Business Agent for Leads: a chat agent inside lead-gen Search ads (US beta) (new option)
• 20 May · Campaign Type Attribution for Demand Gen (new option)
• 20 May · Checkout links reach nine more markets, including in Demand Gen (new option)
• 20 May · Conversational Discovery ads: Gemini-built ads in AI Mode (US test) (changed for everyone)
• 20 May · Creative capabilities in Ads Advisor (asset diagnostics) (new option)
• 20 May · Deep Link AI Agent for app advertisers (new option)
• 20 May · Demand Gen product feeds for automotive (vehicle inventory) (new option)
• 20 May · Demand Gen product feeds on more surfaces (tablets, mobile pause ads) (changed for everyone)
• 20 May · Direct Offers for travel partners in AI Mode trip planning (new option)
• 20 May · Direct Offers with native checkout in AI Mode (US pilot) (new option)
• 20 May · Direct Offers: Gemini builds deals from your uploaded promotions inside AI Mode answers (US pilot) (new option)
• 20 May · Dynamic product videos from Merchant Center in Demand Gen (new option)
• 20 May · Gemini creative insights and one-click fixes for Demand Gen assets (new option)
• 20 May · Highlighted Answers: ads inside AI Mode recommendation lists (US test) (changed for everyone)
• 20 May · Lead intent scores for lead-gen advertisers (new option)
• 20 May · Lead journey mapping for lead-gen advertisers (new option)
• 20 May · Leads in Google Ads: a built-in screen to manage form leads (new option)
• 20 May · Message ads with RCS for Business (new option)
• 20 May · Qualified Future Conversions (QFC) metric in Google Ads (new option)
• 20 May · Uplift Experiments for Demand Gen alongside Performance Max (new option)
• 26 May · Display campaigns move into Demand Gen, and standalone Display retires by 2027 (removed)
• 27 May · Gambling: Ireland requires GRAI licences, and operators must re-apply (changed for everyone)
• 28 May · Prospects mode extends brand-exclusion controls for new customers to Search, Shopping and Demand Gen (beta) (new option)
• 30 May · Checkout links in Demand Gen extend to Shorts and in-feed ads (new option)
• May · US vehicle ads expand to ATVs, UTVs, RVs and non-motorised trailers (new option)

June 2026

• 1 Jun · Google Ads Terms of Service rewritten, effective 1 July 2026 (changed for everyone)
• 2 Jun · Prediction markets ads banned in Ohio (changed for everyone)
• 7 Jun · Google tag gateway for advertisers available for Amazon CloudFront (new option)
• 10 Jun · Gambling: Vietnam opens online lotteries (Vietlott agents) (changed for everyone)
• 12 Jun · Gambling: France's statutory lottery monopoly operator can be certified (changed for everyone)
• 12 Jun · Limited ad serving extended to more Google Search scenarios (changed for everyone)
• 15 Jun · Budget-limited Target CPA and Target ROAS campaigns aim at the target instead of beating it (from 17 August) (changed for everyone)
• 15 Jun · Gambling: Daily Fantasy Sports allowed in Colorado (changed for everyone)
• 15 Jun · Promotion mode (beta) for Search and Performance Max (new option)
• 16 Jun · Demand Gen campaigns optimising for view-through conversions billed per impression (changed for everyone)
• 17 Jun · Conversion-based customer lists switched on by default (on by default)
• 18 Jun · Multi-source conversions (beta): add CRM or order-database data to a website conversion action (new option)
• 22 Jun · Gambling: Peru allows online lottery ads (MIMP opinion required) (changed for everyone)
• 23 Jun · Brand pulse metrics in Insights Finder (new option)
• 23 Jun · Destination requirements: final URLs may redirect to another domain with prior approval (changed for everyone)
• 23 Jun · Financial services advertiser verification expanded to 24 more EU/EEA countries (changed for everyone)
• 23 Jun · Gemini-powered overview page with AI insight cards and a prompt box (beta) (new option)
• 23 Jun · Trending YouTube insights in Insights Finder (US) (new option)
• 25 Jun · Merchant Center for Agencies adds roles, client linking and labels (new option)
• 25 Jun · More video resizing options in Demand Gen video enhancements (on by default)
• 25 Jun · Web to App acquisition measurement for Demand Gen (new option)
• 26 Jun · Maximize conversion value bid strategy available in Standard Shopping (new option)
• 27 Jun · Merchant Center custom labels usable in Demand Gen campaigns (new option)
• 29 Jun · Shocking content no longer withheld while Google estimates a user’s age (changed for everyone)
• 29 Jun · Shorts Ad Actions counted in Video View campaigns (changed for everyone)
• Jun · Popular products report: wider coverage and changed rankings (changed for everyone)
• Jun · Product Value Optimization: value adjustments by product, brand or label for Shopping and PMax bidding (beta) (new option)
• Jun · Vehicle ads launch in Japan (new option)

