The change most accounts are still absorbing is Google's August 17, 2026 update to target-based bidding: budget-limited Target CPA and Target ROAS campaigns now deliver closer to their stated target. Two dated changes are still ahead, both in February 2027: Dynamic Search Ads move to AI Max, and existing call-only ads stop serving.
Platforms announce changes in help-center notes, developer blogs and product posts, rarely in one place. This page collects the ones that change what you should do in the account, newest first. Dates are the ones the platform states; where it gives only a month, we show the month.
Coming up
February 2027 Google Ads Dynamic Search Ads are upgraded to AI Max
Google will automatically upgrade campaigns that use Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max for Search campaigns. You can upgrade earlier by hand, or test it first as an experiment.
What to do: Test AI Max against your DSA campaign before February 2027, so the switch happens on your terms and with your exclusions in place.
Source: Google Ads Help: About Dynamic Search Ads · Our take: Dynamic Search Ads
February 2027 Google Ads Existing call-only ads stop serving
All existing call-only ads stop receiving impressions. Calls from ads now come from call assets.
What to do: Move every call-only ad to a responsive search ad with a call asset, and check call conversions still record.
Source: Google Ads Help: Transition from call ads to call assets · Our take: A call from your ad is not a call from your website
February 2027 Google Ads Search campaigns with Display Expansion move to channel prioritization
Search campaigns with Display Expansion enabled migrate automatically to channel prioritization and budget allocation, replacing the current spend allocation. As part of the change, the Google Display Network stops serving on Search campaigns that use Target Impression Share. Setting channel priorities earlier applies the new behavior right away.
What to do: Before February 2027, decide whether each Search campaign should keep the Display Network at all, and at what priority and allocation.
Source: Google Ads Help: About channel prioritization and budget allocation · Our take: Performance Max guide
2026
October 15, 2026 Google Ads Channel prioritization and budget allocation start rolling out
Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns get High and Low channel priorities, with an optional best-effort daily budget allocation for Low priority channels (not available in Demand Gen), where 0% means no spend there. You set it at the account, shared budget or campaign level, not from a manager account. The rollout is progressive, so availability varies by account.
What to do: If Performance Max is spending on Display Network inventory you don't want, set it to Low priority with a small or 0% allocation once the setting appears in your account.
Source: Google Ads Help: About channel prioritization and budget allocation · Our take: Performance Max guide
September 2026 Google Ads Campaign-level language setting removed for Search
Search ads now match based on the language of your ads, and no action is required. In Performance Max, the language setting still applies to YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail.
What to do: Don't split Search campaigns by language unless each language needs its own budget.
Source: Google Ads Help: Target ads by language · Our take: Google Ads campaign structure guide
August 17, 2026 Google Ads Target-based bidding changes for budget-limited campaigns
Campaigns on Target CPA or Target ROAS that are limited by budget now deliver closer to the stated target, including after budget changes. A campaign that had been beating its target will drift toward it.
What to do: If a budget-limited campaign was overachieving, set the target to its real recent performance before scaling, as Google's options describe: keep the target, match recent performance, or set a custom target.
Source: Google Ads Help: Changes to target based bid strategies · Our take: Google Ads bidding strategies guide
June 15, 2026 Google Ads Offline conversion uploads move to the Data Manager API
Offline conversion imports and enhanced conversions for leads uploads are migrated to the Data Manager API and blocked in the Google Ads API.
What to do: If your CRM or a connector uploads conversions through the Google Ads API, confirm it now sends through Data Manager.
Source: Google Ads Help: Updates to your enhanced conversions settings · Our take: Offline conversion import
June 2026 Google Ads Enhanced conversions becomes one on/off setting
Enhanced conversions for web and for leads are combined into a single feature with one switch. Accounts that had accepted the customer data terms were migrated automatically.
What to do: Open the setting and confirm it is on and the customer data terms are accepted.
Source: Google Ads Help: Updates to your enhanced conversions settings · Our take: Enhanced conversions
June 2026 Google Ads Display campaigns start moving into Demand Gen
Google began a phased rollout of a tool that migrates Display campaigns into Demand Gen. Later, new Display campaigns can only be created in Demand Gen.
What to do: Before you migrate, list what the Display campaign relies on (bidding, audiences, exclusions) and check each one survives in Demand Gen.
Source: Google Ads Help: Display campaigns have a new home in Demand Gen · Our take: Display is moving into Demand Gen
June 2026 Google Ads Bid strategies are renamed: "Target CPA" and "Target ROAS"
"Maximize conversions with a Target CPA" is now labeled "Target CPA", and "Maximize conversion value with a Target ROAS" is now "Target ROAS". Google says the bidding behavior is exactly the same.
What to do: No action needed. Update internal docs and reports that use the old names, so nobody thinks the strategy changed.
Source: Google Ads Help: About Target ROAS bidding · Our take: Google Ads bidding strategies guide
April 2026 LinkedIn Ads Event ads can promote events hosted off LinkedIn
LinkedIn launched off-platform event ads, so event ads are no longer limited to LinkedIn Events.
What to do: If you run webinars or field events on your own platform, test event ads for registrations instead of a plain single image ad.
