I’ll see how it works in practice. But I’m very likely to download the TomTom app and pay them $40 a year to avoid ads.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Lays Groundwork for Ads in Maps With iOS 26.5
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Not realistic anymore among a million other issues.
-BigMac-
macrumors 68030
Yea i’m not updating
Apple is planning to introduce ads to the Apple Maps app in the near future, and the iOS 26.5 beta lays the groundwork for the feature.
Code in the update says the following: "Maps may show local ads based on your approximate location, current search terms, or view of the map while you search."
Apple also says that a user's location and ads interacted with in Apple Maps are not linked to an Apple account to protect user privacy. Apple does not plan to collect or store Maps app data, or share it with third parties.
Last week, Apple said that ads are coming to the Apple Maps app for iPhone and iPad in the U.S. and Canada "this summer."
Businesses in the U.S. and Canada will be able to show ads in search results and at the top of a "Suggested Places" section in the app, which is new in iOS 26.5. Suggested Places displays recommendations for locations to visit based on trending places nearby, recent searches, and more.
Ads in the Maps app will have a clear "Ad" label, much like the ads shown in the App Store search results.
Article Link: Apple Lays Groundwork for Ads in Maps With iOS 26.5
I just switched back to Google Maps because of this. Why use a worse product if its main benefit is gone?
peejer
macrumors regular
How much is enough? Corporate greed sucks.
I would mind this less if their POI database wasn't such trash. It seems to just be cobbled together from Yelp and TripAdvisor and whatever other scraps they get. It's not great.
As much as I prefer Apple Maps for navigation, its knowledge of POIs is outdated, sparse and just flat-out insanely wrong much of the time. If I do find a new restaurant or something on there, I fact-check it elsewhere because I’ve been burned so many times before.
So now they're going to sell ads with the "real" places in them? Not loving this.
As much as I prefer Apple Maps for navigation, its knowledge of POIs is outdated, sparse and just flat-out insanely wrong much of the time. If I do find a new restaurant or something on there, I fact-check it elsewhere because I’ve been burned so many times before.
So now they're going to sell ads with the "real" places in them? Not loving this.
When using Apple Maps, I can''t wait to have these ads sprawled over the CarPlay 2 screens in the car as well. Hopefully they are done in a tasteful way, and we can thank Tim that they don't cover the speedometer and heater controls.
Disappointing. Only a matter of time before ads will be visible globally. While there will be privacy protection, having ads do not provide the best user experience.
Fortunately for me they could put whatever they want in there and I'll never see it as long as Google Maps is an option.
The trick to enshirtification is to make the product good first to entice people to use it, THEN stick ads in it. Apple couldn't pull off step one so they went straight to step two.
Now if you want to see something really disgusting, search for an app by name from a small developer that you know is a good app. And see how that one tiny result is sandwiched between two enormous ads now.
Seriously, if it's going to be full of ads everywhere and the experience is going to be constantly buggy and in flux, I may as well use Android and get a good keyboard.
Quick edit: and this just reminded me that switching default maps app is only allowed in the EU. They have already made the technology, but they purposely don't allow anyone to use it unless forced by law. So disgusting.
The trick to enshirtification is to make the product good first to entice people to use it, THEN stick ads in it. Apple couldn't pull off step one so they went straight to step two.
Now if you want to see something really disgusting, search for an app by name from a small developer that you know is a good app. And see how that one tiny result is sandwiched between two enormous ads now.
Seriously, if it's going to be full of ads everywhere and the experience is going to be constantly buggy and in flux, I may as well use Android and get a good keyboard.
Quick edit: and this just reminded me that switching default maps app is only allowed in the EU. They have already made the technology, but they purposely don't allow anyone to use it unless forced by law. So disgusting.
Last edited:
CarlJ
Contributor
If you search for "restaurant" and get an ad? That I don't care about so much. But if you're searching for a specific place and it puts up ads, it'll be maddening. E.g. you want to drive to your daughter's scheduled recital at "XYZ Event Hall", and the Maps app is all like "wouldn't you rather go to WXY Theater instead?".
The Maps app already has this annoying habit of treating requests for directions to specific locations as if I were asking for recommendations - I'll ask for directions to Ikea (I know where it is, I mostly want to know if there's some traffic-related reason I should take a non-obvious route), and it insists on adding "and it gets 3 and a half stars" and "would you like to try that one?" - it's IKEA, I already know what I'm getting into, and the next closest one is 75 miles away, why are you acting like I asked you to help me decide on "a furniture store"? Similar, I used to pick up my niece from preschool occasionally. I'd ask for directions to the preschool (same reason, there are several freeway routes and surface routes and I want to know which is fastest right now), and Siri wanted to spend time telling me that "the preschool is closing soon" - yes, that's why I'm picking up my niece, just give me the damn directions.
