Apple has confirmed that advertising is coming to Apple Maps, with ads set to begin appearing as early as this summer. The announcement, first reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on March 23, was confirmed by Apple the following day alongside the launch of a new business platform called Apple Business.
The system will function similarly to Google Maps and Yelp: retailers and brands will bid for sponsored placement tied to search queries. A coffee shop, for example, could bid on the term "coffee" and appear at the top of local results for that search. The highest bidder for a given category in a given location wins the placement. Ads will run across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web version of Apple Maps.
Apple Business, the platform through which Maps ads will be sold, launches April 14 in more than 200 countries. The free service also includes tools for businesses to manage employee groups and device settings. The initial advertising rollout is targeted at the U.S. and Canada.
The move is part of a broader expansion of Apple's advertising business, which was rebranded from Apple Search Ads to Apple Ads in April 2025. Apple's services division surpassed $100 billion in annual revenue in 2025, with advertising projected to contribute approximately $8.5 billion in 2026, according to Emarketer. Maps ads would extend Apple's ad footprint beyond the App Store, where the company already sells sponsored placements in search results and on the Today tab.
The expansion also comes as Apple faces pressure on its existing revenue streams. The company's multibillion-dollar default search deal with Google is under increased regulatory scrutiny, and the rise of AI-powered search tools has added uncertainty to its long-term value. Maps advertising provides Apple a new, high-intent surface to offset potential losses in that area.
Apple Maps has more than one billion active iPhone users globally, with a user base that skews toward higher-income demographics in markets like the U.S. and U.K.
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