Your Apple maps experience might be getting ads soon

Just when you thought Apple’s ecosystem was a safe haven from ads, think again. According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is “gaining traction” on its plan to bring paid ads to Apple Maps, with a potential launch as early as next year.

This isn’t about pop-up banners. The idea is to let businesses, like restaurants or shops, pay to have their listings featured more prominently when you search within the app. Gurman notes this concept is very similar to the Search Ads we already see in the App Store, where developers can pay to get the top slot in search queries.

We all know that Google has been doing this for ages in Google Maps. If you search for “coffee” in Google Maps, the first result or two is often a “Sponsored” pin. It’s just part of the deal when you use a “free” service from an advertising company.But that’s the whole point—Apple isn’t supposed to be an advertising company. They sell premium, expensive hardware and have built their entire brand on being the privacy-first, user-focused alternative. This is where Apple faces a huge risk of backlash.

As Gurman points out, customers are already annoyed by the constant upselling for Apple’s own services like Apple TV+ and AppleCare+ on devices they paid a premium for. Adding third-party ads to a core utility like Maps just feels like an “unseemly money grab,” as Gurman aptly puts it. It risks cheapening the entire premium experience.

Gurman’s sources claim Apple’s ad interface will be “better” and use AI to be “relevant.” But let’s be blunt: a “better” ad is still an ad. It’s a distraction from the one thing I want Maps to do: get me from point A to point B.

This move isn’t for users. It’s for Apple’s ever-growing Services revenue spreadsheet.

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