Google Ads will switch on automated promotions by default on 12 October

From 12 October 2026, Google Ads will pull promotions such as coupons and deals from advertisers' own websites and attach them as promotion assets to eligible Search and Performance Max campaigns, unless the advertiser switches the feature off. Only campaigns that have location assets linked and no promotion assets of their own qualify. The feature is not new: Search Engine Roundtable reported Google's new help document on automated promotions on 7 September 2026. The news is Google's email telling advertisers that the setting will be on by default from 12 October, which turns the feature into an opt-out decision with a fixed date.

What Google's email to advertisers says

Search Engine Roundtable published the text of the email on 5 October 2026, after Arpan Banerjee sent the outlet a copy via LinkedIn. In it, Google Ads says that starting 12 October 2026 it "will automatically identify and extract high-quality promotions, such as coupons and deals" from the advertiser's website and apply them directly to campaigns, "without requiring any manual setup". A note in the same email limits the scope to Search and Performance Max campaigns with linked location assets that do not already have promotion assets attached.

The email also gives the way out. Advertisers who do not want the feature are told to open their account-level automated assets settings, find Automated promotions and select Off. The email says Google is automatically opting advertisers in and that they can opt out at any time, so the advertisers who want to stay out are the ones who have to act. It also says the new assets will appear in the Assets section of the account once they begin serving, and that assets with zero impressions will not appear there. The outlet also noted that Google launched automated promotions some time ago and that the email is Google now communicating the change to advertisers.

Two things the email does not settle. It does not list countries or languages, and Search Engine Roundtable described it as going to "some advertisers", not all of them. An account owner who did not receive it should not read that as proof the account is outside scope. The help documentation describes the feature in general terms and does not name any market exclusions.

How automated promotions work, according to Google's help article

Google's help page, About Automated promotions, sets out the mechanics. Google Ads identifies promotional offers on the advertiser's website landing pages and attaches them to eligible campaigns as promotion assets. Its worked example is a landing page that advertises "20% off on black sweaters": Google extracts the deal and can then show the 20% discount in search results when people look for those products. A second example on the page is a "Buy one get one free" offer.

The help article lists three eligibility requirements:

• an active Search or Performance Max campaign with location assets attached, which Google says includes Local Ad campaigns;
• no manual promotions currently running on that campaign;
• compliance with standard Google Ads advertising policies.

Google says the system bypasses any campaign that already has manual promotions running, for both campaign types. It also says sourced promotions may serve alongside ads on Google Search "or across Google's broader ad inventory", with the aim of driving both online and offline conversions. The page does not define which parts of that wider inventory are included.

The under-24-hour serving window

The detail most advertisers will want to read twice is the serving window. According to the help article, each automated promotion is eligible to serve for a limited time of less than 24 hours. After that, it may be re-enabled, but only as long as Google's systems can keep verifying that the promotion is still visibly available on the website. Google adds that this is expected to change in the future, once it can extract promotion start and end dates from pages. In the benefits section, Google also claims that its verification means only active, non-expired offers are shown.

On a plain reading, this ties what appears in the ad to what is visible on the site. If a sale banner stays up after the offer has ended, the page itself still says the deal is live, and Google's description gives no other signal it would use to know otherwise. The help article's own advice points the same way: keep the website's promotional details up to date, or upload promotions manually when exact control over what is shown is needed, such as specific start and end dates.

Documented in September, default-on from 12 October

The timeline matters, because the feature and the default-on switch arrived at different times. The table below separates what Google's help article already documented from what the email added, and where each fact comes from.

The help article still carries step-by-step instructions for opting in, ending with an option labelled "On (recommended)". That suggests the setting previously needed an active choice in at least some accounts. Google has not said how many accounts already had it on, or whether an account that had already chosen Off will keep that choice after 12 October. Checking the setting after the date is the only way to be sure.

How to check whether your account is affected

The steps below use the navigation in Google's help article. Menu labels can differ slightly between accounts and interface versions.

1. List the campaigns that qualify. Find every Search and Performance Max campaign that has location assets linked, including Local Ad campaigns. If none do, Google's description says the feature does not apply to the account.
2. Note which of them already run manual promotions. Google says those campaigns are bypassed. Campaigns with location assets and no manual promotion are the ones that will receive automated promotions.
3. Open the setting. Go to Assets in the Campaigns menu, select the More (three-dot) icon in the filter bar and choose Account level automated assets. On that page, open the three-dot menu, select Advanced settings and find the Automated promotions drop-down.
4. Decide on or off before 12 October. Choosing Off may prompt Google to ask for a reason. Google's help article only describes this account-level switch; it does not mention a campaign-level toggle.
5. Audit what appears after the date. In Assets, filter by Asset type and choose Promotion. Automated promotions are labelled "Google AI" in the Added by column. Hovering over Google AI shows sourcing details, and hovering over the promotion name shows asset details such as the headline.

