🔻 77% Massive Drop in Apple Ads Keyword Popularity
In early October 2025, we noticed an unusual shift in Apple Search Ads data.
Since ASO.dev tracks keyword popularity daily using the official Apple API, we were among the first to detect that something was off.
📉 What Happened
Starting September 29, 2025, the number of keywords in the U.S. App Store with Apple Ads popularity above 5 dropped from165,875 to just 39,254.
That means 126,621 keywords have fallen out of previously normal popularity ranges.
| Popularity Range | Sep 29 | Oct 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Very High (85–100) | 29 | 41 |
| High (60–84) | 916 | 2,007 |
| Medium (20–59) | 98,151 | 24,565 |
| Low (10–19) | 66,779 | 10,907 |
| Very Low (6–9) | 0 | 0 |
Overall, this represents a –77.4% decrease.
Most keywords that previously had values between 20 and 60 now show the minimum possible popularity — “5”.
🧠 What We Found
After verifying data directly from the Apple Search Ads API, we confirmed this is not an ASO.dev issue.
All data is coming correctly from Apple, but the values themselves have changed on Apple’s side.
Our analysis shows that Apple likely modified or rebuilt its Search Ads Popularity (SAP) scoring algorithm.
Currently, when requesting popularity for any country, the API almost always returns “5”.
🧩 How ASO.dev Responded
To keep data stable and trends meaningful, we implemented the following adjustments:
- Instead of showing the latest (and broken) daily values, we now display the average popularity since September 1, excluding the new “5” values.
- The charts still show Apple’s current “5” values for comparison.
- The update is already live for all users, no manual action is required.
This ensures that ASO.dev analytics remain accurate and comparable even while Apple’s data is temporarily inconsistent.
🧭 What’s Next
We’ve sent a detailed report to the Apple Search Ads team with sample keywords for review.
It’s still unclear whether Apple will restore the previous scoring model or continue with a new one.
Meanwhile, the ASO.dev team continues to:
- monitor keyword popularity across all countries daily,
- compare Apple’s new datasets with historical data.
Once Apple restores correct values, ASO.dev will automatically switch back to live popularity data in the popularity column.
📊 The New Apple Ads Report
At the same time, Apple introduced a new dashboard report — Monthly Search Term Rank Report.
All Apple Ads accounts see the same list, and it excludes any terms with popularity below 37.
We compared this dataset with historical ASO.dev data and found that the values do not match the old popularity scores.
This indicates that Apple has likely shifted to a new measurement system based on monthly aggregated ranks rather than daily search volume — or that it’s a separate report built on a different algorithm altogether.
⚠️ What You Should Know
If you’ve seen a sudden collapse in keyword popularity in your Apple Search Ads campaigns or reports — you’re not alone.
This is a global issue, not a platform-specific one.
Many keywords now show “5” even though their actual search traffic hasn’t changed.
We recommend relying on averaged and historical data to avoid underestimating valuable keywords.
🧩 Summary
- Keyword popularity dropped by 77.4% between September 29 and October 3, 2025.
- The issue originates from changes in Apple Search Ads API.
- The new Apple report only includes high-volume keywords (SAP ≥ 35).
- ASO.dev already applies average-based smoothing for stable analytics.
- The update is live for all users — no action needed.