Apple is preparing to launch advertising in Apple Maps as early as next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The move would allow restaurants and local businesses to pay for promoted placement in search results, similar to Google Maps. This represents Apple's biggest expansion of its advertising business since launching App Store ads, potentially signaling a broader shift toward monetizing iOS services.
Apple just crossed a line many thought it never would. The company is preparing to introduce advertising directly into Apple Maps, marking its most aggressive expansion into ad-supported services since launching App Store promotions.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the rollout could begin as early as 2025, with local businesses able to pay for premium placement when users search for restaurants, cafes, and other brick-and-mortar locations. The model mirrors what Google has done with Google Maps for years - but it represents a fundamental shift for a company that's long positioned privacy and ad-free experiences as core selling points.
The timing isn't coincidental. Apple's services revenue growth has been slowing, and the company faces mounting pressure to diversify beyond hardware sales. Apple already generates billions from App Store ads, but Maps represents a much larger canvas for monetization given its integration across iOS.
"This could be part of a larger strategy to introduce more advertising in iOS," Gurman notes in his report. That's the real story here - Apple Maps ads aren't just about competing with Google's local search revenue. They're a testing ground for how far Apple can push advertising across its ecosystem without alienating users who've come to expect a premium, ad-free experience.
Apple plans to differentiate itself through what sources describe as a "better interface" and AI-powered targeting that shows more relevant results than competitors. The company's machine learning capabilities could theoretically deliver more contextual ads - showing coffee shops during morning commutes or restaurants during dinner hours.
But here's where it gets tricky for Apple. The company has spent years criticizing Google and Meta for their ad-driven business models, positioning itself as the privacy-conscious alternative. CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly hammered competitors for treating users as products to be sold to advertisers.
