According to information provided by Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to integrate promotional material directly into its Maps application. This change might be unveiled as soon as this month, with iPhone users beginning to see the advertisements over the summer.
It’s highly probable that the functionality will mirror the way ads are displayed in Google Maps or the Yelp app, where retailers and various brands can participate in bidding wars to feature their promotions based on specific user searches. Generally speaking, advertising within Google Maps hasn’t proven to be particularly intrusive, leading to the hope that Apple will adopt a comparable approach.
The revenue generated from these ads has the potential to significantly bolster Apple’s services division, which currently generates an annual revenue of $100 billion. This segment accounts for roughly 25% of Apple’s yearly total income but is facing headwinds both immediately and in the longer term, as global regulators push for alterations to the company’s policies governing the App Store platform.
Apple representatives have not yet offered official statements regarding the potential introduction of advertising to the Maps app. Nevertheless, it’s understood that this concept has been under internal discussion since last year, with chatter about potential ad placement circulating since 2022. Considering that Apple already displays ads within the App Store and the News application, the addition of such content to the mapping service wouldn’t constitute a complete surprise.
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