Today tab ads troubleshooting

If you don’t see any custom product pages available, or can’t select pages to use as your tap destination

This may mean:

You haven’t yet created any custom product pages in App Store Connect.
The pages you’ve created haven’t been approved yet in App Store Connect.
All of your available custom product pages have already been used for ads in your ad group. Your pages will appear but you won’t be able to select them.
Your custom product pages are missing assets for iPhone 5.5-inch and 6.5-inch or 6.7-inch displays.

If you see a message that there were issues found with your custom product page assets

If you’re setting up a new campaign or ad group, or creating a new ad from the Ads dashboard, and you see an Issues Found message for one of your custom product pages, it could be because:

Your custom product page is set up to run on iPad devices only. Today tab ads aren’t currently available on iPad devices.
Your custom product page has already been used by a different ad in the ad group where you’re trying to create a new ad.
You attempted to use the same custom product page for a different ad and the ad was rejected.
Your custom product page doesn’t support the default language of the country or region where you set your Apple Search Ads campaign to run.
The custom product page you selected has been disabled.

By clicking the Issues Found message, you can review the issues before you select a custom product page as your tap destination and background assets. Once you’ve fixed all custom product page issues — or enabled your disabled custom page — in App Store Connect, your ad can run on the Today tab, as long as your app name, icon, subtitle, and custom product page assets are approved.

If you see a message that your ad is in review

Today tab ads must be approved before they can run. Your app icon, name, subtitle, and custom product page assets must adhere to Apple Search Ads Today tab ad guidelines and comply with our Apple Advertising Policies.

When you first create a Today tab campaign, your ad will automatically be submitted for review. During this time, your ad will be placed on hold and will display “Ad in review” on the Ads dashboard. Note that after your app icon, name, subtitle, and custom product page assets have been reviewed for one Today tab campaign, they won’t require approval again to run in the same country or region where your previous campaign ran, unless you update them in App Store Connect. If you update your app name, icon, subtitle, or custom product page assets in App Store Connect, your ad will be paused automatically and your content will be reviewed again.

Learn more about ad guidelines

If your ad is rejected

If your ad is rejected, you can learn why by clicking View Reasons in the Status column on the Ads dashboard for that ad group. You’ll see reasons for each country or region, except for app icon rejection, which applies to all countries and regions. You can also download rejection reasons data for a single rejected ad or for all rejected ads in an ad group from the Actions menu on the Ads dashboard.

If the issue is with your app icon, name, or subtitle, once you submit a new app version with a revised app icon, name, or subtitle in App Store Connect, your ad will be paused automatically and your content will be reviewed again. During this time, your ad status will change to “Ad in review.” If the issue is with your custom product page assets, you’ll need to revise the screenshots or app previews in your custom page. Once your custom product page is approved by App Store Connect, your ad will automatically go into a pending state to be reviewed by Apple Search Ads. If approved for advertising, your ad will run right away unless you set its status to Pause.

Learn more about ad guidelines

If your ad is on hold

A Today tab ad may be on hold for the following reasons:

Your ad is in review. Before your Today tab ad can run, your app icon, name, subtitle, and custom product page assets must be approved.
Your ad was rejected. This means it can’t run. You can learn more by visiting the Ads dashboard and clicking View Reasons in the Status column.
If the custom product page you selected for your ad contains iPad assets or assets that aren’t compatible with an ad group’s country or region, the ad can’t run. Once your custom product page is updated with the correct language and assets, your ad will be reviewed again.
If the custom product page you selected for your ad gets disabled in App Store Connect, your ad can’t run. Once the page is reenabled in App Store Connect, the ad will run right away unless you set its status to Pause.
If you select a custom product page for your ad and then delete it from App Store Connect, your ad cannot run.
If your ad is set to run on the App Store in mainland China, it may require creative authorization documentation approval. If your documentation is rejected, your ad will remain on hold.

Learn more about advertising in mainland China

If your Today tab ad doesn’t show up in your duplicated campaign or
ad group

Your ad may be incompatible with the destination campaign because of differences in language for the countries or regions. Consider localizing the tap destination custom product page for the countries or regions your campaign is set to reach.

If you want to change the tap destination or background assets for a Today tab ad

If you want to change the custom product page used for a particular Today tab ad’s tap destination and background assets, you’ll need to create a new ad and set its status to Active from the Ads dashboard. Your previously approved ad will continue to run until you activate the new ad. Remember that the custom page you use must be localized in the default language of the country or region where your campaign will run. And that the custom page must include iPhone assets — as Today tab ads aren’t available on iPad devices.

If you make changes to your app icon, name, or subtitle

If you need to make changes to your app icon, name, or subtitle, you’ll need to update your app in App Store Connect. Your ad will be paused automatically and your content will be reviewed again. During this time, your ad status will change to “Ad in review.” If approved for advertising, your ad will run right away unless you set its status to Pause. Note that if you change your app icon, all of your Today tab ads will be paused until your icon is approved.