The second beta for iOS 26.5 arrived this week and along with it, the unfortunate, inexorable next step toward Apple stuffing Maps with advertisements. If you're in the beta, opening Apple Maps reveals a new splash screen promising ads.
The screen claims the app will display ads based on your location, recent search terms or businesses around you. Apparently, ads will also be shown in the new "Suggested Places" section that was added to Maps in the first iOS 26.5 beta.
Right now, here's what we see when we open Apple Maps in the iOS 26.5 beta 2.
Apple announced the inclusion of ads back in March before the first beta dropped. At the time, the company announced that ads would roll out to the public "this summer."
Cupertino claims that the ads you see will not be linked to an Apple Account to preserve user privacy. Apple also says data will not be collected or stored by the company or shared with third parties.
So far, if you're in the beta, you might only be seeing the splash screen but advertisements could be popping up soon. Similar to the App Store, when commercials do arrive they'll feature an "Ad" label.
Joining Google and Waze
Often the big phone and app companies are accused to copying one another. It's too bad in this case that Apple is following Google Maps and Waze in littering its Map app with ads.
It's not a total surprise since reports about ads in Maps have been appearing since at least last February. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the addition of adverts is an attempt by Apple to generate income from its services. Perhaps not too surprising since a quarter of Apple's revenue comes from services now.
As my colleague Tom Pritchard noted, ads in search results aren't nearly as intrusive as those on Google Maps, which uses sponsored locations on the main map.