July 2026

• 3 Jul · Hotel Ads: Google-sourced third-party hotel rates end (30 Sep 2026) (removed)
• 8 Jul · Search campaigns for Travel open to Things to Do and Events (open beta) (new option)
• 9 Jul · AI labels: a setting to declare AI-made assets, a ‘How this ad was made’ panel, and visible labels in the EU, India and New York (changed for everyone)
• 13 Jul · Gambling and games policy: certification requirements extended to all categories (from 14 Sep 2026) (changed for everyone)
• 13 Jul · Prediction markets ads banned in Michigan and New York (changed for everyone)
• 13 Jul · Video campaign groups: reach and frequency optimisation across campaigns (new option)
• 14 Jul · Alcohol ads allowed in more countries (changed for everyone)
• 16 Jul · Local inventory ads switched on by default in Standard Shopping (from 31 August) (on by default)
• 17 Jul · Business data feeds in Demand Gen campaigns (Display Network placements) (new option)
• 20 Jul · Local Services Ads move into Google Ads as Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals (US first) (removed)
• 21 Jul · Policy appeals limited to decisions less than six months old (changed for everyone)
• 22 Jul · Crypto: exchanges and wallets allowed in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (changed for everyone)
• 22 Jul · Healthcare: telemedicine providers allowed to promote prescription services in Spain (changed for everyone)
• 23 Jul · Gambling: revised certification forms and standards worldwide (changed for everyone)
• 27 Jul · Social casino certification can be requested inside Google Ads (new option)
• 29 Jul · Budget Panel with budget recommendations in PMax and Demand Gen campaign review (new option)
• 29 Jul · Demand Gen Target ROAS bids less cautiously early in a campaign (changed for everyone)

August 2026

• 4 Aug · Government documents and services policy: strict criteria for authorised providers (changed for everyone)
• 5 Aug · Limited ad serving extended to all Google Ads products (changed for everyone)
• 5 Aug · ‘Deal ends’ countdown badges added to eligible Shopping ads (experimental) (changed for everyone)
• 6 Aug · Free email accounts (e.g. @gmail.com) blocked from sensitive account actions (pilot) (changed for everyone)
• 7 Aug · Independent brand-safety checks of Search Partner Network sites (new option)
• 10 Aug · Political content: New Zealand election ads may include Māori words (changed for everyone)
• 11 Aug · Merchant Center reports split out YouTube affiliate traffic (changed for everyone)
• 11 Aug · Travel campaigns migrated automatically to new Search campaigns for Travel (removed)
• 12 Aug · Local customer optimization for Performance Max store goals (new option)
• 13 Aug · Performance Max ignores its language setting on Google Search (changed for everyone)
• 15 Aug · Demand Gen optimises for view-through conversions by default in new campaigns (on by default)
• 15 Aug · Demand Gen video ads on the Display Network billed per impression instead of per click (changed for everyone)
• 19 Aug · Enhanced matching for Customer Match lists (new option)
• 19 Aug · Performance Max: Google AI generates missing video aspect ratios (vertical, square) by default (on by default)
• 19 Aug · Vehicle ads landing pages must show key details on load (no 'More details' toggles) (changed for everyone)
• 20 Aug · AI Max experiments can run with brand and location controls switched on (new option)
• 20 Aug · Multi-campaign A/B experiments for Search budgets and ROI targets (new option)
• 20 Aug · Performance Planner forecasts changes to existing campaigns and applies them in one click (new option)
• 20 Aug · ‘Watch-while’ image ads below YouTube videos on mobile (changed for everyone)
• 25 Aug · Google TV Masthead: alcohol, healthcare, some consumer electronics and DFS allowed (changed for everyone)
• 27 Aug · Alcohol policy rewritten as one global framework (effective 30 Sep) (changed for everyone)
• 27 Aug · Demand Gen travel: local activities, events, real-time offers and personalised hotel ads (changed for everyone)
• 28 Aug · Performance Max uses the short_title attribute in YouTube and Discover formats (changed for everyone)
• 28 Aug · Reserve with Google ‘Book’ button on Search and Performance Max ads (on by default)
• Aug · Product-level return policy overrides (returns attribute) (new option)

