SAN FRANCISCO — Apple plans to introduce paid advertising within its Maps application in the United States and Canada this summer, expanding its services business and entering a market largely dominated by Google, the company said Tuesday, March 24, 2026. The move marks a significant shift for Apple as it deepens its presence in digital advertising while maintaining its emphasis on user privacy.
The new feature will allow businesses to promote their locations within Apple Maps search results. Paid listings will appear alongside existing organic results, giving advertisers increased visibility to users searching for nearby services, restaurants or retail locations. Apple said businesses will be able to manage their presence through a set of updated tools designed to help them claim and customize their listings.
The company also announced plans to revamp its business tools next month, aiming to make it easier for organizations to manage their digital presence and deploy Apple devices across their workforce. Among the changes, Apple will make certain device management features free that were previously offered as paid services.
Apple did not disclose projected revenue from the Maps advertising rollout or provide data on how frequently users engage with the Maps app across its installed base of approximately 2.5 billion active devices. However, analysts say the move could provide an additional stream of growth for the company’s services division, which has become a key driver of revenue and profit.
“The introduction of ads in Apple Maps could represent an incremental opportunity for Apple’s services business,” said Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson. “Apple gets much of its growth and profits from the services business, and this could add another layer of growth.”
The expansion into map-based advertising places Apple in more direct competition with Alphabet’s Google and Meta Platforms, both of which generate significant revenue from location-based and targeted advertising. Google, in particular, has long dominated the digital maps and local search advertising space through its Google Maps platform.
Apple has historically positioned itself as a privacy-focused alternative to competitors that rely heavily on data-driven advertising. In line with that approach, the company said its new Maps advertising system will be designed to protect user privacy. Apple stated that users’ location data and interactions with ads will not be tied to their Apple accounts.
The company also emphasized that personal data will remain on users’ devices and will not be collected, stored or shared with third parties. These safeguards are intended to align with Apple’s broader privacy policies, which it has used as a key differentiator in the technology sector.
The timing of the announcement comes as Apple faces increasing pressure on some of its most profitable business segments. Its App Store commission model is under regulatory scrutiny in Europe and other markets, while its long-standing agreement with Google—under which Google pays billions of dollars annually to remain the default search engine on Apple devices—faces uncertainty amid shifting search trends driven by artificial intelligence.
At the same time, Apple’s growing push into advertising has drawn criticism from competitors and regulators. Companies such as Meta and several European publishers have raised antitrust concerns, arguing that Apple’s privacy policies restrict third-party data collection while allowing Apple to expand its own advertising ecosystem.
The addition of ads to Apple Maps signals a broader effort by the company to diversify its revenue streams and strengthen its services portfolio. As competition intensifies in both advertising and artificial intelligence, Apple appears to be positioning itself to capture a greater share of the digital advertising market while maintaining its privacy-first messaging.
The rollout is expected to begin later this summer, with further details likely to be announced as the launch approaches.