Apple Maps Ads Are Here, and There's No Way to Turn Them Off

Apple's Maps app in the United States and Canada has started displaying advertisements, marking the beginning of a new revenue stream for the tech giant. Users will encounter these ads when searching for locations or browsing Suggested Places. Apple announced its intent to incorporate ads into the Maps app back in March, with a tentative rollout scheduled for late summer. The company confirmed recently that ads began appearing for users over the past few days, with an expected increase in visibility in the upcoming weeks.

These ads are featured in Suggested Places when initiating a search and continue to appear after a search if a company has purchased an ad for a relevant keyword. Ad placement is at the top of each set of search results, with only one ad displayed per search. While there is no way to disable ads within the Maps app, they are clearly marked with a blue "Ad" label. Apple assures that interacting with ads in Maps is unrelated to users' Apple accounts, and no data is shared with third parties.

Apple began preparing for the ad rollout throughout the summer, with signs of ads surfacing in iOS 26 updates. In August, businesses could start purchasing ad slots, receiving a 15% credit toward future ad spending as an incentive. The company's Advertising Services policy prohibits ads for home services, bail bonds, and cryptocurrency ATMs, while ads promoting medical services are subject to individual evaluation based on Apple's advertising rules.