So if they want to put in ads when I say "please recommend a nearby Italian/whatever restaurant", fine (by the way, I never do that). But if they want to start / continue to mess with the query when I ask to go to a specific place, I'll be pretty annoyed, and may look at options (If they start putting "promoted" locations on the map display itself, I'm out). Frankly, if they want to make Maps+ that costs a dollar a month and has zero ads, I might even be okay with that (especially if Siri stops pretending to be a concierge who has just been asked for a restaurant recommendation).
The Maps app already has this annoying habit of treating requests for directions to specific locations as if I were asking for recommendations - I'll ask for directions to Ikea (I know where it is, I mostly want to know if there's some traffic-related reason I should take a non-obvious route), and it insists on adding "and it gets 3 and a half stars" and "would you like to try that one?" - it's IKEA, I already know what I'm getting into, and the next closest one is 75 miles away, why are you acting like I asked you to help me decide on "a furniture store"? Similar, I used to pick up my niece from preschool occasionally. I'd ask for directions to the preschool (same reason, there are several freeway routes and surface routes and I want to know which is fastest right now), and Siri wanted to spend time telling me that "the preschool is closing soon" - yes, that's why I'm picking up my niece, just give me the damn directions.
So if they want to put in ads when I say "please recommend a nearby Italian/whatever restaurant", fine (by the way, I never do that). But if they want to start / continue to mess with the query when I ask to go to a specific place, I'll be pretty annoyed, and may look at options (If they start putting "promoted" locations on the map display itself, I'm out). Frankly, if they want to make Maps+ that costs a dollar a month and has zero ads, I might even be okay with that (especially if Siri stops pretending to be a concierge who has just been asked for a restaurant recommendation).
Look at how awful App Store searches are now to see what this is going to be like. Search result quality is not the point for them.
And Maps+ is a slippery slope because we all know how that story goes. Pretty soon the price goes up, "select high quality ads" creep in, and in a few years we're just paying far more for a worse product that has ads anyway.
noanker
macrumors 6502
Like most of you, I loathe ads.
One would think that Apple would make an exception for customers who have subscriptions to their services (e.g. Apple Music, iCloud +, etc.) and have the option to disable the ads, if they so choose.
One would think that Apple would make an exception for customers who have subscriptions to their services (e.g. Apple Music, iCloud +, etc.) and have the option to disable the ads, if they so choose.
terrapinjess
macrumors regular
If you think about the “why” of this, it’s really infuriating.
Can’t wait to see ads for McDonalds and Burger King when I search. Who else but large conglomerates are going to have the money to spend to get their name bumped up. I don’t eat or shop at chains now, and I don’t plan to so this just becomes impediments to actually see relevant information. It’s just another thing to scroll past and I thought the goal moving forward was mostly always to reduce taps or clicks to get things done?
Never wrote this before, but yeah, it’s time for Tim to get the hell out of there.
Can’t wait to see ads for McDonalds and Burger King when I search. Who else but large conglomerates are going to have the money to spend to get their name bumped up. I don’t eat or shop at chains now, and I don’t plan to so this just becomes impediments to actually see relevant information. It’s just another thing to scroll past and I thought the goal moving forward was mostly always to reduce taps or clicks to get things done?
Never wrote this before, but yeah, it’s time for Tim to get the hell out of there.
You pay them premium prices for desktops, laptops, phones, pads, accessories, they give you 5GB for your iCloud so you pay them again (monthly) and even then, that’s not enough, they HAVE to get your data to sell you ads.
I hope the "Apple's business is selling hardware, it’s not like Google that sells your data" crowd, to finally shut it.
I hope the "Apple's business is selling hardware, it’s not like Google that sells your data" crowd, to finally shut it.
cipher29
macrumors 6502
"Apple does not plan to collect or store Maps app data, or share it with third parties".
Careful wording here... Until we do, of course.
Careful wording here... Until we do, of course.
Gross. They're so quick at implementing new ways to make even more money but take their sweet time when it comes to delivering their promises
CapitalIdea
macrumors 6502a
noanker
macrumors 6502
Please, we’re begging, don’t give Tim Cook another revenue stream. We already pay Apple premiums expecting usability, not subscription fatigue.
Siri as a concierge? At this point, she’s barely the bathroom attendant.
