Google Ads Updates: What Changed in September and October 2026

Between September and October 2026, Google upgraded many Search campaigns to AI Max, removed campaign language targeting, began rolling out channel prioritization and changed several Performance Max defaults before Black Friday. This Google Ads updates roundup labels every change Live, Rolling out, Test or Announced, with the date, the primary source, who it affects and the account check to run.

Key Observations

• AI Max upgrade: Search campaigns using campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets moved to AI Max in September 2026. Add exact match copies of your best keywords.
• Channel prioritization: rolling out from October 14, with spend limits on Low priority channels such as Search partners and Display.
• Smart Bidding: budget, target and targeting edits never trigger Learning status, per Google’s rewritten help page.
• Performance Max defaults: sourced videos on for new campaigns, automated promotions on since October 12, image extraction on for new campaigns from December 4.
• Shopping: New Customer High Value mode, retention goals and percentage multipliers are rolling out before the holidays.

This is the first edition of a monthly Google Ads updates series from Hustle Marketers, a Google Partner agency for ecommerce brands. Every change was checked against its source on October 26, 2026.

Which Google Ads changes are live, rolling out or still tests?

Of the changes Google made or announced between September 1 and October 26, 2026, the AI Max upgrade, language matching, the learning guidance and new Performance Max defaults are live. Channel prioritization and customer lifecycle goals are rolling out. AI Mode serving and Product Value Optimization are tests. The Dynamic Search Ads migration and image extraction default are announced.

Live: in accounts now. Rolling out: confirmed and reaching accounts over weeks or months. Test: a beta, pilot or experiment. Announced: confirmed but not started yet.

Was my Search campaign switched to AI Max in September?

If a Search campaign used campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets, Google most likely upgraded it to AI Max between September 1 and 30, 2026. Creating either legacy setting has been blocked since August 3. Open the campaign settings to confirm AI Max is on, then check which AI Max features Google switched on for you.

Google rolled the upgrade out through September 2026 and described no opt-out (Google Ads Developer Blog, August 12, 2026). Former campaign-level broad match campaigns got search term matching on, with text customization and final URL expansion off and brand settings kept. Campaigns that only used automatically created assets also got text customization on.

Two side effects matter. Broad keywords no longer get exact match priority, so Google’s help document suggests adding exact match copies; converting broad to exact removes historical stats (Search Engine Roundtable, September 1, 2026). And since late September, Search and AI Max ads match on the language of the ad itself, not a campaign setting (Google Ads Developer Blog, August 13, 2026).

What we check after the upgrade

1. Confirm AI Max is on and which of its three features are enabled.
2. Compare search terms for the four weeks before and after the upgrade.
3. Add exact match copies of top converting broad keywords.
4. Keep negatives in an account-level list so every campaign is covered.
5. If you advertise in a second language, such as Spanish in the US, write those ads in that language.

For Shopping-led accounts, see our guides to AI Max for Shopping and Performance Max vs Search.

Should I set Search partners or Display to low priority?

Yes, if Search partners or Display convert worse than Google Search in your account. Channel prioritization began rolling out on October 14, 2026 for Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen. Low priority channels get budget only after High priority channels are funded, and you can cap the share of daily budget they receive.

High priority channels are funded first, within your Target CPA or Target ROAS (Google Ads and Commerce Blog, October 14, 2026). Low priority channels can get a spend limit, applied on a best-effort basis. In Search campaigns, Google Search, Search partners and Display each take their own priority.

In Performance Max, Search partners can be set to 0% once marked Low priority, Google’s Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin confirmed on October 16 (PPC Land, October 17, 2026). From February 2027, Search campaigns with Display turned on lose their current allocation. To keep it, set Display to Low priority at 50%.

What we check before changing priorities

1. Segment each Search campaign by network for 90 days and compare cost per conversion and ROAS.
2. Set weaker channels to Low with a spend limit rather than switching them off.
3. In Performance Max, test Search partners at 0% and review spend after two weeks.
4. List every Search campaign with Display on before February 2027.

Demand Gen gets the same controls; see our Demand Gen campaigns guide.

Does changing budget or target reset Smart Bidding learning?

No. Google’s rewritten help page on Smart Bidding learning, reported on October 21, 2026, says changes to budgets, targets or targeting never trigger Learning status or remove historical data. Learning status shows only for a new or reactivated strategy, a composition change or a significant goal change, and never lasts more than 7 days.

Google’s help page lists those triggers (Google Ads Help; Search Engine Roundtable, October 21, 2026). Google product lead Tal Akabas added on the Ads Decoded podcast that bids on established campaigns scale in proportion to a target change (PPC Land, October 16, 2026).

No Learning label does not mean no effect, because a large change still moves bids and traffic at once. Two related changes: you cannot edit Target ROAS while Promotion Mode is on (Search Engine Roundtable, September 25, 2026), and Recommended Investment Strategy now offers Holistic mode, which moves budget between campaigns, and Growth mode, which only adds budget (Search Engine Roundtable, September 24, 2026).

What we check before editing bids

1. Change a target in one step and judge it after a full conversion cycle.
2. Set your holiday Target ROAS before turning on Promotion Mode.
3. Before accepting Holistic mode, check which campaigns lose budget. Brand and remarketing campaigns can look less efficient while still doing their job.

Not sure which of these changes reached your account? We check AI Max, channel priorities, bidding and Performance Max defaults in every audit.

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What changes for Shopping and Performance Max before Black Friday?

