Sources: Apple is preparing to introduce ads in Maps, letting retailers and brands bid for ad slots against search queries, to be announced as soon as in March
Apple Inc. is preparing to introduce advertising in its Maps app, part of a broader push to generate more money from services.
BloombergMark Gurman
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple has been extending paid placement formats from the App Store, including Search tab campaigns, making Maps a logical next intent-driven surface rather than an isolated ad experiment.
Retailers and brands would gain a prospective paid route to reach users making location-based searches, while organic Maps visibility could face competition from sponsored placements.
Apple would add a new services-revenue product tied to local-search intent, with ad eligibility and placement rules becoming consequential to participating businesses.
Second-order effects
Local businesses and agencies may need to divide search-marketing budgets across another Apple-owned auction surface; incumbent local-search ad channels would face a new destination for those budgets.
A consolidated Apple Business toolset could reduce onboarding friction for merchants, linking business management more closely to paid discovery.
Third-order effects
If Apple repeats the App Store model across more high-intent surfaces, its services strategy shifts toward monetizing distribution and discovery within its own consumer interfaces.
The later policy limits suggest this expansion will make platform ad-governance decisions—especially category eligibility—a durable part of competition in local commerce.
The trend: Apple is turning owned, high-intent product surfaces into advertising inventory, increasing revenue per active device without relying solely on hardware sales.
A baffling move? Retreating from a competitive advantage (trust, privacy) in pursuit of ad dollars that AI might devour anyway
@scottjwillis
Scott Willis on x
That's a bummer, one of the big advantages of Apple Maps over google
@markgurman
Mark Gurman on x
The system will work similarly to App Store ads. Retailers, restaurants etc will be able to bid for search terms. So if you search for “coffee,” the highest paying local coffee shop will be shown first as an ad. Also similar to Google and Yelp.
@zacbowden
Zac Bowden on x
OH HOW THE TABLES TURN
@natashaturak
Natasha Turak on x
Good thing nobody uses Apple Maps because it's garbage already. But yeah, great way to thank your customers for spending $1000+ to buy your phone
@hamztalkshoops_
@hamztalkshoops_ on x
Missing my exit on the highway because I got a 30 second un-skippable Kalshi ad [image]
@cartidise
Noah Cat on x
Apple is launching WHAT
@presidentlin
@presidentlin on x
Apple won't get into ads, that's for Zuckerborg, they care about protecting users. [image]
@dylanbyers
Dylan Byers on x
😕
@nadzi_mouad
Mouad on x
well who says that apple care about it's users, cuz apparently that's not the case anymore
@eric_seufert
Eric Seufert on x
Last April, in a piece titled Apple's advertising ambitions, I posited that Apple's introduction of view-through attribution to the AdServices API — as well as the renaming of Apple Search Ads to, simply, Apple Ads — could portend the introduction of ads to Apple Maps. [image]
@travisketchum
Travis Ketchum on x
Boo 👎 One of the reasons I like Apple Maps vs Google is the clean UX.
@trungtphan
Trung Phan on x
The Apple Maps turnaround is impressive. ▫️iPhone started with Google Maps ▫️broke up after Google withheld voice-guided navigation (competitive advantage for Android) ▫️in 2012, started using TomTom data but sucked so bad Tim Cook apologized ▫️now spent billions mapping >4 [vide…
@markgurman
Mark Gurman on x
NEW: Apple is launching ads in Apple Maps in search this summer in major advertising expansion. It'll be announced as early as this month. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@pinboard
@pinboard on x
iMaps already autodialing the local tow truck guy for you as you follow the phone's instructions to drive into a lake
@arik.org
Arik Hesseldahl on bluesky
I've been happily using Apple Maps and switched from Google Maps about three years ago, so I don't get why people hate on it. I don't love the idea of ads being worked into it though, but I can't see myself switching back so long as the basic user experience remains the same.
@rani
Rani Molla on bluesky
Now this will finally get people to use Apple Maps www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
r/apple
r on reddit
Apple to Introduce Search Ads in Maps as Services Revenue Grows
r/technology
r on reddit
Apple will reportedly start stuffing ads into the Maps app
r/enshittification
r on reddit
Apple Is Set to Put Ads in Apple Maps in Services Push