YouTube Ads for App Installs: How to Run Them (2026)

YouTube ads for app installs run through two Google Ads campaign types, not a YouTube-only product. App campaigns include YouTube as one of several networks and place your videos automatically. Demand Gen campaigns with the App promotion goal let you build the video ads yourself and choose YouTube channels such as Shorts and in-stream. Video action campaigns no longer exist as a separate option.

We already compare every Google route for apps in Google Ads for mobile apps and walk through App campaign setup in the Google App Campaigns guide. This article looks only at the YouTube side: which campaign puts you on YouTube, which placements your video can reach, the video specs that apply, and what to measure. Facts are taken from Google Ads Help.

Two routes onto YouTube for installs

	App campaigns (installs)	Demand Gen (App promotion goal)
How YouTube is included	One of the networks Google distributes to, alongside Search, Google Play, Discover and the Display Network	A channel you can select manually, or include through "All Google channels"
Placement control	None at placement level	Channel controls per ad group
Creative	You supply assets (up to 20 images, 20 videos and 20 HTML5 files); Google assembles the ads	You build video, image or carousel ads
Bidding options	Target cost per install, target cost per action, target ROAS, or Maximize conversions	Maximize conversions, target CPA, Maximize conversion value, target ROAS, Maximize clicks
Audience	Automated	Your data segments, lookalike segments, custom segments, interests and demographics

The short version: App campaigns are the default install engine, and YouTube is part of it whether you plan for it or not. Demand Gen is the route when you want YouTube specifically, with your own video creative and audience choices.

Route 1: App campaigns, where YouTube is one network of several

According to Google Ads Help, App campaigns show ads across Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, Discover and the Google Display Network. You can't pick YouTube on its own or exclude it at placement level; delivery follows your goal, assets and conversion data.

What this means for YouTube:

Your videos are the YouTube input. Google Ads Help requires App campaign videos to be hosted on YouTube, in landscape, portrait or square orientation. When you create an App campaign for installs, you can add up to 20 each of images, videos and HTML5 assets.
No video means Google may make one. If you don't add videos, Google Ads may create a video ad from your campaign assets and app store listing. That keeps you eligible for video inventory, but you lose control over what the ad shows.
Bidding is set at campaign level. The install setup offers target cost per install, target cost per action and target return on ad spend, or Maximize conversions without a target. Our Smart Bidding guide explains how these learn.

If you want more YouTube delivery from an App campaign, the lever is the creative you give it: supply videos in all three orientations rather than relying on one horizontal cut.

Route 2: Demand Gen with the App promotion goal

Demand Gen is Google's campaign type for YouTube (including Shorts), Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Google Display Network. When you create one, App promotion is among the advertising goals, alongside Sales, Leads and Website traffic. Google Ads Help notes that for app promotion your app should be available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

What makes Demand Gen the YouTube-focused route:

Channel controls. You can set channels manually instead of selecting all Google channels, so an ad group can serve on YouTube placements only. Google notes that not every channel is available for every ad.
You build the ad. Demand Gen offers video ads (a single video), image ads and carousel ads. For YouTube, the video ad is the one that matters.
Audience choice. You can target your data segments, lookalike segments, custom segments, interests and detailed demographics.

Demand Gen is also where Google's older YouTube conversion campaigns went. Google Ads Help states that all Video action campaigns have been upgraded to Demand Gen as of May 2026, so tutorials telling you to create a Video action campaign for installs are out of date. The same shift happened on the Display side, covered in our Google Display Network guide.

YouTube placements your video can reach

Google Ads Help lists Demand Gen videos as eligible for YouTube Shorts, YouTube in-stream, YouTube Home, YouTube Search and YouTube Watch Next, as well as Discover, Google video partners and the Display Network. Each YouTube surface treats a viewer differently:

Placement	How the viewer meets your ad (Google Ads Help)	What it means for an install ad
Skippable in-stream	Plays around other videos; viewers can skip after 5 seconds	The app and its core use need to be clear before the skip button appears
In-feed	Appears in YouTube search results, alongside related videos and on the mobile Home feed; people click to watch	The thumbnail and headline do the work of earning the click
Shorts	Shows between organic Shorts; users can skip right away by swiping	Vertical, native-looking video that makes its point immediately

These are behaviors of the placements, not performance claims. Which one drives cheaper installs for your app is something only your own test will show.

