Google Now Pulls Your Social Videos Into Performance Max by Default: What Clinics Should Check

What Google changed

Google's help page, About sourced videos in Performance Max campaigns, now says sourced videos are enabled by default for all new campaigns. It adds that the setting may have been turned on automatically in some existing campaigns as part of a recent platform update, even where nobody enabled it.

Search Engine Roundtable reported the change on 23 October 2026, after Hana Kobzová spotted the edit to the help document. The setting shows a "New" label in the campaign's asset optimization section, described as "Use videos from other channels". In practice the feature has moved from opt-in to opt-out.

How sourced videos work

From Google's help page:

• It is a campaign-level setting in Performance Max, under the asset group's Asset optimization drop-down.
• Google only uses sources you approve. These can include social media platforms, the campaign's landing page and your linked YouTube channel. You manage them under "Manage sources".
• Google chooses the videos by relevance, expected performance and format fit, such as aspect ratio.
• Up to 10 crawled videos can be added to each asset group, next to the videos you uploaded or generated.
• Videos refresh on a recurring basis. A video deleted from its original platform is removed from Google Ads too.
• Sourced videos go on a Google-owned YouTube channel branded with your logo and business name, sending viewers to your landing page.
• Eligibility: the campaign needs a daily budget above $5, and the feature is rolling out in stages, so some accounts may not see it yet.

Why clinics should look at this today

Most clinic Instagram and TikTok accounts hold content that was never made for paid ads: treatment clips, before-and-after reels, staff videos, influencer collaborations and patient testimonials. Paid ads face stricter rules.

• DHA content rules apply to the ad. The DHA Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media require written patient consent for images and testimonials, limited to the purpose and period agreed. A reel a patient agreed to for your Instagram page is not automatically cleared for a YouTube ad campaign.
• Before-and-after content. DHA conditions include the same patient, the same lens and no editing, plus a statement that results are not guaranteed. Google's own policy is stricter: it lists before-and-after images of medical procedures as an example of a violation in ads. See our guide to before-and-after photos in UAE clinic ads.
• Claims in old videos. A two-year-old clip saying "the best laser clinic in Dubai" breaks DHA wording rules the moment it runs as an ad.
• Disapprovals cost reach. If Google pulls in a video that breaks healthcare policy, the asset gets disapproved and you lose time sorting it out. Repeated violations can put the account at risk.

This follows the same pattern as Meta's AI ad edits: the platform adds content automatically, and the advertiser stays responsible for it. See our report on Meta's new terms, now delayed to 20 November.

How to check and switch it off

1. In Google Ads, open Campaigns and select a Performance Max campaign. Use the gear icon to edit settings.
2. In the Asset group section, open the Asset optimization drop-down.
3. Find Sourced videos. If it is ticked and you have not reviewed every video it can reach, untick it.
4. If you want to keep it, open Manage sources and approve only sources you control and have checked, for example a YouTube channel that holds approved ads only.
5. Select Apply and save. Repeat for every Performance Max campaign, and again whenever you create a new one, because new campaigns start with it switched on.
6. Go to Assets, filter to the campaign and look for sourced videos already serving. Remove anything your medical director has not approved.

While you are in Asset optimization, check the other automated options too, such as landing page images and text customisation. On a clinic account, every automated asset needs a review before it runs.

New to Performance Max? Start with our Performance Max guide for clinics. Access One manages Google Ads for clinics across the UAE and reviews automated asset settings on every account. See how we run clinic campaigns.

Frequently asked questions

What are sourced videos in Google Ads?

A Performance Max setting that lets Google's AI find videos from sources you approve, such as your social media accounts, landing page and YouTube channel, and add up to 10 of them to each asset group.

Are sourced videos on by default?

Yes, for new Performance Max campaigns. Google's help page says the setting may also have been switched on in some existing campaigns during a recent platform update.

Can Google use my Instagram videos without my approval?

Google says you need to approve the sources from your video portfolio before it can use the videos. Check the Manage sources list, because approving a whole account approves everything on it.

Should a clinic turn sourced videos off?

In most cases, yes, unless every video on the approved sources has patient consent for advertising and meets DHA and Google healthcare rules. Upload approved videos manually instead.

Where do sourced videos appear?

On Performance Max video inventory such as YouTube. Google uploads them to a Google-owned YouTube channel branded with your logo and business name.

Sources

• Google Ads Help: About sourced videos in Performance Max campaigns
• Search Engine Roundtable: Google Ads Asset Optimization Sourced Videos On/Off Toggle (23 October 2026)
• DHA: Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media
• Google Ads policy: Healthcare and medicines

Published 24 Oct 2026 · Access One