Apple is working on brings ads to its Maps app. The company has been laser focused on increasing its services revenue over the past few years, and its attempt to roll-out ads in its Maps app is the next step towards that effort.
The company had previously rolled out Search Ads in the App Store on iPhone and iPad. Developers can buy ad sports to promote their apps and games. However, the company ensured that the ads respect user privacy therefore App Store Search Ads results are not tied to personalized ads. It is expected that Apple will have the same approach towards its ads in Maps.
As per Bloomberg, Apple has been working since a few years to bring more ads to iOS. These ads are expected to have a better interface compared to competitors like Google, and Apple will also use AI to ensure that results are relevant to the user.
It is important to note that Apple has previously been called out for upselling services like Apple TV, Apple Music, AppleCare+ and Fitness+ inside iOS. The company also has ads already inside the News and Stocks app, and the aforementioned Search ads in App Store. Even the Apple Wallet app shows offers and promotions, and the company only recently added a toggle to disable them.
As expected, users are not happy with the slow and gradual onslaught of advertisement throughout the operating system and Apple’s first-party apps. Apple takes pride in being a hardware-first company yet it is willing to push ads to users that use its premium devices, whether they pay for services like Apple One or not. One important point to note is that these ads are still restricted to mostly Apple’s own apps so users can chose not to use them or ignore them. Other companies like Samsung and other Android OEMs even show ads on the lock screen, home screen and the places of the operating system that cannot be ignored.
Let’s hope Apple does not eventually do that too.