Shopping and Performance Max get new bidding options and new defaults. New Customer High Value mode, retention goals and percentage multipliers are rolling out from October 22, 2026. Sourced videos and automated promotions are on by default, image extraction becomes the default for new campaigns on December 4, and Merchant Center warns about fast price changes.

Google’s October 22 update brings New Customer High Value mode to Shopping, makes retention goals broadly available for Performance Max, Search and Shopping, and moves percentage multipliers out of beta so bids scale with cart value (Google, October 22, 2026). Product Value Optimization, a beta, adjusts value by brand or category (Search Engine Roundtable, September 14, 2026).

• Automated promotions: since October 12, Google adds coupons and deals from your site to Search and Performance Max campaigns with location assets and no promotion assets (Search Engine Roundtable, October 5, 2026).
• Sourced videos: on by default for new Performance Max campaigns, reported on October 23, with up to 10 videos per asset group from sources you approve (Search Engine Roundtable, October 23, 2026).
• Image extraction: from December 4, on by default for new Performance Max campaigns even if the account setting is off (Google Ads Developer Blog, October 21, 2026).

Merchant Center’s help page, revised on September 27, says products whose price or availability changes more than once a day may be disapproved instead of updated (Search Engine Roundtable, October 8, 2026).

What we check before Black Friday

1. Turn Automated Promotions off if site coupons are for subscribers only or end before the sale.
2. Check Sourced videos on every new holiday campaign, and image extraction too after December 4.
3. Update the feed as often as prices change during sales.
4. Test creative with the new save and test option for asset groups (Search Engine Roundtable, October 21, 2026) or a Google Ads experiment.
5. Plan the rest with our Black Friday advertising guide.

Which Google Ads policy changes take effect in October and November 2026?

Two policy updates take effect in this window. From October 16, 2026, a business name can differ from the destination domain in limited cases. From October 30, 2026, alcohol advertisers can run personalized ads on YouTube where local law allows, except in Egypt, India, Indonesia and Poland. Financial Services Verification reaches the US and Canada in early 2027.

Can my business name differ from my domain?

Yes, from October 16, if the name reflects your recognized brand, you have a verified direct relationship with the domain owner and your products are sold on that domain. Resellers, booking intermediaries, affiliates and secondary sellers do not qualify (Google policy page, October 1, 2026; Search Engine Roundtable, October 2, 2026).

Can alcohol brands personalize YouTube ads?

From October 30, yes, for alcohol and alcohol alternatives where local law allows, except in Egypt, India, Indonesia and Poland. Targeting on alcohol-related health information stays prohibited (Google policy page, September 3, 2026).

Who needs Financial Services Verification?

From early 2027, advertisers running certain financial ads in the US and Canada must show authorization from a regulator or accepted registry. Google will publish country guidance first (Google Ads and Commerce Blog, October 20, 2026). We found no confirmed policy change starting in November 2026.

What should you check in your account this month?

Start with the changes already affecting spend: the AI Max upgrade, automated promotions and sourced videos. Then set channel priorities and holiday bidding before Black Friday on November 27, 2026. This is the order Hustle Marketers works through in each account we manage, and you can run the same checks in the Google Ads interface.

1. AI Max: confirm which campaigns were upgraded and which features are on.
2. Keywords: add exact match copies and update account-level negatives.
3. Language: write ads in your audience’s language.
4. Channels: compare Search partners and Display with Google Search, then set priorities.
5. Performance Max: decide on Search partners at 0% and check Sourced videos.
6. Promotions: review Automated Promotions or turn them off.
7. Feeds: match update frequency to sale price changes.
8. Bidding: set holiday targets before Promotion Mode.
9. Goals: review New Customer and retention settings.
10. Tools: move scripts off API v23 before its February 2027 sunset (Google Ads Developer Blog, October 12, 2026).

For a full review, use our Google Ads audit checklist.

Which Google Ads deadlines are coming up?

The next dates to plan for are October 30 for personalized alcohol ads on YouTube, December 4 for image extraction in new Performance Max campaigns, and February 2027 for the Dynamic Search Ads migration, the Display allocation change in Search campaigns and the Google Ads API v23 sunset. Financial Services Verification follows in early 2027.

FAQs

Short answers to common questions about the September and October 2026 changes. Each reflects Google’s documentation as of October 26, 2026 and links to its source, so you can confirm the current wording before you change any setting in your own account.

Did Google turn on AI Max for my account?

Only if a Search campaign used campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets. Those campaigns were upgraded in September 2026 (Google Ads Developer Blog, August 12, 2026). Dynamic Search Ads campaigns move in February 2027.

Can I still use Dynamic Search Ads?

Yes, until February 2027. You can upgrade now in campaign settings. Remaining campaigns automigrate to AI Max between February 1 and 28, 2027, when new DSA ad groups can no longer be created (Google Ads Developer Blog, August 12, 2026).

What is channel prioritization in Google Ads?

A budget control, rolling out from October 14, 2026, that marks channels such as Search partners or Display as High or Low priority. High priority channels are funded first (Google Ads and Commerce Blog, October 14, 2026).

Does editing a budget reset learning?

No. Google’s help page says budget changes never trigger Learning status (Google Ads Help). Results can still move, so change one thing at a time.

How do I turn off automated promotions?

Open your account-level automated assets settings, find Automated Promotions and set it to Off. It has applied since October 12, 2026 to eligible Search and Performance Max campaigns (Search Engine Roundtable, October 5, 2026).

The next edition of this monthly series covers November 2026. Want these checks run on your account before Black Friday?

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