Google finally lets developers see where Performance Max ads actually run – PPC Land

Google Ads API v23 introduces channel-level reporting for Performance Max, enabling developers to break down ad performance across Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail, Maps, and Discover.
Google launched version 23 of its Google Ads API on January 28, 2026, following the January 27 release. The update introduces one of the platform’s most requested capabilities: granular channel-level reporting for Performance Max campaigns that reveals exactly where advertisements serve across Google’s advertising network.
The API advancement provides developers with unprecedented visibility into Performance Max campaign distribution. Starting with v23, API queries retrieve performance data segmented by individual channels including Google Search, Search Partners, Gmail, YouTube, Display, Discover, and Maps. This functionality operates at the campaign level, asset group level, and asset level, allowing precise tracking of how specific creative elements perform across different advertising environments.
Previous API versions returned a generic MIXED enum value when developers queried the ad_network_type segment for Performance Max campaigns. Version 23 fundamentally alters this behavior by returning specific channel breakdowns instead of the aggregated response. According to the announcement from Sarah Pollack of the Google Ads API Team, “This is a significant change in behavior. When you upgrade your queries to v23, you will begin to see more detailed results than in previous versions.”
The timing of this API release aligns with broader transparency improvements Google has implemented throughout 2025. Performance Max channel reporting first appeared in advertiser accounts on May 30, 2025, when the beta feature became available through the Google Ads user interface. That initial rollout provided advertisers with visibility into how campaigns delivered results across Google’s full range of channels and inventory, marking what many industry professionals described as the end of Performance Max operating as a “black box.”
The API implementation extends these reporting capabilities to programmatic interfaces, enabling developers to build automated reporting systems, integrate channel data with external analytics platforms, and create custom dashboards that surface channel-specific insights. Marketing technology vendors and agencies managing large-scale Performance Max implementations gain the technical infrastructure to analyze campaign distribution patterns across thousands of accounts simultaneously.
Developers must update client libraries to v23 to access the new reporting functionality. All supported client libraries received updates on January 28, with comprehensive code examples published through official documentation channels. The API team maintains detailed technical documentation and example queries in Performance Max reporting guides that developers can reference during implementation.
The behavioral change in v23 requires careful attention during migration. Reporting systems expecting the generic MIXED enum value will encounter specific channel breakdowns instead, potentially causing parsing errors or unexpected results in applications that haven’t been updated to handle the new response structure. According to the announcement, “Please ensure your reporting systems are prepared to handle these specific enum values instead of the generic MIXED result.”
Channel-level data only exists for dates on or after June 1, 2025. Performance reports querying data before this threshold will not return channel-specific breakdowns, even when using v23. This date limitation reflects when Google began collecting channel-level attribution data for Performance Max campaigns within its advertising infrastructure.
Asset group reporting through the API represents a significant differentiation from the Google Ads web interface. While channel reporting functions at the campaign, asset group, and asset levels via the API, reporting at the asset group level remains exclusive to programmatic interfaces. The Google Ads user interface does not provide asset group-level channel reporting, creating a capability advantage for developers building custom reporting solutions.
The channel breakdown introduced in v23 operates alongside segmentation fields that Google introduced in v22, released on October 15, 2025. Those earlier segments provide additional dimensions for analyzing Performance Max performance beyond basic channel attribution.
The ad_using_product_data segment enables developers to distinguish performance between advertisements utilizing Merchant Center product feeds versus those that do not. This segmentation proves particularly valuable for retailers running Performance Max campaigns with Shopping components, as it separates product feed-driven advertisements from other creative formats within the same campaign structure.
The ad_using_video segment isolates performance data for advertisement impressions that included video components. This allows developers to analyze video effectiveness independently from static image or text advertisements. For campaigns serving across multiple formats, this segment clarifies which creative types drive conversions most effectively.
Combining v23 channel reporting with v22 segmentation fields creates highly specific analytical capabilities. Developers can now understand the conversion value of video-based advertisements specifically on the YouTube channel versus the Display Network. Retailers can analyze Shopping advertisements on Search separately from Dynamic Remarketing advertisements on Display and video advertisements showcasing products on YouTube.
According to the announcement, “By combining these segments with the new v23 channel reporting, you can now gain highly specific insights, such as understanding the conversion value of video-based ads specifically on the YouTube channel versus the Display Network.”
