Apple Maps Might Show Ads On iPhones As Early As Next Year

Apple is working on bringing advertisements to more places on the iPhone, with Apple Maps set to feature ads as early as next year. The detail comes from Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter, which says Apple's iPhone advertising efforts started a few years ago. Earlier this year, the Bloomberg reporter said that Apple was exploring the idea of featuring ads in Apple Maps, but there was no timeline for the project. Fast-forward to late October, Gurman says the advertising initiative for Apple Maps is "gaining traction."

The report says Apple will let businesses, including restaurants and other places of interest, pay to feature their details more prominently in Apple Maps search results. Gurman says the concept mimics Apple's approach to showing ads in the App Store. Companies can pay to have their software get a promoted slot when an iPhone or iPad user performs a search to find a specific application. The reporter notes that the ad experience in Apple Maps might be better than Google Maps, as Apple will offer a better user interface. It's unclear what that UI will look like, though. Finally, Gurman says Apple will use AI for advertising in Apple Maps to ensure the results are relevant and useful.

Gurman also notes that Apple might face consumer backlash over placing ads in Apple Maps. It's not about the navigation app specifically, but about Apple using more of the iPhone's digital real estate for advertising its own products, including AppleCare+, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Fitness+. The company also features ad slots in Apple News. iPhone owners might not be happy about seeing even more ads on their expensive devices. Apple customers already pay a premium for the iPhone, and they don't expect ads to be part of the experience.

Just a few months ago, Apple pushed ads for the F1 movie in the Wallet app, which is the kind of intrusive advertising people may not appreciate. However, seeing ads in Apple Maps would be different. It may be a more useful experience, going by what's available on Google Maps — one of the best navigation alternatives to Apple Maps. Google has been using ads in its navigation platform for more than a decade, including promoted pins that are prominently displayed on the map. It's unclear whether Apple will use similar ad placements, but the pins in Google Maps can be useful, as they can quickly highlight a place of interest the user would look for while out and about.