Apple Maps won’t allow ads from these categories at launch

Chance Miller | Jul 15 2026 - 12:14 pm PT

Ads are coming to Apple Maps in the United States and Canada sometime this summer. Ahead of that launch, Apple has shared more details about what will and won’t be allowed for ads in Apple Maps.

Apple Maps ads are coming very soon as Apple reveals banned categories

Apple first announced its plans to bring ads to Apple Maps in March. The company said ads will appear at the top of search results and in a new “Suggested Places” widget in the app.

Apple laid the groundwork for this, including the new Suggested Places feature, with iOS 26.5 in May. Since then, however, there’s been no further indication from the company on when ads will actually launch in Apple Maps.

As spotted by TechCrunch, Apple has now published an updated “Apple Advertising Services” policy with new information on Apple Maps.

The policy includes broad details on ads across Apple services including News, Stocks, and Maps. It includes a long list of prohibited content in advertising across all services, such as violence, weapons, drugs, and more.

The most interesting tidbits, however, reveal more about ads in Apple Maps. For Apple Maps, Apple says there are three additional categories that are prohibited in advertising:

Home services: Ad content that contains or directly or indirectly promotes home services — including but not limited to plumbing, electrical, locksmith, HVAC, pest control, roofing, or general contracting services — is prohibited.
Bail bonds: Ad content that contains or directly or indirectly promotes bail bond services or surety bond services related to criminal pretrial release is prohibited.
Cryptocurrency ATMs: Ad content that contains or directly or indirectly promotes ATMs for cryptocurrencies is prohibited.

Additionally, Apple says that ads pertaining to medical services will be evaluated on a “case-by-case basis.”

As TechCrunch points out, it’s interesting that Apple prohibits the entire “home services” category for advertising. This is a major category of advertising on Google Maps, but one that Apple seemingly has no interest in for Apple Maps.

This all suggests that Apple plans to launch ads in Apple Maps imminently. As of right now, however, there is still no official launch date.

You can read the full list of ad categories banned across all Apple services on the company’s website.