Apple released iOS 26.5 yesterday with a new Suggested Places feature in the Apple Maps app, which is a precursor to the ads Apple plans to start serving later this year. There was some confusion over whether the ads were live, but as of now, the Apple Maps app still doesn’t have ads.
Apple began laying the groundwork for ads in iOS 26.5 and tested a splash screen, but no ads appeared during the beta testing period or after launch.
When Apple announced plans to introduce ads to the Maps app in March, it said the ads would be implemented in the United States and Canada “this summer.” Astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere begins on June 21 and ends on September 22. Meteorologically, summer begins on June 1 and lasts until August, so according to Apple’s definition of summer, we will receive ads on Maps between June 1 and September 22.
Ads will be displayed in Apple Maps search results and in the new Suggested Places section added in iOS 26.5. Suggested Places displays recommendations based on nearby trends and a user’s recent searches.
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There will be ads in the Maps app on iPhone and iPad, and they will be clearly marked with an “Ad” label, similar to how ads appear in App Store search results. Businesses bid for ad placement, and the highest bidder for a keyword or search term will have their ad displayed in search.
Apple says the location data and ads users see and interact with in the Maps app are not associated with an Apple account and the data is not shared with third parties. It is not possible to refuse geolocated or personalized advertisements in suggested locations.
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