Apple is working to introduce sponsored locations in Apple Maps as soon as 2020, in what could be the biggest sign yet of the company’s efforts to get serious about competing with Google’s local advertising business, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The change would place sponsored listings into local search, where restaurants, retailers, and service providers bid for exposure when users look for nearby businesses.
For Apple, the opportunity is obvious: people searching in maps are closer to making a decision and frequently have money to spend. The task will be to safeguard Apple’s hard-earned reputation for privacy and user experience while creating a new revenue stream within one of the company’s most widely used apps.
What sponsored results in Apple Maps might look like
Look for the same old playbook, gussied up with an Apple sheen. Think “sponsored” or “promoted” results at the top of local queries like “pizza near me,” unique map pins, and upgraded place cards with buttons to book a reservation, order delivery, or buy something via Apple Pay. Google Maps mainstreamed these mechanics with Local Search Ads and “promoted pins.” Apple’s spin, according to Bloomberg, is going to rely on interface polish and AI-assisted relevance: the ads that float up will conform more precisely to context like time of day, intent signals, and travel patterns.
Apple already has the ingredients. Apple Business Connect allows retailers to claim and enhance place profiles, so related Maps features — including Guides, Ratings, and Look Around — offer high-intent surfaces where paid placements could exist without being interruptive. CarPlay and turn-by-turn navigation introduce more inventory designed for safety, though they’re not reading the minds of passengers because Apple really shouldn’t be messing with attention and distraction.
Why Apple is interested in a local ads business
Services is Apple’s growth driver, posting all-time high results in the past few years. In its final complete fiscal year, Apple reported that its Services revenue had exceeded $85 billion, driven in large part by App Store sales, subscriptions, and licensing. Analysts at Insider Intelligence and Morgan Stanley have estimated Apple’s current ads business to be in the mid-single-digit billions annually — with headroom for growth as Apple adds formats and surfaces.
Maps is among Apple’s most prized yet under-monetized assets. Sponsored listings, as an example, could even at low penetration be a significant, low cost-of-sales source of revenue given Apple’s disclosed installed base of 2.2B+ devices in the market today. Local search is especially powerful because it captures commercial intent — a user searching for “tailor open now” has much stronger purchase intent than an idle browser.
Balancing Apple Maps ads with its privacy promises
Apple’s privacy standing makes traditional ad targeting more difficult. App Tracking Transparency significantly limited cross-app tracking and reshaped the wider mobile ad market. If Apple serves Maps ads, the world will see its targeting and measurement in action — without it betraying its principles. They will likely rely more on on-device processing, aggregated measurement, and rules based on context rather than identity — such as “in the vicinity of a stadium” rather than following a person from app to app.
The company has long insisted that it can provide relevance without pervasive tracking, and Maps may be the best proving ground. The signals from location and context of the query are strong by themselves. If Apple can show off conversions — calls, directions requests, table reservations — using privacy-preserving analytics along the way, it supports its story about how useful ads don’t need invasive data practices.
How merchants and competitors could be impacted by ads
A Maps ads product would offer small businesses another lever beyond the likes of Google, Yelp, and social platforms. Anticipate familiar pricing models like cost-per-tap for sponsored place cards or pay-per-action for calls and reservations. Apple’s command of the commerce stack — Apple Pay, “Tap to Pay on iPhone,” and native bookings through partners — could allow for closed-loop attribution, a key selling point for merchants that desire to know if an ad led directly to a real visit or transaction.
For rivals, Apple’s arrival sets the bar higher for user experience. Google Maps largely towers over the local discovery space and Waze’s branded pins are already a significant incumbent, but Apple has deep integrations with iOS, Siri, and CarPlay that provide it unique distribution. More so than anything else, it’s really up to Apple to keep ad load low and relevance high so it can compete on quality of trust and polish rather than sheer placements.
What to watch next as Apple tests sponsored Maps ads
Key signals will be whether Apple tests ads in a few select markets, opens up self-serve buying within Apple Business Connect, or activates outside partners such as reservation platforms for premium placements. Look for new disclosure requirements around measurement, opt-out controls, and ad labeling — all likely to be a focus of regulators that could apply not just in the EU but other markets too (especially in the wake of DMA).
If done right, Maps ads could grow into a robust, privacy-forward business for local ads. If not, Apple stands to alienate users who chose its ecosystem to steer clear of the sense that every screen is for sale. The company’s next moves will demonstrate whether it can thread the needle between monetization and minimalism in one of its most vital apps.
