Apple recently sent an email to its developers saying that App Store Search Ads in Russia has been suspended.
The internal email was sent March 7 and detailed the company’s decision to suspend the service in the region. Succinctly, the email stated that all search ads are put on hold in Russia, and that there won’t be any new campaigns that are eligible to run for the whole duration of the hold. This means Russian users will not see ads in the App Store in search results throughout the suspension.
App Store Search Ads went live in October 2016 and showed in-line alternative apps advertised alongside relevant search results. It expanded to more regions in March 2019 and finally, in China in June last year.
The sanction might have been a form of protest in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. At the start of March, the Cupertino-based company halted its online sales and removed Russian news outlets on Apple.com and the App Store, respectively.
