Apple Confirms Local Ads Coming to Apple Maps in Canada This Summer

Looks like the rumours of ads coming to Apple Maps is true after all. Apple has officially announced the launch of Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform for companies that confirms the arrival of sponsored ads within Apple Maps for Canadian users.

Starting this summer, businesses in Canada and the U.S. will be able to pay for local ads to appear during search and discovery moments in the Maps app.

“Apple Business is a significant leap forward in our decades-long commitment to helping companies of all sizes leverage the power of Apple products and services to run and grow,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Enterprise and Education Marketing. “We’ve unified Apple’s strongest business offerings into one simple, secure platform, delivering key features for organizations in every stage and sector, including built-in device management, collaboration tools, and additional ways to reach new customers. We can’t wait to see how Apple Business helps companies spend more time focusing on what they love and connecting deeply with their communities.”

Ads will appear at the top of search results based on relevance and within a new Suggested Places section that highlights trending locations and recent searches. Apple says these ads will be clearly marked for transparency and claims the system is built with a privacy-first approach that does not associate a user’s location or ad interactions with their Apple Account.

Here’s what it will look like. You can see how ads have a light blue hue to them and say “Ad”:

Beyond advertising, the Apple Business platform replaces several existing services, including Apple Business Essentials and Apple Business Manager. Launching on April 14 in over 200 countries, the service will be free to use and includes built-in mobile device management (MDM) to help businesses set up and secure employee iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

The platform also introduces integrated business email and calendar services. Companies will now be able to set up professional email addresses using their own custom domains directly through Apple. This is paired with a new company directory and scheduling tools designed to keep employees connected.

For current business users, Apple confirmed that existing data from Apple Business Connect will automatically migrate to the new platform next month. Businesses looking to run ads will first need to claim their location through the new interface before the ad functionality goes live later this season.

So why ads? That means more services revenue for Apple, this time directly from businesses trying to get in front of dedicated eyeballs. Do you use Apple Maps or Google Maps?