Apple Maps has been trying to get closer to Google Maps for close to 15 years now, and has done a pretty good job overall. Some folks even prefer Apple’s option! However, here’s one feature we didn’t want the iPhone-maker to emulate. You guessed it… Ads. God-forsaken ads in Apple Maps on iPhone, iPad and Mac
Although we’ve known this was going to happen since March, Apple has now started rolling out ads in Apple Maps, according to a report from The Verge. They’re apparently rolling out in the US and Canada right now, which are the initial launch territories for the feature.
The ads will appear as the first entry in the Suggested Places section, but also at the top of search results, much like they do on the App Store. They will be identified as such by the same blue ad icon we’ve seen before in on the app portal. Apple is confirming the launch with a pop-up notification when users open the Maps app.
It reads: “Maps may show local ads based on your approximate location, current search terms, or view of the map while you search. For your privacy, advertising information is not linked to your Apple Account.”
Apple announced the feature in March, but was quick to assure users that no personal data would be used in serving the ads. In the spring, Apple said: “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.”
So while Google’s ads are very much informed by things the user may have searched for, Apple’s are not. While that’s heartening from one perspective, it does mean they may be slightly less useful in terms of abiding to users personal preferences.
Apple has slowly been embracing ads n recent years, beginning with the App Store. Thankfully the company is steering clear of adding them to Apple TV and apps like Mail.
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