September 2026

• 1 Sep · Business Agent can be switched on from the Google & YouTube app for Shopify (new option)
• 2 Sep · Automated promotions from your website on by default in Search and Performance Max campaigns with location assets (on by default)
• 2 Sep · Bumper ads redefined as 5 to 6 seconds long (was '6 seconds or shorter') (changed for everyone)
• 2 Sep · Hotel campaigns can target and exclude regions, states, cities or postal codes (new option)
• 2 Sep · Performance Max asset groups can be pre-filled from your Asset Studio projects (new option)
• 3 Sep · Personalised alcohol ads allowed on YouTube where local law permits (changed for everyone)
• 3 Sep · Unique reach metrics in YouTube Creator Partnerships reports (new option)
• 4 Sep · Waze ads in Performance Max store-goal campaigns expand from the US to 42 countries (changed for everyone)
• 9 Sep · Gambling: affiliate content promoting online gambling banned in Croatia (changed for everyone)
• 10 Sep · Data strength uplift metric in Google Ads (new option)
• 16 Sep · Business Agent in YouTube ads (US beta) (new option)
• 16 Sep · Gambling: Slovenia opens to licensed operators (from 1 Oct 2026) (changed for everyone)
• 17 Sep · Free product listings removed from Search results in the EEA (removed)
• 18 Sep · Shopify stores switched on for native checkout in AI Mode and Gemini (US) (on by default)
• 21 Sep · Impressum no longer required for local inventory ads and free local listings in Germany and Austria (changed for everyone)
• 21 Sep · US pilot: Search ads for certain firearm accessories (six months, from October 2026) (changed for everyone)
• 22 Sep · Ask Advisor can change campaign settings such as budgets and locations after your approval (beta) (new option)
• 23 Sep · AI Brief (closed beta) available in seven more languages (new option)
• 23 Sep · AI Max ‘Search terms and ad combinations’ report with more columns (new option)
• 23 Sep · Recommended investment strategy gains 'Holistic' and 'Growth' modes (new option)
• 24 Sep · Affiliate location extensions as Promoted Pins on Google Maps (Demand Gen) (new option)
• 24 Sep · Customer Match uploads accept IP addresses (outside the EEA, UK and Switzerland) (new option)
• 24 Sep · Loyalty features open to all merchants, including those with only free listings (new option)
• 24 Sep · One-click image ads on YouTube Shorts and Gmail (changed for everyone)
• 27 Sep · Products whose price changes more than about once a day may be disapproved (changed for everyone)
• 28 Sep · Complex speculative financial products need local authorisation in Denmark and Chile (changed for everyone)
• 30 Sep · Gambling: fixed-quota betting ads banned in Brazil, with lottery and horse racing certifications revoked (changed for everyone)
• Sep · Gambling: Nigeria adds Enugu and Imo states (from 14 Oct 2026) (changed for everyone)

October 2026 (to the 16th)

• 1 Oct · An ad’s business name may differ from its domain in limited cases (changed for everyone)
• 2 Oct · Loyalty programme rules updated for points- and order-based memberships (changed for everyone)
• 5 Oct · AI campaign localization tool (beta): copy an English (US) Search campaign into 10 languages (new option)
• 5 Oct · Gambling: Colombia allows online lottery ads from authorised operators (changed for everyone)
• 5 Oct · Manager accounts can create Google Ads accounts without setting up a campaign (new option)
• 7 Oct · Certified online gambling advertisers allowed on the YouTube Masthead (changed for everyone)
• 7 Oct · Prediction-market ads banned in Connecticut (changed for everyone)
• 7 Oct · Self-serve Conversion Lift studies for Search and Performance Max (new option)
• 8 Oct · AI insights panel in experiment reporting (goals, key findings, recommended actions) (new option)
• 8 Oct · Overview page: video impressions in conversion paths and a 'Performance by stage' card (new option)
• 8 Oct · Previews of AI-written text before switching on text customization (new option)
• 10 Oct · Automated bidding (beta) for Video reach campaigns (new option)
• 11 Oct · Low image quality no longer keeps products out of ads and free listings (changed for everyone)
• 14 Oct · Automotive model feeds on Search ads ('Vehicle Top Ads', beta) for car makers (new option)
• 14 Oct · Channel prioritization: caps for search partners and Display (new option)
• 14 Oct · Search campaigns with Display move to channel prioritization in February 2027 (removed)
• 15 Oct · Online gambling certification can be requested inside Google Ads (new option)
• 16 Oct · Warranty attribute for all products, required where local law demands it (new option)
• Oct · Video engagements count only after 10 seconds of viewing or a click (changed for everyone)