February 22, 2026

Barry Schwartz discovered that Google is now testing with Sponsored places!

Google released Android Google Mobile Ads SDK 25.0.0, a major update introducing new banner sizing logic, breaking API changes, and important deprecations. Key updates: • New Large Anchored Adaptive Banner sizesA new API (getLargeAnchoredAdaptiveBannerAdSize) replaces the previous anchored adaptive banner sizing. Larger banner formats are designed to improve engagement and increase publisher revenue potential. Older

Google released Data Manager API v1.5, expanding it into a full platform for automated audience management and first-party data activation. Key updates: • End-to-end user list managementAdvertisers can now create, update, retrieve, and delete Customer Match audiences directly via the API, enabling fully automated CRM → Google Ads audience syncing. • Partner linksA new PartnerLinkService

Reddit is now testing AI shopping carousels in search results

In February 2026, Google will gradually introduce the ability for someadvertisers to apply for the following certifications in their Google Ads account: – Cryptocurrency exchanges and software wallets– Cryptocurrency hardware wallets– Cryptocurrency coin trust– Complex speculative financial products

Everyone is talking about bigger AI models. Google just made a different move. Gemini 3.1 Pro isn’t about faster answers. It’s about better thinking. The focus shifts from “generate content” → “solve complex problems”. What changed: • Much stronger reasoning capabilities• Handles massive context (entire documents, codebases, datasets)• Built for agents that can plan and

Jordan Fry posted that Google just announced an important change to budget pacing when using ad scheduling in Google Ads and it’s easy to misunderstand what this actually means. Short version: Ad scheduling still works. Your ads will NOT run outside the hours or days you set. What is changing is how Google tries to

Adthena & Ashley Fletcherhas identified the first sponsored placements showing for signed-in desktop users in the US, and the rollout already challenges many industry assumptions. Early predictions suggested ads would only appear after a longer conversational journey. Instead, these ads are triggering immediately in the very first response. Example: A user asks, “What’s the best

Google has introduced a new Scenario Planner interface for Meridian, making its open-source Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) solution significantly more accessible for marketers. The update removes the need for technical or coding expertise by providing a user-friendly UI where advertisers can test different budget allocation scenarios directly within the platform. Marketers can now simulate investment

Thomas Eccel discovered that Text Guidelines is now rolling out to more accounts!