Apple has paused running gambling ads on the App Store following widespread backlash.
This week, the company rolled out a new update to the App Store to introduce more ads on app product pages and search engine results pages in an attempt to increase revenues, but developers and consumers have hit back after seeing the App Store overloaded with gambling ads.
Apple has since confirmed that it’s paused the rollout of gambling ads on the platform.
The news comes after a number of high-profile developers, who make utility apps and games, took to Twitter to complain that ads were appearing on their own App Store listings, outside of their control. A number of developers said that it was unfair that their apps were being overloaded with ads from gambling companies and other bad actors and that they could damage the reputation of their own apps and, indeed the wider App Store ecosystem.
For the first time, Apple now allows advertisers to have their app show up in different categories to their own, which is why we’re seeing gambling ads appear on App Store pages for podcasts, utility apps, and games.
Earlier in the year, it was confirmed that Apple was planning to ramp up the number of ads on its platforms to increase its advertising revenues.
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