Apple reveals businesses that won’t be allowed to advertise on Apple Maps

Apple had already confirmed that it is planning to bring ads to Apple Maps, but the company has now clarified that not every business will be allowed to advertise on the platform. Ahead of the rollout of ads on Apple Maps, the iPhone maker has quietly published a new advertising policy that bans several categories of businesses from buying ads on Maps.

Notably, Apple has announced that ads will be coming to Apple Maps, but the company is yet to give a final date for when they will begin rolling out.

“Ads on Apple Maps will be available to businesses starting this summer in the U.S. and Canada. Ads will appear in the Maps app on iPhone and iPad,” the Cupertino-based tech giant said in a blog earlier this year.

These businesses won’t be allowed to advertise on Apple Maps

Under the new Apple Advertising Services policy, businesses offering home services such as plumbing, electrical work, locksmith services, HVAC, pest control, roofing and general contracting will not be allowed to run ads on Apple Maps.

Apple has also banned bail bond services and cryptocurrency ATM operators from advertising on the platform. Meanwhile, advertisements related to medical services will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis before approval.

“Ad content that contains or directly or indirectly promotes ATMs for cryptocurrencies is prohibited,” Apple wrote in a document published this week.

The Apple advertising policy also prohibits ads related to deceptive claims, profanity, political campaigns, weapons, violence, controlled substances and other prohibited content.

In contrast, Google allows many home services businesses to advertise through its Local Services Ads programme after completing additional verification checks.

How Apple Maps ads will work

According to a TechCrunch report, Apple plans to show only one sponsored listing in Maps search results. The promoted business will be marked with a blue halo around its map pin and labelled as an advertisement in the Suggested Places section.

Apple also says that information about the ads users interact with will remain on the device and will not be collected by the company or shared with third parties.

Apple announced ads in Apple Maps in March as part of its new Apple Business platform. The company said businesses will first need to claim their location on Apple Maps before creating ads. It also noted that advertisements will appear at the top of relevant search results and in the Suggested Places section.

However, the iPhone maker has promised that users’ locations and their interactions with Apple Maps are not linked to their Apple Account. Their personal data will remain on-device and will not be shared with third parties.

“Ads on Maps builds on Apple’s broader privacy-first approach to advertising, and maintains the same privacy protections Maps users enjoy today. A user’s location and the ads they see and interact with in Maps are not associated with a user’s Apple Account. Personal data stays on a user’s device, is not collected or stored by Apple, and is not shared with third parties,” the company wrote in its blog.