Performance Max campaigns have reached substantial scale across Google’s advertising ecosystem. The platform serves over one million active advertisers, representing significant adoption since the campaign type’s general availability in November 2021. The automated campaign format utilizes machine learning algorithms to optimize advertisement placement, bidding, and audience targeting across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps.
Google’s continued investment in Performance Max reporting reflects advertiser demands for greater transparency in automated campaign management. The platform launched more than 90 quality improvements in Performance Max throughout 2024 that increased conversions and conversion value by more than 10 percent for advertisers, operating automatically without requiring advertiser intervention.
Throughout 2025, Google systematically addressed transparency limitations in Performance Max campaigns. The company introduced channel performance reporting on November 6, 2025, expanding visibility across all campaigns while adding Waze advertisements for store goals campaigns in the United States. The company added network segmentation to Performance Max asset reports on September 30, 2025, enabling advertisers to track individual asset performance across channels.
These incremental reporting enhancements culminated in the API v23 release, which brings channel-level reporting capabilities to programmatic interfaces where developers can leverage the data for automated optimization workflows. The API advancement complements user interface improvements by providing technical infrastructure for sophisticated campaign management systems.
Google maintains three major API versions concurrently, with each version receiving support for approximately 12 months following release. Version 23 receives support through January 2027, with sunset timing subject to adjustment based on subsequent release schedules. Developers must upgrade client libraries and application code to access v23 features, though compatibility exists with v22.1 and v21.2 for organizations requiring gradual migration paths.
The release notes provide detailed migration guidance, including field deprecations, renamed metrics, and breaking changes requiring code modifications. Developers utilizing Performance Max reporting must update queries to reference new channel enum values and implement error handling for cases where channel-specific data may not exist for requested date ranges.
Organizations managing large-scale implementations should review channel breakdown handling and adjust reporting configurations accordingly. Applications that aggregate Performance Max data across multiple accounts or campaigns need logic to parse channel-specific responses and potentially reconstruct aggregated views when business requirements necessitate cross-channel summaries.
The Google Ads API Team scheduled a walkthrough event for developers implementing v23 features. These technical sessions provide implementation guidance and troubleshooting support for development teams transitioning from previous versions. Developers can reach Google Ads API support or start discussions on the Google Advertising and Measurement Community Discord server for technical assistance.
Channel-level reporting in v23 addresses fundamental challenges in Performance Max campaign management that have persisted since the campaign type’s launch. Marketing technology platforms can now build reporting interfaces that show precise channel distribution, enabling advertisers to understand where automated campaigns allocate budgets across Google’s advertising inventory.
The capability proves particularly valuable for agencies managing diverse client portfolios with varying channel preferences. Asset-level experimentation capabilities expanded to all Performance Max campaigns in January 2026, enabling advertisers to test creative combinations within single asset groups. Combined with channel-level reporting, these features allow systematic testing of creative performance across specific advertising environments.
Attribution modeling becomes more sophisticated when developers can analyze conversion paths across specific Performance Max channels. Marketing mix modeling and multi-touch attribution systems gain additional data points for understanding how different Google advertising surfaces contribute to conversion outcomes. This data integration supports more accurate return on advertisement spend calculations when advertisers operate campaigns across multiple platforms simultaneously.
The API advancement also facilitates competitive analysis and benchmarking initiatives. Marketing technology vendors building industry benchmark reports can analyze channel distribution patterns across anonymized campaign data, identifying trends in how different verticals or campaign types distribute across Google’s advertising network. These insights inform strategic planning and budget allocation decisions for advertisers planning Performance Max implementations.
Microsoft Advertising has pursued similar transparency initiatives for its Performance Max implementation, which launched globally in March 2024. Microsoft introduced share of voice metrics for Performance Max campaigns on November 10, 2025, providing historical data for impression share, click share, and lost impression metrics. The competitive dynamic between Google and Microsoft in automated campaign transparency influences how both platforms evolve their reporting capabilities.
Google’s API development patterns consistently emphasize enhanced automation capabilities and streamlined developer workflows. Version 21 introduced AI Max for Search campaigns on August 6, 2025, while version 22 added targetless bidding for App campaigns on October 15, 2025. These sequential releases demonstrate Google’s systematic approach to expanding API functionality across multiple campaign types and optimization features.
The documentation improvements that Google implemented on August 14, 2025 complement these technical advances by making existing and new features more accessible to developers. The unified documentation structure reduces implementation barriers for programmatic advertising management, enabling faster adoption of new capabilities like channel-level reporting.
