Google Ads to remove manual language targeting and update bidding rules

Google is implementing several significant updates to its advertising platform. In September 2026, Google Ads will remove the ability to manually adjust language targeting settings. The company stated that its ad systems will use enhanced AI to automatically select the most relevant language based on user search context, aiming to simplify targeting and reduce errors. While single-language campaign structures will continue to function, users of the Google Ads API must stop including language criteria for new Search campaigns.

Additionally, a bidding change scheduled for August 17 affects a specific subset of campaigns. According to Google Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin, the update only impacts campaigns that simultaneously meet three criteria: they must be using a target, be constrained by a limited budget, and be overachieving their stated target. Campaigns using Target CPA or Target ROAS without a binding budget cap, or those not meeting their targets, remain unaffected by this specific change.