Apple will soon allow businesses to buy advertisements in its Maps app. In an announcement on Tuesday, Apple says ads may appear at the top of your search results in Maps, as well as in a new “Suggested Places” list. They will arrive in-app in the US and Canada this summer.
The company describes its Suggested Places feature as an experience that displays recommendations “based on what’s trending nearby, the user’s recent searches, and more.” It notes that it will clearly mark ads in the app, and that a “user’s location and the ads they see and interact with in Maps are not associated with a user’s Apple Account.” Apple maintains that it doesn’t collect user data or share it with third parties, as it’s all stored on-device.
The news comes just one day after Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple planned on allowing businesses to bid on certain keywords in Maps, like “sushi,” allowing their location to appear at the top of a user’s search results. Apple says ads in search results will appear “based on relevance.”
Retailers and restaurants purchase ads in Maps by joining Apple’s new Business platform, which is set to replace its previous initiatives: Apple Business Connect, Apple Business Essentials, and Apple Business Manager. The platform, which launches on April 14th, is free and allows companies to manage apps, emails, security, cloud storage, and more across a range of devices. Businesses can also access their brand profile, edit how their company appears in place cards across Apple’s apps, manage tap-to-pay settings, and more from the Apple Business platform.