Video specs that apply to app install ads

For Demand Gen video ads, Google Ads Help gives these specs:

Orientation	Aspect ratio	Recommended HD size
Horizontal	16:9	1920x1080
Square	1:1	1080x1080
Vertical	4:5	1080x1350
Vertical (recommended for YouTube Shorts)	9:16	1080x1920

Two duration rules matter for planning:

The minimum video length is 5 seconds.
Videos shorter than 10 seconds can't serve on YouTube in-stream. A 6-second cut built for Shorts won't reach in-stream inventory.

For App campaigns, Google asks for YouTube-hosted videos in landscape, portrait or square. A practical approach that fits both routes is to produce one concept in 16:9, 1:1 and 9:16, keep at least one version at 10 seconds or longer, and show the app itself on screen early, since in-stream viewers can skip at 5 seconds and Shorts viewers can swipe at once.

Measure installs before you spend

YouTube is an upper-funnel surface for many viewers, so campaign optimization depends on conversion data you send back. Google Ads Help describes the setup:

Installs. A download conversion action tracks installs after people interact with your ad. For Android apps, download conversions can be tracked automatically through Google Play.
In-app actions. Custom in-app actions are tracked with Firebase or a third-party app analytics provider by adding the relevant code to your app. First opens are captured by default by Firebase or most third-party app analytics providers.
iOS. Google notes that privacy measures introduced for iOS 14 users may affect conversion tracking.

If you bid for in-app actions or value rather than raw installs, those events have to arrive reliably first. Our mobile ad attribution guide covers the measurement layer in more depth, and the same measurement-first logic applies on Meta, as described in Facebook ads for app installs.

Where Web to App Connect fits

Web to App Connect is not an install route. In a September 5, 2025 announcement, Google extended it to YouTube ads, Hotel ads and Demand Gen campaigns, in addition to Performance Max, Search and Shopping. It sends ad clicks into your app for people who already have it installed. Use App campaigns or Demand Gen to acquire installs; use Web to App Connect when you already run web-focused YouTube campaigns and want existing app users to land in the app.

Also note that YouTube app promotion doesn't use keywords. Keyword match types only apply to Search campaigns; if you run those alongside, see Google Ads keyword match types.

Common mistakes

Looking for a YouTube-only App campaign. App campaigns don't offer placement selection. Use Demand Gen channel controls if you need YouTube-only delivery.
Following Video action campaign tutorials. Google has upgraded all of them to Demand Gen.
Uploading only horizontal video. Shorts favors 9:16, and App campaigns accept landscape, portrait and square, so a single 16:9 file limits where you fit well.
Cutting every video under 10 seconds. Those versions can't serve on YouTube in-stream.
Launching before conversion tracking works. Without install and in-app events, bidding has nothing to optimize toward.
Skipping the store listing check. App campaigns build ads from your listing, and Demand Gen app promotion expects the app to be live on Google Play or the App Store.

If your offer relies on a web-based app rather than a store listing, a progressive web app is a different path; see Progressive Web Apps as an APK alternative for app ads.

FAQ

Can I run YouTube ads for app installs only on YouTube?

Not with App campaigns, which distribute across Search, Google Play, YouTube, Discover and the Display Network without placement selection. Demand Gen campaigns with the App promotion goal let you set channels manually, so an ad group can be limited to YouTube placements.

Are Video action campaigns still available for app promotion?

No. Google Ads Help states that all Video action campaigns have been upgraded to Demand Gen as of May 2026. Use Demand Gen with the App promotion goal instead.

What video length works for YouTube app install ads?

For Demand Gen, the minimum is 5 seconds, and videos under 10 seconds are ineligible for YouTube in-stream. Keep at least one version at 10 seconds or longer if you want in-stream reach, and a 9:16 version for Shorts.

Do I need Firebase to track installs from YouTube ads?

Not for Android installs, which can be tracked automatically through Google Play with a download conversion action. To track in-app actions, Google Ads Help says to use Firebase or a third-party app analytics provider.