Apple Plans to Bring Ads to Maps, Expanding Its Growing Ad Business

Apple is preparing to introduce advertising in its Maps app, part of a broader push to generate more money from services, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported Monday. An announcement could come as early as this month, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The initial rollout is set for this summer in the U.S. and Canada.

Ads in Apple Maps will be similar to ads in Google Maps, with retailers and brands able to bid for placement associated with search categories. Starbucks, for example, might display an ad when someone searches for coffee. Restaurants will be able to bid for search terms, and the highest bidder's ads will appear at the top of the results for a given term. Apple plans to display ads in the iPhone app, Mac app, iPad app, and on the web. Apple declined to comment on the plans.

The feature is nearing completion, according to people familiar with the matter. The Maps expansion follows a series of moves Apple has made to deepen its advertising footprint. In March 2026, Apple added multiple ad slots inside App Store search results, rolling out first in the U.K. and Japan before expanding to other markets. The company added ads to the App Store's Today tab back in 2022, and has expanded advertising into Apple News and its podcast platform as well.

Apple rebranded its advertising division from "Apple Search Ads" to "Apple Ads" in April 2025, a signal, in retrospect, of ambitions that stretched well beyond the App Store. The advertising division is led by Todd Teresi, who reports to Senior Vice President Eddy Cue.

The financial stakes are significant. Apple's services division broke $100 billion in revenue for the full year of 2025, with advertising projected to contribute $8.5 billion in 2026, according to Emarketer. Services now account for more than a quarter of total company revenue, up from less than 10% a decade ago.

Revenue from Maps ads could make up for current and future changes to the App Store that could limit Apple's earnings, or from the loss of any search deals with Google due to ongoing regulatory issues. Apple's search deal with Google, worth billions annually, faces uncertainty as AI-powered search tools continue to grow and regulatory pressure on the arrangement increases.

Ads in Apple Maps will work a lot like search ads in the App Store, except that instead of sponsored slots for app installs, Maps search results will include sponsored businesses. With over a billion active iPhone users globally, Apple's default navigation app represents a sizable new surface for local advertisers, particularly given the premium demographics of the iPhone user base.

A new suite of Apple Business offerings is also set to arrive April 14, though Apple has not detailed what that package will include or whether it connects directly to the Maps advertising platform. The convergence of Maps ads, expanded App Store placements, and the Apple Business rollout points to a company methodically building the infrastructure for a scaled advertising operation, one that is no longer incidental to its hardware and software business.