Apple's Next Big Thing: More In-App Ads?
If you don't regularly check your stocks or download many new apps, you may not be familiar with Apple's advertising efforts. But that could change soon.
The company currently displays ads inside its News and Stocks apps, plus the App Store. According to Bloomberg(Opens in a new window), though, Apple plans to expand its advertising network in a bid to grow annual revenue from $4 billion per year into double digits.
"I believe that the iPhone maker will eventually expand search ads to Maps," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote in a weekend newsletter, citing internal tests of the feature. Like Yelp, which highlights advertisements at the top of search results, a Mexican restaurant, for instance, could buy a leading spot among Apple Maps' list of taco joints.
Similarly, publishers may pay for their work to appear higher in digital storefronts like the Apple Books and Apple Podcasts apps, or on an ad-supported TV+ tier. Gurman attributes this wider push to Todd Teresi, Apple's VP of advertising, who now reports directly to services chief Eddy Cue—his former boss during the days of Apple's now-defunct iAd network.
Apple has long touted a focus on privacy, which may make an expanded ad network seem like an odd choice, especially in light of its big push for App Tracking Transparency (ATT). Introduced in late 2020 for iOS 14.5, ATT allows users to prevent apps from logging activity across other platforms, much to the chagrin of ad-focused rivals like Facebook.
Why doesn't Apple push permissions pop-ups for its own apps like its does with ATT? Because, Apple says, its system "does not follow you across apps and websites owned by other companies," according to Gurman.
Sign up for our Weekly Apple Brief for the latest news, reviews,
Read more on pcmag.com
