iPhone, iPad users may soon see more ads, ad-supported maps app said to have been tested
iPhone users may soon get more ads in Apple’s native apps, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The Cupertino-based giant is reportedly planning to expand its revenue model by serving ads to iPhone users in the Maps, Books, and Podcasts apps. In fact, Gurman says that a model that displays search-based recommendations has been tested for the Maps app. Currently, iPhone users are served ads across the App Store, News, and Stocks apps, as well as the TV+ platform for Friday Night Baseball as part of an agreement with Major League Baseball.
Follow weekly newsletter by Gurman, the expansion of the advertising business could spur Apple to place ads in apps like Maps. Gurman also said that the company was exploring an attempt to add search ads to Apple Maps. Other apps that may receive ads are Books and Podcasts.
Gurman also gives an idea of how these positions might work. In Maps’ case, “a Japanese restaurant can pay to be at the top of a local listing when a user searches for ‘sushi,'” Gurman said. Similarly, publishers can pay for an ad to have their work appear in higher Books results, Podcast subscriptions can be tied to ads, and ad-supported TV+ can provide offer older programs at lower prices as well as advertise paid services.
Currently, Apple shows ads on the App Store and the News and Stocks apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. On the App Store, ads are now served in the search tab in the Recommendations panel. Gurman stated that Apple is expected to expand ads to the main Today tab soon and in third-party app download pages. The News and Stocks app displays banner ads that look similar to those found on websites.
It should be noted that Apple currently has Application Tracking Transparency (ATT) the framework in place is claimed to enhance user privacy by restricting third-party applications from collecting data if the user so chooses. However, Apple is serving ads in native apps using data from its services and Apple accounts to decide which ads to serve. The company says its own apps are not subject to ATT review because the system “doesn’t track you on apps and websites owned by other companies”.
