Week of Jan 5, 2026
16 changes logged the week of Jan 5, 2026, 3 high impact; 1 took effect. Open this week in the change history.
Google Ads
- Prediction market ads permitted in the US for CFTC-regulated entities
From January 21, 2026, Google allows ads for prediction markets in the US only from federally regulated entities such as CFTC-designated contract markets or NFA-registered brokerages, subject to Google certification. Source
- Rummy and daily fantasy sports ads prohibited in India
To comply with Indian law, Google prohibited all promotion of Rummy and Daily Fantasy Sports targeting India from January 21, 2026. Source
- Direct Offers pilot launched, surfacing exclusive discounts inside AI Mode for high-intent shoppers
Google opened a Direct Offers pilot at NRF that lets retailers present exclusive, personalized discounts inside AI Mode conversations when Google's AI detects high purchase intent. Initially focused on discounts, with bundles and free shipping planned. Source
- Change history report gained a 'Go to' dropdown to jump straight to edited campaigns and ad groups
A new 'Go to...' button appeared in the Change history report, letting advertisers navigate directly to the affected campaign or ad group. PPC specialist Arpan Banerjee first flagged it on LinkedIn. Source
- Online gambling ads opened in Belarus for licensed operators
From January 22, 2026, operators authorized by Belarus's Ministry of Taxes and Duties or other relevant bodies may be certified to advertise poker, sports betting, casino games and state lotteries. Source
- Personalized advertising policy reorganized for clarity
Google restructured the Personalized advertising policy page for readability; the substance and enforcement were unchanged. Source
- Google Ads was found to be the primary programmatic buyer of X (Twitter) ad inventory
Martech consultant Jonathan D'Souza-Rauto showed that Display, Video partner, Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns can land on X placements at very low CPMs because Google Ads buys X's programmatic supply. Google had not documented X as a placement. Source
Merchant Center
- Multi-channel products unified; separate IDs required when online and in-store attributes differ (March 2026)
From March 2026 Merchant Center manages products sold both online and in store as a single product, with online attributes as the default. Merchants needing different price, availability or condition per channel must submit two products with distinct IDs. Content API local-channel updates for multi-channel products are rejected. Source
- Promotions expanded to subscription discounts, common abbreviations and Brazil payment-method offers
Merchant Center promotions now support amount-off or percent-off discounts and free trials on subscription costs (eligibility "Subscribe and save" / redemption_restriction subscribe_and_save), common shorthand such as BOGO and MSRP in promotion text, and, in Brazil, promotions requiring a specific payment method. Source
Google Ads API & Scripts
- Google Ads API closed to new adopters of IP address and session attributes in conversion imports
From February 2, 2026 the Google Ads API no longer accepts session attributes or IP address data in click conversion imports from developer tokens that had not already used them; new adopters receive CUSTOMER_NOT_ALLOWLISTED_FOR_THIS_FEATURE and are directed to the Data Manager API. Source
Google Tag & Tag Manager
- Google tag gateway for advertisers via Google Cloud Platform launched in beta
A one-click integration inside GTM and Google tag settings deploys the gateway on Google Cloud's external Application Load Balancer, routing measurement through the advertiser's first-party infrastructure. Source
- Unannounced 'data transmission controls' found in Google tag settings to restrict ads, analytics, diagnostics
Google tag settings in Google Ads, GA4 and Campaign Manager 360 gained controls that decide what is sent when consent is denied: advertising data (limited with redacted identifiers, or blocked), behavioral analytics data and diagnostic data can each be restricted. Simo Ahava flagged the setting in December 2025 as 'basically a Basic Consent Mode type control on top of an Advanced Consent Mode setup'. Source
Microsoft Ads
- Copilot Checkout launched in the US with PayPal, Shopify and Stripe; Brand Agents opened to Shopify merchants
Shoppers can complete purchases inside Copilot without leaving the chat, starting on Copilot.com in the US with Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Ashley Furniture and Etsy sellers. Shopify merchants are auto-enrolled; PayPal and Stripe merchants apply. Brand Agents became available to Shopify stores via Microsoft Clarity. Source
- High fat, sugar and salt food ads disallowed in the UK from January 5, 2026
Microsoft's food policy blocks HFSS product advertising to UK users in line with the UK's restrictions on less healthy food advertising. Source
- Performance Max search theme limit doubled from 25 to 50 per campaign
Advertisers can add up to 50 search themes per Performance Max campaign. Source
Search Console
- Links report began showing sharply lower external link counts
In early January 2026 the Links report showed far fewer external links for many sites (over 50% lower in some cases), an apparent reporting bug rather than a change in the link graph. Source
Took effect this week
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