TL;DR
- Google released Google Ads API v26 on 14 October 2026; it is a major release, and tools must upgrade client libraries and code to use it.
- v26 adds Search Lift reporting to the API: a keyword bundle resource, two segments and 15 new metrics such as relative search lift.
- The old enhanced conversions for leads field is removed in v26 and replaced by a unified account-level enhanced conversions setting.
- Google's v26 release notes add LINE and SMS as business message providers and a MESSAGE_LEAD conversion category, with no country list given.
- Five hotel bid modifiers were renamed to apply across travel verticals; Google says criterion IDs and existing bid modifiers stay the same.
Google released version 26 of the Google Ads API on 14 October 2026. Anash P. Oommen of the Google Ads API team announced it on the Google Ads Developer Blog. Most marketers never touch the API, but the tools they use do: bid managers, reporting dashboards, scripts built on the API and in-house automation. v26 adds Search Lift study data and a single account-level enhanced conversions setting. It also opens Local Services Performance Max campaign creation, adds LINE and SMS as business message providers and renames the hotel bid modifiers. Some of these changes break existing code, so a tool that moves to v26 without updating its code can show missing fields or errors.
What Google released on 14 October 2026
The Google Ads Developer Blog post says developers must upgrade their client libraries and client code to use the new features, and that updated libraries and code examples are already published. Google scheduled a live walkthrough, "Google Ads API Release Highlights", on Discord and the Ads Developers YouTube Live channel for 15 October 2026 at 10:00 AM ET, with a recording to follow on YouTube.
The blog post lists six highlights. Google's v26 release notes on the Google Ads API developer site, dated 14 October 2026, list more, including the breaking changes. This article uses both and says which is which. The release notes call v26 a "major release", Google's term for a version that can contain breaking changes. Minor versions, such as v25.2 on 23 September 2026, do not.
Relevant Audience covered the separate change in release cadence on 13 October 2026. Starting with v26, the API moves to two releases a month, and Google's release blog posts and live events move to twice a quarter. This article is about what is inside v26.
The changes marketers will notice in tools and reports
The table below lists five v26 changes from Google's blog post and release notes, with the place a marketer is most likely to see each one.
| v26 change (per Google) | Where marketers may see it |
|---|---|
| Search Lift: new keyword bundle resource, 2 segments, 15 metrics | Lift study results in API-fed dashboards |
| Unified enhanced conversions setting; old leads field removed | Account audits and tracking-health tools |
| LINE and SMS added as business message providers | Asset tools that create message assets |
| Hotel bid modifiers renamed to apply across travel verticals | Travel bid tools and scripts |
| Demand Gen minimum daily budget per currency | Campaign builders and budget checks |
Search Lift measurement comes to the API
Google's 14 October post says v26 adds support for Search Lift studies. It adds a read-only resource called SearchLiftKeywordBundle, two new segments (search lift keyword bundle and search property) and 15 new Search Lift metrics. Examples named by Google include relative search lift, normalized incremental searches and search lift impressions. The release notes add search lift cost as another example. The metrics are read alongside a campaign's lift measurement configuration, which v26 exposes on the campaign.
A reporting tool on v26 can pull them next to cost and conversion data and split them by keyword bundle. Neither the blog post nor the release notes explain how a Search Lift study is set up, who is eligible, or how the metrics are calculated. Treat any dashboard number as a report of Google's study output. The API does not add its own method.
One enhanced conversions setting per account
The blog post says v26 exposes a "unified enhanced conversions configuration" for the account, replacing the older field that showed whether enhanced conversions for leads was on. The release notes are more precise. They list the old field, enhanced_conversions_for_leads_enabled, as a breaking removal. Its replacements, enablement_setting and effective_enablement_setting, sit in the conversion tracking setting on the customer, using a new EnhancedConversionsConfig enum.
The two documents name the location slightly differently. The blog post writes the new fields as sitting directly on Customer. The release notes place them inside Customer.conversion_tracking_setting. Developers should follow the release notes. For marketers the practical point is simpler. Any audit tool or script that checks "is enhanced conversions for leads on?" through the old field will stop working on v26 until someone rewrites it. If an account health report suddenly shows that check as blank or failed after a tool upgrade, the cause may be the tool, not the account.
LINE and SMS as business message providers
The release notes, though not the blog post's highlight list, say v26 adds LINE and SMS as message providers in the business message asset, with new LINE and SMS info fields. v26 also adds a MESSAGE_LEAD conversion action category, which Google describes as message or chat interactions that show interest in an advertiser's offering.
The release notes do not say which countries or campaign types the LINE option covers, or whether it is already in the Google Ads interface. What is confirmed is that the API's business message asset now supports LINE as a provider, and tools can classify message conversions in their own category.
Hotel bid modifiers become travel bid modifiers
Google renamed five hotel-specific bid modifier criteria so they apply across travel verticals. User set dates replaces hotel date selection type. Advance booking window replaces hotel advance booking window. Length of booking, measured in minimum and maximum days, replaces hotel length of stay. Start day of week replaces hotel check-in day, and start date range replaces hotel check-in date range.