Performance Max transparency has evolved significantly from the campaign type’s initial implementation. Early versions provided minimal visibility into where advertisements served or how budgets distributed across Google’s advertising inventory. Advertisers operating Performance Max campaigns relied on campaign-level metrics without understanding channel-specific performance patterns.
Google introduced performance_max_placement_view reporting in API v18 on October 16, 2024, which provided insights into where Performance Max advertisements displayed, whether on websites, mobile applications, or YouTube. This represented an early step toward granular placement visibility, though it lacked the channel-level attribution that v23 provides.
The progression from placement reporting to channel reporting reflects Google’s iterative approach to addressing advertiser transparency demands while maintaining the automated optimization that defines Performance Max campaigns. Channel-level data provides strategic insights without requiring manual campaign management, preserving the efficiency benefits that attract advertisers to automated campaign types.
Industry professionals have consistently requested greater transparency in automated campaign management. The brand guidelines implementation that concluded in July 2025 demonstrated Google’s willingness to add advertiser controls within automated frameworks. Channel reporting represents another example of balancing automation efficiency with advertiser visibility requirements.
Channel-level reporting through the API enables sophisticated data integration patterns that weren’t feasible with aggregate Performance Max reporting. Marketing analytics platforms can import channel-specific conversion data and combine it with customer lifetime value information from customer relationship management systems, creating comprehensive views of how different Google advertising channels contribute to long-term customer profitability.
The asset group-level reporting exclusive to the API provides granular insights for campaigns with multiple creative strategies. Advertisers testing different messaging approaches across product categories can analyze which asset groups perform best on specific channels, informing creative development priorities and budget allocation decisions across asset group structures.
Developers building custom dashboards gain flexibility to present channel data according to specific business requirements. Marketing teams may prefer visualizations showing channel mix over time, conversion efficiency by channel, or cost per acquisition comparisons across advertising surfaces. API access to raw channel data enables these customized analytical approaches without constraining organizations to predefined reporting templates.
The June 1, 2025 data availability threshold means organizations analyzing historical campaign performance must account for this limitation in their reporting systems. Queries spanning dates before and after June 1 will return mixed results, with aggregate data for earlier periods and channel-specific data for later periods. Reporting applications should handle this transition gracefully to avoid confusing end users.
Organizations implementing v23 channel reporting should begin with pilot projects that validate data accuracy and reporting system compatibility before rolling out to production environments. Testing queries against small account samples identifies parsing issues or unexpected response structures that might cause problems at scale.
Developers should implement comprehensive error handling for date ranges that precede the June 1, 2025 data availability threshold. Applications querying historical data need logic to gracefully handle cases where channel-level breakdowns don’t exist, potentially falling back to aggregate reporting or clearly indicating when granular data remains unavailable.
Documentation review proves essential during v23 migration. The PMax reporting guides contain detailed technical specifications for channel enum values, segment combinations, and response structures. Developers should reference these materials when building or updating reporting systems to ensure compliance with API specifications.
Organizations should consider how channel-level data integrates with existing marketing analytics infrastructure. Data warehouses may require schema modifications to accommodate channel dimensions, while business intelligence tools need updated queries to surface channel-specific insights. Coordinating technical implementation with business intelligence teams ensures reporting systems deliver actionable insights that align with organizational analytics frameworks.
Who: Google Ads API Team, led by Sarah Pollack, announced the update for developers and advertisers using the Google Ads API to programmatically manage Performance Max campaigns.
What: Google Ads API version 23 introduces channel-level reporting for Performance Max campaigns, replacing the previous MIXED enum value with specific channel breakdowns across Google Search, Search Partners, Gmail, YouTube, Display, Discover, and Maps at campaign, asset group, and asset levels.
When: Google released API v23 on January 27, 2026, with the announcement published January 28, 2026. Channel-level performance data is available for dates on or after June 1, 2025.
Where: The functionality is available globally through the Google Ads API v23 at campaign, asset group, and asset levels, with asset group-level reporting exclusive to the API and unavailable in the Google Ads web interface.
Why: The update addresses one of the most highly requested features from developers and advertisers seeking unprecedented transparency into where Performance Max advertisements serve, enabling deeper optimization and more granular performance insights across Google’s advertising network while complementing segmentation fields introduced in v22.
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