Ads are coming to Apple Maps as part of a new Apple Business service aimed at helping firms connect to local customers, and not pushing those users away to rival map apps.
Rumors of ads on Apple Maps first circulated back in 2022, but reports of them arriving recently escalated. Now Apple has confirmed that firms will be able to place local ads in Apple Maps from summer 2026.
While the ads are coming to the US and Canada at an as-yet unspecified date, they are part of the new Apple Business which launches in over 200 countries on April 14. Apple Business brings together device management as well as promotional tools.
"Apple Business is a significant leap forward in our decades-long commitment to helping companies of all sizes leverage the power of Apple products and services to run and grow," Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Enterprise and Education Marketing said in a statement. "We've unified Apple's strongest business offerings into one simple, secure platform, delivering key features for organizations in every stage and sector, including built-in device management, collaboration tools, and additional ways to reach new customers."
Privacy first
Ads in Apple Maps will now appear when a user searches for something, such as a broad category such as "supermarkets." Apple says that they will appear there based on relevance, and will be labelled as ads.
At the same time, the existing Suggested Places feature of Apple Maps will gain ads too. These ads will be shown based on the user's recent searches.
But Apple insists that all of this is done without any impact on user privacy. In a new Apple page about the ads, the company says that nothing is shared with advertisers.
"Maps with ads is just as private as Maps without ads," it says. "Personal data stays on your device, is not collected or stored by Apple Ads, and is not shared with third parties."
Apple Business
The new service replaces previous ones such as Apple Business Connect, which launched in 2023. The existing Apple Business Essentials iOS app will also be replaced by a new Apple Business one.
Once Apple Business has launched in April 2026, businesses need to register and claim their location. Then when Apple Maps ad launch, firms and ad agencies will be able to book ads tied to those locations.
Apple Maps ads will appear across Mac, iPhone, and iPad, — image credit: Apple
While place an ad will of course cost businesses money — Apple has yet to reveal its rates — the rest of Apple Business is free for them to use. So alongside advertising, the service offers:
- Brand profiles (running logos across Apple Maps and other apps)
- Rich place cards (photos and detailed information on Maps locations)
- Showcases and custom actions (highlighting deals)
- Location insights (analytics data on customers)
- Branded communication (company brand shown in Apple Mail)
- Tap to Pay on iPhone (company logo on Apple Wallet)
The launch of ads in Apple Maps during April 2026, follows the same expansion in the App Store during March 2026.