Source: LinkedIn Help: Event ads · Our take: LinkedIn Ads for B2B guide
Announced March 3, 2026 Meta Ads Click-through attribution counts link clicks only
Meta announced that click-through will count only link clicks, rolling out from later in March 2026. Likes, shares, saves and other non-link clicks are credited separately under a 1-day engage-through window. Some accounts may still be on the old definition during rollout.
What to do: Read click-through and engage-through as separate columns, and don't compare pre-March and post-March click-through results as like for like.
Source: Meta for Business: Simplifying ad measurement · Our take: Meta's 7-day attribution window
February 2026 Google Ads New call-only ads can no longer be created
Google removed every option to create a new call-only ad. Existing ones keep serving until February 2027.
What to do: Build new call campaigns on responsive search ads with call assets.
Source: Google Ads Help: Transition from call ads to call assets · Our take: A call from your ad is not a call from your website
2025
October 2025 LinkedIn Ads Campaign groups become campaigns, and campaigns become ad sets
Campaign Manager renamed two of its four levels: campaign group is now campaign, and campaign is now ad set. The URL tracking parameters were renamed to match, and the rollout is gradual.
What to do: Update UTM templates that use the old CAMPAIGN_GROUP and CAMPAIGN parameters, and read older guides' "campaign settings" as ad set settings.
Source: LinkedIn Help: Campaign Manager naming changes · Our take: LinkedIn Ads for B2B guide
April 2025 LinkedIn Ads Longer default windows for event registration conversions
Event registration conversions moved to a 30-day click window (from 7) and a 30-day view window (from 1). LinkedIn's default for most other conversions is now 90-day click, 90-day view.
What to do: Check which window each conversion uses before comparing LinkedIn results with other channels or with last year.
Source: LinkedIn Help: Conversion tracking windows · Our take: LinkedIn Ads for B2B guide
Week of March 31, 2025 Google Ads Enhanced CPC is removed from Search and Display
Enhanced CPC is no longer available for Search and Display campaigns. Campaigns that were not moved to another strategy fell back to Manual CPC.
What to do: Check any inherited account for campaigns still on Manual CPC because of this, whatever their history says.
Source: Google Ads Help: About Enhanced CPC · Our take: Google Ads bidding strategies guide
January 21, 2025 Meta Ads Detailed targeting exclusions are removed
Meta began removing detailed targeting exclusions, with a deadline of April 21, 2025 for developers to update. Custom audience exclusions still work.
What to do: Exclude with custom audiences (customers, converters, disqualified leads) instead of interest or demographic exclusions.
Source: Meta for Developers: Removal of detailed targeting exclusions · Our take: Audience exclusion
2024
August 2024 LinkedIn Ads Sponsored Messaging in the EEA and Switzerland becomes opt-in
In August 2024 LinkedIn began asking EU members to opt in to receiving Sponsored Messaging, later expanding this to the wider EEA and Switzerland. Message and conversation ads there reach only members who opted in.
What to do: Expect a much smaller deliverable audience for message ads in Europe, and plan reach on that basis.
Source: LinkedIn Help: Sponsored Messaging in the EEA and Switzerland · Our take: Conversation ads
June 2024 Meta Ads Dynamic creative gives way to the flexible ad format
Dynamic creative may no longer be available when creating ad sets with the Sales or App promotion objective. The flexible ad format does the same job: supply up to 10 images and videos and Meta picks the combination.
What to do: Use the flexible format for creative testing at scale, and the A/B test tool when you need a clean comparison.
Source: Meta Business Help: About dynamic creative · Our take: Dynamic creative
May 15, 2024 LinkedIn Ads Member Groups targeting ends in the EEA and Switzerland
Member Groups can no longer be used as a targeting attribute for the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
What to do: Rebuild European audiences on job, company and matched-audience facets instead of group membership.
Source: LinkedIn Help: Member Interests and Traits targeting · Our take: Targeting facet
February 29, 2024 LinkedIn Ads LinkedIn lookalike audiences are discontinued
LinkedIn stopped lookalike audiences: new ones can't be created and existing ones stopped refreshing. Predictive audiences replaced them.
What to do: Build predictive audiences from your best seed (closed-won contacts or converters), not from a broad list.
Source: LinkedIn Help: Lookalike audiences · Our take: LinkedIn lookalikes are gone
Common questions
What changed in Google Ads bidding on August 17, 2026?
Campaigns on Target CPA or Target ROAS that are limited by budget now deliver closer to the stated target, including after budget changes. A campaign that was beating its target drifts toward it, so set targets to real recent performance first.
When do Dynamic Search Ads become AI Max?
From February 2027, Google automatically upgrades campaigns using Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max for Search. You can upgrade or test it earlier by hand.
What changed in Meta attribution in 2026?
Meta announced on March 3, 2026, and began rolling out later that month, a change so that click-through counts only link clicks. Likes, shares, saves and other non-link clicks are credited under a separate 1-day engage-through window. Some accounts may still be on the old definition during rollout.
We keep this list current because our Google Ads expert, Meta Ads expert and LinkedIn Ads expert work depends on it.