Apple Maps starts showing ads in US and Canada, users push back

According to Apple's confirmation to 9to5Mac, the ads appear in the "Suggested Places" section on the search screen before a query is entered, and in search results when relevant. In both cases, users will see at most one ad, placed at the top of the section with a blue "ad" label. The ads cannot be turned off, even for subscribers to Apple services such as iCloud+ or Apple One.

User reactions on Reddit were quick and negative. One user wrote, "Now with ads, there's absolutely no reason to use Apple Maps." Another said, "I'll just use Google Maps." A third called it "a bad move." The general sentiment is that Google Maps is more accurate and functional, and that Apple Maps was previously preferred only because it had no ads. With that differentiation gone, some users say they will switch.

9to5Mac's report notes that Apple had warned in March that ads would arrive in the summer. The publication also ran a poll last month in which the overwhelming majority of readers said Apple should exit the ad business. In its own commentary, 9to5Mac argues that the ads look cheap for a company that charges a premium for hardware, and that even though Apple says it does not track users, many people will assume otherwise, damaging Apple's privacy reputation.

Apple, for its part, says the new Maps ads build on its privacy-first approach to advertising. The company said that a user's location and the ads they see and interact with in Maps are not associated with their Apple Account, that personal data stays on the device, is not collected or stored by Apple, and is not shared with advertisers or third parties.

Despite these assurances, the initial online reaction suggests that Apple Maps has lost its unique selling point for some users. Whether that translates into significant user loss remains to be seen, as most people tend to stick with what they know. But the rollout marks a significant shift in Apple's approach to its stock apps.