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Apple Maps will reportedly get in-app ads next year

Expect to see sponsored results in search.
apple logo with apple products blurred in the background
Image: KnowTechie

We know Apple is planning a foray into more in-app advertising, but now we have a better idea of when they are coming. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg believes Apple will begin its rollout next year.

That’s the bad news, but maybe it won’t be that bad. The in-app advertising won’t be banner ads, which is good. Instead, companies can pay for their name to appear at the top of search results.

“I believe the engineering work is already underway to launch search ads in the Apple Maps app, and we should begin to see it be implemented sometime next year,” says Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Sponsored search ads are everywhere these days. Most major search engines have sponsored results shown as part of the top results. Now those ads will be coming to apps like Apple Maps.

Not that Apple doesn’t already do this. The App Store is full of sponsored results when you search for a new app. Additionally, Apple News and Stocks already have banner ads.

samsung ads in-app
An example of Samsung’s own ad placement within its apps (Image: KnowTechie)

It wasn’t always like this. App Store Search ads didn’t appear until 2015. Before that, high-ranking Apple employees emailed back and forth about the possibility of including ads and what message they sent to the customer base.

Apple has grown its advertising arm since 2015 to a $4 billion yearly income. The company wants to triple that figure in the next few years, and more in-app advertising is the way they are going to accomplish it.

Do you care that restaurants will be able to pay to rank higher if you’re trying to find the closest fajita place? Do you trust Apple only to allow high-quality ads? Are sponsored ads okay if they don’t overpower organic search results?

Whatever your thoughts on these questions, Apple is planning on bringing in-app ads next year.

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