Google Ads API v23: Complete Guide to the January 2026 Update

Google Ads API v23 is the latest version as of 2026, released on January 28. The update adds NLP-based audience building, network-level breakdowns for Performance Max campaigns, and minute-level campaign scheduling.

Google switched to monthly API releases in 2026, so versions now move faster. Here's what changed in v23 and what you need to do about it.

Generative AI Audience Building

The biggest addition in v23 is a new endpoint, AudienceInsightsService.GenerateAudienceDefinition, that builds audiences from plain-text descriptions.

How It Works

Building an audience in Google Ads used to mean clicking through lists of interests, demographics, and behaviors. The new endpoint accepts a text string describing who you want to reach and returns a structured audience definition with the targeting parameters filled in.

// Example request to GenerateAudienceDefinition
{
  "customer_id": "1234567890",
  "audience_description": "Eco-conscious parents in urban areas looking for sustainable wooden toys",
  "country_code": "US"
}

The API returns a complete audience definition including:

• Relevant affinity segments and in-market audiences
• Demographic parameters (age ranges, parental status)
• Geographic targeting suggestions
• Related interest categories

Who this helps

This is useful if you don't have someone who knows the Google Ads targeting taxonomy inside out, or if you want to quickly test audience ideas without building each one by hand. If you're still setting up your Google Shopping infrastructure, it removes one more thing to learn.

Enhanced Performance Max Transparency

One of the persistent complaints about Performance Max is that you can't see which network — Search, YouTube, Display, Discover — actually drove your results. V23 adds network-level breakdowns to PMax reporting, so you can finally answer that question. This matters for Shopping reporting especially.

Available Metrics by Network

You can now query the following metrics broken down by network for your PMax campaigns:

Metric	Description
metrics.clicks	Clicks by network (Search, YouTube, Display, Discover)
metrics.impressions	Impressions by network
metrics.conversions	Conversions attributed to each network
metrics.conversions_value	Revenue attributed to each network

What you can do with this

With this data, you can see where your PMax spend actually went. You might find that YouTube drove most of your conversions while Display generated impressions but little else. For a complete list of available fields, see our Google Ads API metrics reference.

You still can't control how PMax allocates budget between networks, but knowing the breakdown helps you:

• See where your PMax results actually come from
• Show stakeholders concrete data when justifying PMax spend
• Spot whether PMax is cannibalizing your other campaigns
• Decide whether your campaign structure makes sense

Precision Scheduling

Until now, you could only schedule campaigns by calendar day using start_date and end_date. V23 adds start_date_time and end_date_time fields, so you can start and stop campaigns at a specific minute.

When this is useful

Some practical uses:

• Flash sales that start at exactly 12:00 PM and end at 11:59 PM
• Coordinating campaign launches across time zones without someone manually pressing go
• Syncing ad campaigns with product launches, live events, or broadcasts
• Timing campaigns to coincide with competitor promotions

// Example: Setting precision scheduling
{
  "campaign": {
    "start_date_time": "2026-02-14T00:00:00-05:00",
    "end_date_time": "2026-02-14T23:59:59-05:00"
  }
}

Migration Deadlines and Sunset Watch

If you don't migrate before a version sunsets, your API calls start failing. Also worth noting: conversion lag can skew your data during migration periods, so give it a few days before comparing metrics across versions.

Version Sunset Schedule

API Version	Status	Sunset Date
v18	Deprecated	March 2025 (Already Passed)
v19	Expiring Soon	February 11, 2026
v20 - v22	Active	Mid-to-Late 2026
v23	Current	January 2027

Additional Technical Improvements

V23 also includes smaller changes to billing, Demand Gen, and asset validation.

Granular Billing with InvoiceService

InvoiceService now maps costs to individual campaigns. Agencies managing multiple client campaigns can generate accurate billing breakdowns without manual reconciliation.

Demand Gen Surface-Level Insights

Demand Gen campaigns now show conversion rate predictions by placement:

• YouTube Shorts
• Gmail
• Discover feed

Asset Group Signals Validation

Asset Group signals now validate during setup, so mismatches between your creative assets and targeting get caught before the campaign goes live instead of after.

How to Prepare for the v23 Upgrade

Three things to do now:

1. Audit v19 usage

V19 sunsets February 11, 2026. Search your codebase for any remaining references:

# Search for v19 references in your codebase
grep -r "v19" --include="*.py" --include="*.js" --include="*.java"
grep -r "googleads/v19" --include="*.py" --include="*.js"

2. Update your client library

Google publishes official libraries for:

• Java
• Python
• PHP
• .NET
• Ruby
• Go

3. Try the audience endpoint

Send a few descriptions to GenerateAudienceDefinition in a test account and compare what the API returns against what you'd build manually. Get comfortable with its accuracy before using it in production.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

V23 is a solid update. NLP audience building saves time on targeting setup, and PMax network breakdowns answer a question advertisers have been asking since Performance Max launched.

What to do now:

• Audit and migrate any v19 integrations before February 11
• Update your client library to access v23 features
• Try GenerateAudienceDefinition in a test account
• Pull PMax network breakdowns and see where your spend actually goes

For more on the Google Ads API, see our metrics guide and Shopping segments deep dive. If you'd rather skip API management entirely, SKU Analyzer handles integration and version migrations for you.