For measurement, Google recommends segmenting campaign reports by click type to see how people interact with the offers. It also advises looking at overall campaign impressions and conversions, saying broader campaign performance "often improves significantly" even when clicks on the promotion itself look low. That is Google's own claim, and the help page offers no figures to back it, so it is worth testing against the account's own numbers instead of taking it on trust.

Three ways to respond before 12 October

Leave it on and tidy the website

If the business is comfortable with Google quoting its website offers, the work moves to the site. Because Google says each promotion serves for under 24 hours and is re-enabled only while its systems can verify the offer is still visible on the page, the practical control is the page itself: remove expired banners promptly, make sure offer conditions sit next to the headline discount, and avoid leaving old campaign pages live and indexable. This is the route that needs the least ad-account work but the most discipline from whoever edits the website.

Add manual promotions where control matters

Google's help article says campaigns with manual promotions running are bypassed, and that advertisers can upload promotions manually when they need to control the exact content, including start and end dates. For a campaign where the wording of the offer has to be exact, a manual promotion asset gives the advertiser the text and the dates while also keeping automated promotions away from that campaign. It also means someone has to keep those manual promotions current.

Switch it off for the whole account

Setting Automated promotions to Off removes the question entirely. Given that the help article describes only an account-level switch, this is the simplest choice for accounts where promotions need legal or brand sign-off, where website offers are aimed at members or app users only, or where nobody can commit to auditing the "Google AI" assets after launch. The setting can be revisited later.

What this means for Thai marketers

This section is analysis of how the change could play out in Thailand, not something Google has said. The timing is awkward for Thai retail. The 10.10 sale falls on 10 October, two days before the default switches on, and 11.11 and 12.12 follow within weeks. Any website offer that carries conditions, such as a minimum spend, a specific payment card, an app-only code or limited stock, is a risk here: a promotion asset is a short line of text, and those conditions may not travel with it.

The location-asset requirement narrows the impact to businesses that link physical locations to their campaigns, such as retail chains, restaurants, clinics, car dealers and other multi-branch businesses. For them the risk is a mismatch between channels: an online-only discount on the website could appear next to an ad meant to drive branch visits. Clinics and other regulated categories should also check that any promotional wording Google might lift from their pages would pass their own compliance review.

Google has not said whether automated promotions extract offers from Thai-language pages, or how well. Thai advertisers who leave the feature on should check the "Google AI" promotion assets closely in the first weeks. Advertisers who want help deciding which campaigns to protect can look at how Google Ads management handles asset governance before peak season.

What Google has not said

• Which countries and languages the default-on change covers.
• How Google decides that a promotion is "high-quality" enough to extract.
• Whether an account that already chose Off keeps that setting on 12 October.
• Which placements outside Google Search count as "Google's broader ad inventory" for these assets.
• When the planned change to read promotion start and end dates will arrive.

Until Google fills these gaps, the safe assumption is that any Search or Performance Max campaign with location assets and no manual promotion can show a website offer from 12 October.

FAQ: Google Ads automated promotions

When do automated promotions turn on by default in Google Ads?

Google's email to advertisers says automated promotions start on 12 October 2026 and are on by default, so accounts are opted in unless they choose Off. Search Engine Roundtable published the email on 5 October 2026.

Which campaigns can get automated promotions?

Only Search and Performance Max campaigns with location assets attached and no manual promotions running are eligible, according to Google's help article and email. Local Ad campaigns are included in Google's description. Campaigns without location assets are outside scope.

How do I turn off automated promotions?

Go to Assets, open the More (three-dot) icon in the filter bar, choose Account level automated assets, then open the three-dot menu, select Advanced settings and set Automated promotions to Off. Google may ask for a reason when the feature is switched off.

How can I see whether Google added a promotion to my ads?

Filter Assets by Asset type Promotion and look for "Google AI" in the Added by column. Hovering over that label shows where Google sourced the offer, and hovering over the promotion name shows details such as the headline.

Is this live in Thailand?

Google has not said which countries the 12 October default applies to. The help article describes the feature without market exclusions, so Thai advertisers with eligible campaigns should check the setting instead of assuming they are excluded.

Next step

The decision is small but time-bound: check which campaigns carry location assets, decide whether website offers should appear in them, and set Automated promotions accordingly before 12 October. Retailers heading into 11.11 and 12.12 may also want to review how site promotions, feeds and ads line up as part of their wider e-commerce marketing plan.