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Apple Business: The new unified Ecosystem

💡 Tip: All existing Apple Business Connect data has been automatically migrated to your new Apple Business account. You can access the new dashboard at business.apple.com. 

As of April 14, 2026, Apple has transitioned its business services into a single, unified ecosystem: Apple Business. This platform replaces the standalone Apple Business Connect tool, merging branding features with operational support and device management.

This unification allows brands to control their entire presence—from how they appear in Maps, Wallet, and Mail to internal team support—all from one central hub. One of the most significant advantages of this transition is the introduction of Apple Maps Search Ads giving businesses new ways to reach local customers at the exact moment they are searching.

How to optimise my Apple Business Account

To prepare for the new features and ensure your brand looks professional across the Apple ecosystem, follow these steps:

1. Audit your brand assets

Ensure every brand you manage has an approved logo and cover photo. These are now used across Maps, Wallet, and even email.

  • Logo Requirements: High-resolution square image (1024 x 1024 pixels minimum). Avoid transparent backgrounds; solid colors work best.

  • Cover Photo Requirements: Minimum 1600 x 1040 pixels. Use a real photo of your business (no text, watermarks, or collages).

2. Connect your App

If your business has an official app, link it under your brand settings. This allows customers to see an "Install" or "Open" action directly on your Place Card in Apple Maps.

3. Set Up branded mail

You can now display your company logo in the native Mail app on iPhone and Mac. This increases trust and open rates.

  • Action: Go to the Branded Mail section in your dashboard to verify your email domain and upload your mail-specific logo.

4. Enable Tap to Pay on iPhone

Accept contactless payments directly on your iPhone without needing extra hardware.

  • Action: Sign up through your payment provider (like Stripe or Square) and link your Merchant ID within the Apple Business dashboard to show your logo on the payment screen.

5. Prepare for Apple Maps Search Ads (Summer 2026)

Starting this summer, Apple will introduce paid advertising within Maps for the first time. This feature will initially launch in the U.S. and Canada, with Europe and other regions expected to follow shortly after. 

  • Where will ads appear? Ads will be displayed at the top of Maps search results and within a new "Suggested Places" section, which surfaces trending nearby locations.

  • Visual Identity: To maintain clarity, ads will be marked with a subtle light blue “Ad” tag. On the map itself, the promoted location will feature a blue halo around its pin to stand out from organic results.

 💡 How to prepare: To be eligible for ads, your business must first have a verified and optimised profile in Apple Business. Ensuring your photos, hours, and "Action Links" are up-to-date via Localistico is the best way to be "Ad-ready" for the summer launch. Check that your Primary Category and Keywords are accurate. Your organic ranking and ad relevance will depend heavily on the information currently in your "Locations" tab.


 

What can you do via Localistico?

Through our official partnership and integration with the Apple Business API, brands can manage their presence at scale:

  • Publish Location Information: Sync your data directly to Apple Business to ensure accurate display across Apple Maps, Siri, and Spotlight.

  • Centralised Management: Discover and view your Apple Place Cards (profiles) alongside your other platforms in one single dashboard.

  • Performance Metrics: Access key data including impressions, clicks, and how users interact with your action buttons.

Apple Maps place cards

A Maps place card is the digital identity of your business across the Apple ecosystem. They are viewed billions of times every month by users looking to learn about offerings, view photos, or take immediate action.

Maps place cards not only display essential business information, like business name, address, hours, and phone numbers, but also rich and interactive content including photos, showcases, and other good to know information about the business, enabling a comprehensive experience to users.

The images below call out the key components of the place card.

 

Cover Photo and Logo

A great cover photo and attractive gallery photos drive user engagement and keep users informed about the business. Photos are the best way to attract business customers and engage users.

A cover photo and logo are ways for a business to personalise and brand their place card. The cover photo and logo appear at the top of the Maps place card. A cover photo and logo are displayed as a set. Both must be provided. More information can be found here

Action Links

Action links are buttons in the actions row on the place card. They start in the fourth button position, next to the default action buttons: directions, call, and website.

Action links allow users to perform an action, such as order food or view a menu. Action links invoke associated apps that are provided by a third-party partner or by the business owner.

A business location may have one or more action links. The action in the fourth button position is the preferred call to action. In image above, the Order button is the preferred call to action. Additional actions are displayed from the More button.

When multiple app providers provide the same action, such as ride share or travel booking, all action links are presented in a drop-down list.

Gallery Photos

Attractive and varied gallery photos drive user engagement, keep users informed about the business and what to expect, and give additional colour to the business. Photo contribution is an important way to get discovered and engage customers. Photos drive the highest level of user engagement.

Location gallery photos are displayed under the action row in the place card.

When users tap a photo, the photo expands to full screen.

Photos are organised into albums automatically by Apple when there are sufficient photos of a type. Maps place card supported album types include: Atmosphere, Exterior, Food & Drink, Menu, and more. The best practice is to provide several photos for each album type.

Showcase Posting

A showcase is a place card post that allows businesses to highlight their offers or promotions, share events that are happening at their business, or feature new products or services.

A showcase contains a headline, body text, a single photo, and a single call to action button that provides access to the specific offer or promotion.

The call to action provides access to the specific offer or promotion. The showcase call to action can also be any of the actions that are allowed in the action row. This can include the default actions (call, website, or directions) or action links.

Please note that at this time Apple only supports;

  • 1 showcase post per location

  • A showcase post can run from 1-30 days

  • A showcase needs to be scheduled at least 3 business days before it's start date. This allows Apple time to review and approve the showcase. To ensure timely approval, please adhere to the requirements.

  • Note: Apple has expanded Showcase support. Here you can find the list of languages that are currently supported by Apple.

Service Hours

Service hours show when a specific service or department is open at a location. For example, a large store could have different departments, such as bakery, pharmacy, and floral, each with different hours of operation. This allows customers to view the specific service hours for each department.

The service hours are displayed below the Good to Know area in the location place card.

Ratings, Reviews & Pricing

Third party partner provided ratings, reviews, and pricing are not yet available in Apple Business.

Maps place card Ratings & reviews area displays ratings, and reviews from users who have visited that place. These reviews are collected by specific marketplace platforms (such as Yelp,) and not by the business themselves.

FAQ

  • Can I add cover photos & logos? 

~ Yes you can do this in your Apple Business account when you create your company and businesses. Cover photos and logos are only supported for businesses who have followed the delegated path/Third-party Partner Access. More information on how you can setup your Business account can be found here

  • How long will it take for my location data to update on Apple Maps? 

~ Apple Business API data is verified automatically within 15 minutes, unless flagged for manual verification by Apple. Data is triggered for manual verification for the following:

  • Location name and address issues – Location is listed in a protected zone, created as a duplicate, or there is a change of address.
  • Location description issues – Text in this field has words on the exclusion list.
  • Photos issues – Objectionable content such as images of firearms, nudity, CSAM, or violence.
  • Showcases issues – Inappropriate text or content in showcase copy or image.
  • Will the data in Localistico match exactly what is displayed on Apple Maps? 

~ If businesses have created their own account in Apple Business and followed the delegated path/Third-party Partner Access, then the data in Localistico will be given priority. If some data is missing it will be aggregated with data from other online sources. If businesses decide not to create their own account (undelegated path), then Apple will use data sources from across the internet including the data sent from Localistico. 

  • What insights will be available 

~ Insights are only available for businesses who have created their own account in Apple Business and followed the delegated path/Third-party Partner Access. Views of place cards & clicks on action links (website, directions) will be available in the metrics dashboard in Localistico in due course. Data will be available from the past 13 months.