Apple Maps may soon include advertisements.

Apple intends to incorporate paid advertisements into Apple Maps potentially as early as next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This change would allow businesses to pay for enhanced visibility within search results.

The plan to introduce paid ads to Apple Maps is reportedly gaining momentum and could launch next year, according to a report from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg.

Instead of banner ads, businesses like restaurants and stores could pay to have their listings appear more prominently when users search in the app. Gurman points out that this is similar to the Search Ads in the App Store, where developers can pay to rank higher in search results.

Google Maps has been doing this for a while. When searching for "coffee" on Google Maps, the top result is often a "Sponsored" pin. It is common when using a "free" service from an advertising company.

Apple's brand is built on premium hardware and being a privacy-focused alternative. This move could face customer criticism.

Gurman notes that customers are already bothered by frequent upselling of Apple services like Apple TV+ and AppleCare+ on their devices. Adding third-party ads to Maps may be viewed as an "unseemly money grab," potentially cheapening the premium experience.

Although this move seems inevitable, it may be disappointing. While Google Maps is powerful and accurate, its ad-focused nature can be annoying. Apple Maps provides a clean and straightforward UI.

Gurman's sources suggest Apple's ad interface will be "better" and use AI. However, a "better" ad is still an ad and a distraction.

This change is for increasing Apple's Services revenue.