The release notes say this is a breaking rename, and they give the reassurance travel advertisers will want. Criterion IDs, targeting behavior and existing bid modifiers stay the same, and minimum and maximum night values carry over to minimum and maximum days unchanged. Google gives "Things to do" as an example of a travel vertical beyond hotels. Live bids should not move. Scripts or bid tools that reference the old hotel names will fail on v26 until they are updated, and so will their error handling, because the related error codes were renamed too.
Local Services Performance Max campaigns via the API
Per the blog post, v26 lets API users create Local Services Performance Max campaigns by setting a local services flag when the campaign is created. The flag cannot be changed afterwards, and the campaign needs a country code and a Google Business Profile listing ID. The release notes list the now-required country code as a breaking change. They also add validation errors, including one that blocks multiple Local Services Performance Max campaigns and one that requires a Local Services agreement. Leads can now be linked to their campaign, and a coupon lead type was added.
The Google post does not say in which countries Local Services runs. Service businesses outside the markets where Local Services is offered should not read this as a launch in their country.
Shopping, Demand Gen and other smaller changes
The blog post says the campaign listing type field now also covers Shopping campaigns. The currency constant resource now exposes the minimum daily budget for a Demand Gen campaign in each currency, and the release notes add that the value updates when the minimum enforced by the API changes. Campaign-building tools can therefore check a Demand Gen budget against the current minimum for the account's currency, such as Thai baht, before submitting it, instead of failing on submission.
The release notes list several other additions:
- A new Search recommendation type for raising budgets when daily budgets are too low.
- A CLICK value for conversion attribution event type, covering conversions attributed to an ad click that were previously grouped under UNKNOWN. Reports that segment by this field may show a new row.
- Final URL expansion asset view reporting extended to Shopping campaigns.
- Generative content disclosure settings for YouTube videos uploaded through the API.
- An error that blocks an "adopt AI Max" experiment on a campaign that already has AI Max enabled.
- An error requiring an active Hotel Center account link before a hotel property asset set is attached to a Performance Max for travel goals campaign.
EU political advertising declarations become optional in some cases
The blog post says the EU political advertising declaration on a campaign is now optional for campaigns, and Demand Gen ad groups with upgraded targeting, that positively target only locations outside the European Union and use no proximity or location group criteria. A new field on geo target constants and campaign and ad group criteria shows whether a declaration is required. Per the release notes, a proximity or location group criterion triggers the requirement whether or not it overlaps EU territory. For advertisers targeting only Thailand or other non-EU markets, API-based campaign builders may stop asking for this declaration.
What advertisers and agencies should check
These checks are our reading of the release, not a list Google published.
- Ask tool vendors which API version they run. Bid managers, reporting connectors and audit tools decide when to move to v26. Google's API sunset schedule lists a tentative sunset of August 2027 for v25 and November 2027 for v26, while v23 is due to sunset in February 2027.
- Re-check enhanced conversions audits. Any check built on the removed leads field needs rewriting against the unified setting.
- Test travel scripts before upgrading. Hotel and travel advertisers with scripts or rules referencing hotel bid modifier names should expect failures until they are renamed.
- Watch attribution reports for the new CLICK value. A shift of conversions out of UNKNOWN is a labelling change, not a performance change.
- Use the Demand Gen minimum in budget planning. Teams that build campaigns programmatically can read the per-currency minimum instead of hard-coding it.
What this means for Thai marketers
Google's post does not mention Thailand. Two changes are still worth a closer look for Thai advertisers. v26 adds LINE as a business message provider in the API. The release notes do not say whether, when or for which markets that option reaches the Google Ads interface, so for now it is a capability to watch. Thai teams running chat-based lead generation through LINE advertising alongside Google Ads should track whether message leads start appearing under the new MESSAGE_LEAD category.
The second is the Demand Gen minimum budget, which tools can now read per currency, including baht. For Thai hotels and travel brands that use API-driven bid tools, the bid modifier rename is a maintenance task. Google says live bids stay the same, but the tools need updating. Teams that rely on enhanced conversions for leads should confirm their measurement tooling reads the new setting. A measurement and analytics review is a good place to check that.
FAQ
Do I need to do anything about Google Ads API v26 if I only use the Google Ads interface?
No, nothing changes in the interface because of the API release itself. The work falls on whoever maintains the tools, scripts and dashboards that connect to your account through the API.
Which v26 changes can break existing tools?
Google's release notes list three breaking areas: the removed enhanced conversions for leads field, the renamed hotel bid modifiers and their error codes, and the newly required country code for Local Services Performance Max campaigns. Tools must be updated before they move to v26.
Will the travel bid modifier rename change my hotel bids?
No, Google's release notes say criterion IDs, targeting behavior and existing bid modifiers stay the same. Minimum and maximum night values carry over to minimum and maximum days as they are.
Can I run LINE message assets in Google Ads in Thailand now?
That is not stated by Google. The v26 release notes add LINE as a business message provider in the API but give no country list or interface availability.
Where can I see Search Lift metrics?
From v26, API-based tools can query 15 Search Lift metrics and a keyword bundle resource for campaigns linked to a lift measurement configuration. Google's post does not explain study eligibility or methodology.
v26 is a developer release, and for marketers the effects show up in reports, audits and campaign tools. If you want help checking which of your tools and campaigns are affected, talk to Relevant Audience about Google Ads.
