Google Ads API 26.1 Expands Campaign Controls and Reporting

By Nathan Brooks

Google Ads API version 26.1 is out, with five documented change groups spanning network-budget priorities, promotion redemption, Local Services eligibility, Performance Max exclusions and vertical-ad reporting.

The minor version covers assets, campaigns, Local Services, recommendations, reporting and targeting, although the source’s five-item change list does not separately explain a recommendations update.

Google’s release notes document the changes. The Google Ads developer blog had not announced version 26.1 when the source item appeared. The article’s author expects a post: “I am sure they will mention something soon.” That remains an author forecast, not a Google announcement.

The source gives no exact publication date for 26.1. It also points readers to a forum discussion on X. Developers can treat the release notes as confirmed documentation and the expected blog post as pending commentary.

What changed in version 26.1?

The release notes list five larger changes:

• Network-budget prioritization. Advertisers can now divide Google-owned properties, Search Partners and the Google Display Network into two priority tiers. Optional spending caps apply to secondary-tier channels, and new account-level defaults can apply across campaign budgets.
• External promotion redemption tracking. A new PromotionAsset.external_redeem_info field lets advertisers specify promotion details tied to an external partner’s system. That data can include the partner’s promotion ID, whether codes are single-use or multi-use, and whether customers uploaded them or Google generated them.
• Local Services eligibility checks. The new LocalServicesEligibilityService.CheckLocalServicesEligibility method checks whether an account and its Google Business Profile listing qualify for Local Services. It can return eligible lead types, service categories, job types and business callouts.
• Performance Max household-income exclusions. Advertisers can now exclude household income ranges from Performance Max campaigns by creating a negative CampaignCriterion with the income_range field set.
• Expanded vertical-ad reporting. Version 26.1 adds reporting segments for vertical ads. The listed dimensions cover listing region, user rating, venue, partner account, price tier, rate rule ID, rate type and vertical.

Which advertisers should act first?

Impact differs sharply by account and campaign type. The additions reach account-wide budgets, local qualification checks, campaign criteria, partner redemption records and reporting dimensions.

• Advertisers with multiple campaigns. Account-level defaults can apply across campaign budgets, providing a broader configuration point than campaign-by-campaign settings.
• Local service businesses with a Google Business Profile. The new method can check account and listing qualification. Its response can include eligible lead types, service categories, job types and business callouts.
• Performance Max advertisers. Negative household-income criteria create an exclusion option at campaign level. Advertisers can set the criterion through income_range.
• Advertisers using external promotions. PromotionAsset.external_redeem_info carries partner identifiers and code-use metadata for redemption reporting. The metadata can specify single-use or multi-use codes and customer-uploaded or Google-generated codes.
• Vertical campaign teams. Eight listed dimensions allow reporting splits by listing region, user rating, venue, partner account, price tier, rate rule ID, rate type and vertical.

How does 26.1 fit the release history?

The source describes a steady sequence of monthly and major updates before 26.1. It identifies version 26, released in October, as the preceding major release.

• Immediately before 26.1, the list places version 26 in October, then 25.2 in September, 25.1 in August and 25.0 in July.
• It continues with 24.2 in June, 24.1 in May, 24 in April, 23.2 in March, 23.1 in February and 23 at the end of January.
• The dated entries then list 22 on October 15, 2025; 21 on August 6, 2025; 20 on June 5, 2025; 19.1 in April 2025; 19 in February 2025; and 18 in October 2024.
• Earlier releases include 17.1 in August 2024, 17.0 in June 2024, 16.1, 16 in February 2024, 15 in October 2023, 14.1 in August and 13.1 in April 2023.
• The oldest entries list 12.0 in October 2022, 11.0 in June, 11.1 in August, 10.1 on April 27, 2022 and 10.0 on February 9, 2022.

The chronology leaves the year unspecified for several entries. The source reproduces those gaps as written. It also says Google sunset the AdWords API on April 27 and that it will stop working completely at the end of July. No year accompanies either milestone in the source.

What should developers monitor next?

The immediate watchpoint is formal Google developer-blog coverage of version 26.1. Teams should then track whether the new fields enter campaign workflows, reporting pipelines and account-level budget configurations across advertiser segments.

Watch Google’s developer blog for formal release commentary, then track adoption of the new budget, eligibility and reporting fields across campaign teams.