Apple to start showing ads in App Store

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple says it will start showing paid ads when people search for apps in its mobile store.

It’s also encouraging app makers to sell more apps on a subscription basis, by promising them a bigger cut of revenue when consumers maintain their subscriptions for at least a year.

Apple is hoping the changes starting this summer will bring in more money for itself as well as for independent software developers who make apps for the iPhone or iPad.

Consumers spent more than $20 billion in the App Store last year, but with more than 1.5 million apps available, developers say it’s getting more difficult to compete for attention.