Ads have started appearing in Apple Maps, following Apple's announcement in March that it would let businesses pay for top spots. The Verge reports the ads are showing up on an iPhone as the first entry in the suggested-places section in search, and Apple says they will also appear at the top of search results. According to 9to5Mac, the ads began rolling out this week, and more users in the US and Canada will soon begin seeing them as the rollout expands.
π The Backstory
Apple's push to expand services and advertising revenue has reached the navigation app, which for years felt ad-free. The company had telegraphed the move since March, and the 9to5Mac reporting indicates a deliberate rollout in phases, beginning in the US and Canada rather than all at once. As Apple Maps becomes more important for navigation and local search, sponsored suggestions now form a new line of services revenue for the company.
π― Why It Matters
The arrival of ads marks a significant turning point for a part of Apple's core iPhone experience that had long felt ad-free: an expansion of its services revenue that users in the US and Canada are now beginning to encounter in everyday searching.
Ads have started appearing in Apple Maps, following Apple's announcement in March that it would let businesses pay for top spots. The Verge reports the ads are showing up on an iPhone as the first entry in the suggested-places section in search, and Apple says they will also appear at the top of search results. According to 9to5Mac, the ads began rolling out this week, and more users in the US and Canada will soon begin seeing them as the rollout expands.
Apple's push to expand services and advertising revenue has reached the navigation app, which for years felt ad-free. The company had telegraphed the move since March, and the 9to5Mac reporting indicates a deliberate rollout in phases, beginning in the US and Canada rather than all at once. As Apple Maps becomes more important for navigation and local search, sponsored suggestions now form a new line of services revenue for the company.
The arrival of ads marks a significant turning point for a part of Apple's core iPhone experience that had long felt ad-free: an expansion of its services revenue that users in the US and Canada are now beginning to encounter in everyday searching.