Disrupt 2026 has officially begun. Grab your pass now to be at the center of the startup epicenter. REGISTER NOW
Disrupt doors open Oct. 13. Get your pass and bring someone with you at 50% off. REGISTER NOW.
Latest
AI
Amazon
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
Enterprise
EVs
Fintech
Fundraising
Gadgets
Gaming
Google
Government & Policy
Hardware
Instagram
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
Privacy
Robotics
Security
Social
Space
Startups
TikTok
Transportation
Venture
Staff
Events
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Newsletters
Podcasts
Videos
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Contact Us
Apple on Tuesday announced that it will begin to allow advertisers to target customers on Apple Maps, starting in the U.S. and Canada later this summer. The ads will be available to any size business that has a physical location and has already created a business listing on Apple Maps. Users, meanwhile, will see the ads appear next to relevant search results.
The ads are part of a revamped business offering Apple is calling Apple Business, which includes an integrated email, calendar, and directory service, as well as tools for managing employee devices.
Apple says it will only show users one ad in its Maps’ search results. The ad will also be clearly marked with a small blue halo around the pin on the map and will be clearly labeled as an ad in the list of Suggested Places, similar to how ads appear on the App Store.
Bringing ads to one of Apple’s flagship first-party applications offers the company an opportunity to generate an additional, and potentially sizable, revenue stream without having to radically change its product or disrupt the user experience. Already, consumers are poised to expect ads in places like maps, after years of using Google Maps, which has long had ads as a major component. The offering could add billions to Apple’s bottom line as its ads business continues to grow globally.
The company said that its ads will protect users’ privacy, as data about the ads that users interact with isn’t associated with their Apple account. Users’ personal data stays on the device, isn’t collected or stored by Apple, and isn’t shared with third parties, Apple said.
To create an ad and run a campaign, a business must first have an Apple Maps listing. They can then upload photos, add a promotional message, and set a budget that works for them. Apple uses automated matching to place the ad in front of users who are actively searching for a similar business. The advertiser can choose to start or stop their campaign at any time.
Larger advertisers can choose to do more advanced customization, like scheduling times their ad will run or targeting specific locations.
The addition of ads in Maps was previously reported by Bloomberg, which noted that ad placement would involve a bidding process. Apple today confirmed the ads will use an auction-based pricing system, as is standard in the industry. Advertisers only pay when they get a desired outcome, like a view or tap on their ads.
The expansion of Apple’s advertising business comes alongside a broader change to its business offerings, which sees the company combining its different business tools and services into one.
Instead of having to visit different URLs for things like Apple Business Connect, Apple Business Essentials, and Apple Business Manager, the whole suite will now just be called Apple Business. It will be offered in 200 countries and regions as of April 14, 2026.
For the first time, businesses will have access to an employee directory and a new set of productivity tools, including an email and calendar under the business’ domain. Employee accounts come with 5 GB of free iCloud storage, and U.S. businesses can buy upgraded plans starting at $0.99 per user per month (up to 2 TB of storage per user). Companies can also choose to pay for added support with AppleCare+ for Business, priced either per user or per device, starting at $6.99/month.
The new offering includes a variety of free tools for businesses of all sizes, including an MDM product for distributing apps to employees, which has been improved with new features and will now also be offered for free (before it was a paid product).
Smaller businesses will be able to use preconfigured “Blueprints” to help them set up their employee devices without the need for advanced technical expertise. Business owners or admins will simply pick the apps they want to provide staff, and the settings will already be configured on their behalf. Larger companies will be able to manage app deployments via an API, according to Apple.
Topics
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Get 50% off a second pass
The Disrupt experience is meant to be shared. Get your pass and bring a colleague, partner, or peer at 50% off. Cover more ground by making connections, building momentum, and discovering what’s next in the startup ecosystem.
Elon Musk intensifies attack on Ambani over Starlink India launch delay
Batteries are now cheaper than natural gas turbines used at many data centers
Remember Orkut? Its founder wants to bring it back
US bars Microsoft, Adobe, and major IT firms from green card program for skilled foreign workers
Elon Musk questions Ambani’s influence as Starlink India launch stalls
Cal AI’s 19-year-old founder just raised $10M for his new AI startup
Google releases a new local-first Granola competitor
© 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.
