Google Ads API v24.2: AI, security, reporting

Google has released Google Ads API v24.2. The update targets advertisers and developers who manage campaigns, assets, and reporting programmatically. The version bundles three priorities: stronger account security controls, new tools for labeling AI-generated ad creative, and expanded reporting for Performance Max campaigns. Google also adds new experiment types and a reorganized documentation structure designed to simplify future upgrades. For teams connecting custom tools, dashboards, or middleware to the Ads platform, v24.2 is a practical release with immediate impact on compliance, access management, and campaign analysis.

For agencies and large organizations with many user permissions, multi-party approval (MPA) is the central security feature. Sensitive account actions such as user invitations or access-level changes now require approval from a second administrator. This reduces the risk of unauthorized changes in complex account structures and adds a review step before critical settings take effect. Agencies with shared access especially benefit because accidental or fraudulent changes can no longer be triggered by a single person alone.

AI transparency and preparation for the EU AI Act

Another focus is transparency around AI-generated content. The API exposes new fields: SyntheticContentInfo and SyntheticContentAttestation on assets and ads. Developers can programmatically detect machine-generated creative and apply appropriate labels. The update helps advertisers prepare for the EU AI Act, which takes effect on August 2 and sets requirements for disclosing synthetic content. Teams using generative tools internally or importing creative from third-party platforms gain a technical foundation to map disclosure obligations systematically.

Integration work can begin now. However, advertiser attestation fields remain read-only until API v25 launches. Teams should therefore review early how existing asset pipelines, creative tools, and compliance processes will read and later write the new fields. Early testing helps avoid bottlenecks once write access is enabled. In parallel, marketing, legal, and engineering should align on which creatives count as synthetic and how labels remain visible in reporting and archiving.

Performance Max: more visibility in reports

Performance Max campaigns benefit from several long-requested reporting enhancements. In performance_max_placement_view, reports can now be segmented by ad_network_type. Advertisers get a clearer picture of where ads appear across Search, Display, and partner networks. This granularity supports budget allocation, quality checks, and interpretation of conversion data across channels. For many analysts, PMax previously felt like a black box: results were visible, but placement logic behind them was less transparent.

Version 24.2 also enables YouTube brand channel linking through the API. Video campaigns can be tied more closely to brand profiles. A new landing page text generation option automatically creates text assets from a target page. That speeds up ad copy production and reduces manual maintenance when landing pages are updated regularly. For scaling account structures with many ad groups and variants, this can mean noticeable time savings in ongoing maintenance.

New reporting and creative levers at a glance

Expanded testing options for campaigns

Google is expanding experimentation tools with two new types. The COMPARE_CAMPAIGNS workflow lets advertisers compare multiple campaigns or campaign types across up to five experiment arms, including custom Performance Max experiments. Different setups can be measured in parallel without manually building separate test environments. For teams weighing standard Search, Shopping, and PMax, this creates a structured basis for data-driven decisions.

A second experiment type focuses on text customization and final URL expansion within a single Performance Max campaign. Traffic is split between variations so teams can test which adjustments deliver measurable impact. For paid media owners, this means more control over automated optimizations that are otherwise hard to isolate in PMax. Final URL expansion and dynamic text adjustments influence visibility and click behavior; without targeted tests, it remains unclear whether automation truly adds value or only redistributes existing demand.

• COMPARE_CAMPAIGNS: up to five experiment arms for campaign comparisons.
• PMax tests for text customization and final URL expansion in one setup.
• A stronger basis for data-driven decisions on automation.
• Less manual effort when building parallel test environments.

Documentation and upgrade path

Beyond feature updates, Google has restructured API release notes. Breaking changes are separated from feature updates, and a dedicated guide on deprecations and unversioned changes simplifies migrations. Teams running multiple accounts or custom middleware benefit from clearer prioritization on each version change. This reduces the risk that critical adjustments get lost in long changelogs or are discovered too late.

The release is a gradual step from v24.1 but delivers concrete tools for three pressing topics: compliance with AI disclosure requirements, higher account security, and deeper Performance Max insights. Developers should define MPA policies, connect synthetic content fields in test environments, and integrate the new report segments into existing dashboards before v25 enables write access for attestations. Advertisers with heavily automated ad production should also review how AI labels are embedded in creative workflows and approval processes.