'Tone deaf and short sighted': Apple Maps gets first ads pop-up in iOS 26.5 beta — and users are fuming

• Code for ads in Apple Maps had previously been spotted
• Now there's a user-facing pop-up announcing their arrival
• Many see it as a step in the wrong direction for Apple

We knew that ads were coming to Apple Maps, but with the rollout of the second beta for iOS 26.5, we have the first user-facing sign that the app is going to start featuring paid-for advertising from local businesses and venues.

As spotted by 9to5Mac, Apple Maps in iOS 26.5 beta 2 comes with a pop-up that says: "Maps may show local ads based on your approximate location, current search terms, or view of the map while you search."

However, Apple says it's not quite gone all the way down the Google Maps route in terms of tracking just yet. The message ends with this: "For your privacy, advertising information is not linked to your Apple Account."

Apple hasn't said too much else about ads in Apple Maps, but has told its business customers that they now have the option of putting sponsored results into Apple Maps — branding it as "a new way to be discovered".

A reputation ruined?

Ads in Maps… from r/apple

One of the key ways that Apple likes to differentiate itself from Google – across maps, email, AI, web browsing, and everything else – is in its commitment to giving users a private, secure, and largely ad-free experience.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that the response from users on platforms such as Reddit has been one of dismay. One poster calls it "tone deaf and short sighted", while another says Apple is doing "a speed run" to "ruin" its reputation.

Quite a few Redditors say they have previously been happy to pay a premium for Apple hardware on the understanding that they wouldn't be hit by quite so many adverts — with this decision around Apple Maps prompting a rethink on that stance.

It's not clear exactly when adverts in Apple Maps will appear for everyone in every country, but given this new pop-up in the iOS 26.5 beta 2 software, it looks like this could be the iPhone update that first introduces ads in search results and in Suggested Places.

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