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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The Apple Search Ads API—now presented by Apple as the Apple Ads Platform API—lets developers, agencies, and third-party platforms manage campaigns and retrieve reports programmatically. To use it, an organization assigns an API role to a user, creates a client through its Apple Ads account settings, and follows Apple’s current technical documentation. The right role depends on whether an integration needs read-only access or permission to change campaigns, and whether it should cover the whole account or only a campaign group.
What the Apple Ads Platform API does
Apple describes the API as a way to manage campaigns and pull reports programmatically. Its overview covers campaigns, ad groups, and keywords, and also mentions Apple Maps ads. It is an integration interface for working with Apple Ads—not a separate advertising product.
Apple says API requests use OAuth 2. Its overview explains the account-level setup, but directs developers to the full API documentation for client creation and API calls. See Apple’s Use the Apple Ads Platform API page for the current setup instructions.
Choose an API role and access scope
Apple’s documented roles differ along two axes: what the user can do and how much of the account they can access. Account-level roles apply across the account; limited-access roles are scoped to a campaign group. Review Apple’s current role descriptions in the account interface and its glossary and user-role guidance before assigning access, since platform permissions can change.
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| Role | Scope | Documented access |
|---|---|---|
| API Account Manager | Account-wide | Read and write campaign management, plus API reporting access. |
| API Account Read Only | Account-wide | Reporting and data access; can manage an API connection. |
| API Read & Write | Limited to a campaign group | Campaign and settings management within that campaign group. |
| API Read Only | Limited to a campaign group | View reporting and data for that campaign group. |
For an integration that only retrieves reporting, use an appropriate read-only role. If it must create or edit campaigns or settings, it needs read/write access. Then choose account-wide access only if the integration genuinely needs it; otherwise, use the campaign-group scope. Apple’s role names and capabilities above reflect the cited help materials, so verify them in the live account before implementation.
Set up your organization’s API access
Apple’s help page describes this high-level setup for an organization using its own API integration:
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- An Account Admin opens user management and creates or designates a user for API access.
- The Account Admin assigns that user an appropriate API role, based on required permissions and scope.
- The API user signs in to Apple Ads and opens the API tab in account settings.
- From there, the user follows Apple’s API documentation to create a client and proceed with API requests.
Apple warns that changing an API user to a non-API role revokes that user’s API access. Treat role changes as an integration change, not simply an account housekeeping edit.
Authorize a third-party campaign or measurement provider
An organization can grant access to a campaign-management partner or mobile measurement provider through Apple’s secure sign-in authorization flow. Apple says an Account Admin or Campaign Group Manager can approve the provider. The provider initiates the flow from its authorizations area; the advertiser signs in, chooses the Apple Ads account, and selects an access type. This is an explicit authorization for the selected account and access level, not blanket permission across every account.
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Authorized providers can be reviewed and access revoked from the API tab in account settings. Apple’s API help page describes this authorization process. Apple also uses “Apple Ads Partners” for selected companies that help manage, measure, and optimize campaigns; check a provider’s current status directly before relying on that designation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use version-specific technical documentation
The account help page is an access and setup overview, not a substitute for the current endpoint-level reference. API implementation details—including endpoints, authentication steps, request and response schemas, and reporting options—must be checked in Apple’s current full developer documentation before writing code.
An available Apple Campaign Management API 3.0 PDF is historical documentation, not a reliable source for current endpoint instructions. It describes versioned endpoints, JSON, HTTP response codes and data or errors, pagination, partial fetches, selectors, partial updates, and an /api/v3/ endpoint example with organization and campaign-group context. Those details explain that API behavior is version-specific; they should not be assumed to describe the current API.
The cited current help page links to API documentation, but the available materials do not establish the current API version, token-generation sequence, exact endpoint schemas, rate limits, or report dimensions. Confirm each of those details in Apple’s current technical reference rather than copying old examples.
Quick Recap
Which integration approach fits?
| Approach | Best fit | Access path | Key consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organization’s own integration | A team building its own campaign-management or reporting workflow. | Assign an API role to an organization user, then create a client through account API settings and Apple’s documentation. | Choose the narrowest role and scope that support the required work. |
| Third-party provider | An advertiser working with a campaign-management partner or mobile measurement provider. | An authorized account admin or campaign group manager approves the provider through secure Apple sign-in. | Select the account and access type deliberately; review or revoke the grant in API settings. |
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