"The big risk Apple faces here is a potential consumer backlash. Some customers are already unhappy that the iPhone has been turned into a digital billboard for services like AppleCare+, Apple Music, Apple TV and Fitness+. The company also pushes web-like ad slots within Apple News. When you consider that an iPhone can cost up to $2,000, some see this as an unseemly money grab."
"According to the report, the internal iOS advertising effort is 'gaining traction', and Apple now has a plan to bring advertising to Apple Maps sometime next year. Soon enough, businesses will be able to pay for more prominent appearances within search on Apple Maps. Gurman describes it as 'quite similar' to how advertising works on the App Store, where developers can target key words for search."
Apple is planning to introduce paid advertising within Apple Maps search in 2026 as part of a broader push to expand advertising across iOS. Businesses will be able to pay for more prominent appearances in Maps search results, using keyword-style targeting similar to the App Store. Initial implementation reportedly will not include first-page ad placement, but will rely on AI to prioritize relevant and useful results and to improve the interface compared with competitors. The change raises a significant risk of consumer backlash because some users already view the iPhone as a digital billboard for Apple services and ad placements in system apps. A potential debut window is spring 2026, possibly in iOS 26.4 or 26.5.
Read at 9to5Mac
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]