Google Ads API v26 Launches with Search Lift Measurement and New Campaign Controls

Google has released version 26 of the Google Ads API, introducing new measurement capabilities and expanded support for Performance Max campaigns, along with updates to campaign management.

AI · API access to Search Lift studies and incremental-search metrics expands programmatic advertising measurement and campaign-control capabilities.

Google released version 26 of the Google Ads API, introducing new measurement capabilities, expanded Performance Max support, and updates to campaign management.

The release also marks the beginning of Google’s faster API update schedule, with two releases planned each month.

What’s new. Google Ads API v26 introduces several notable improvements:

Search Lift measurement: Advertisers can now access Search Lift studies through the API, including 15 new metrics covering incremental searches, relative search lift, and impressions.
Local Services Performance Max: Developers can create Local Services Performance Max campaigns using Google Business Profile information and required location settings.
Simplified EU political advertising declarations: Campaigns and eligible Demand Gen ad groups targeting only locations outside the EU may no longer need to provide a political advertising declaration, provided they meet Google’s criteria.
Enhanced conversions: New account-level settings provide a unified way to access enhanced conversions configuration.
Travel campaign bidding: Google has standardized several hotel-specific bid modifier fields so they can be used across travel verticals.

More campaign updates. Version 26 also expands listing type support to Shopping campaigns and makes minimum daily budget information available for Demand Gen campaigns based on currency.

For Local Services Performance Max campaigns, Google has added support for campaign lead associations, coupon lead types, and message lead conversions.

Why we care. Advertisers and developers using the Google Ads API can access new automation, measurement, and campaign management features sooner, but they’ll need to update their client libraries and code to use v26.

The bigger picture. Google is accelerating its API release schedule, moving to twice-monthly releases starting with v26. The faster cadence is designed to give developers, automated agents, and advertising workflows earlier access to new capabilities. Google’s release announcements and live walkthroughs will be published twice per quarter, while individual updates will be documented in the API release notes.

The catch. Accessing v26 features requires developers to upgrade their Google Ads API client libraries and update their code. Some changes also introduce new configuration requirements. For example, the Local Services Performance Max setting must be specified when a campaign is created and cannot be changed afterward.

What’s next. Google is hosting a live walkthrough of v26 at 10 a.m. ET through its developer Discord community and Ads Developers YouTube channel. A recording will be available afterward.

The bottom line. Google Ads API v26 brings expanded measurement, campaign creation, and automation capabilities while kicking off a faster release cycle. Developers should review the release notes and plan their upgrades to take advantage of the new features.