First, check that your business can be listed
Apple Maps is stricter than Google about who gets a place on the map. Apple’s own guidance says a location must not be created for a business that:
- has no physical presence,
- operates only through a website,
- has a residential address,
- is a mobile business, or
- can’t be visited by a member of the public.
That rules out home-based businesses and most mobile and service-area businesses: a contractor working from a home office, a mobile groomer, a food truck without a fixed stop. Google Business Profile does support service-area businesses, so if you’re in that group, your Google profile is where the effort should go. If you have a storefront, office, studio or any address customers can walk into, from a restaurant to a law firm, you’re eligible.
Apple Business Connect is now Apple Business
If you’ve read older guides, they send you to Apple Business Connect. On April 14, 2026, Apple replaced it, along with Apple Business Essentials and Apple Business Manager, with a single free platform called Apple Business. The listing tools are the same idea: claim your location, verify it, and control what Apple Maps shows. Everything now starts at business.apple.com.
How to add your business to Apple Maps, step by step
This is the current flow as described in Apple’s Apple Business User Guide. Do it on a computer; it’s easier than on a phone.
- Sign up at business.apple.com. Apple says you only need the email address you use for business. Enter your organization’s name and address, then confirm the codes Apple sends to your email and phone.
- Verify your organization. Apple asks for two verification methods: a business ID (your D-U-N-S Number or EIN), a DNS record on your website’s domain, or an official document such as a business license, sales tax permit, lease or utility bill. You have 60 days to finish. If your organization isn’t approved in that window, Apple deletes the account and its data.
- Add your location. Go to Brands, then Locations, and select Add. Type your business name. If Apple already has your business on the map, pick it. Otherwise add it as a new location, enter the address and drag the map marker onto the right building.
- Enter the details. Apple asks for a default language, the display name shown in Apple Maps, a primary category, a status (open or opening soon), your phone number, an optional website or social page, and your hours. Then choose or create a brand.
- Verify the location. If your organization is already verified, you’re done. If the location already existed on Maps, you may be offered phone verification: Apple calls the number it has on file and you enter the four-digit code. If that number isn’t yours anymore, contact Apple Business support.
- If someone else manages it, request a transfer. A former owner, an old agency or a franchisor may already control the listing. Select Request Transfer, explain why, and attach a business license or utility bill. Apple says the review can take up to five business days.
Get the name right the first time
Use the name on your sign and your Google profile, not a keyword-stuffed version. Apple reviews display name changes, and that review can take up to five business days.
How long does Apple Maps verification take?
Apple publishes these review times in its user guide. None of them are guaranteed, and Apple warns that busy periods can take longer.
| Step | How long Apple says | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Organization verification | Up to 5 business days | Two methods required; must be finished within 60 days of signing up. |
| Phone verification of an existing location | Not stated; Apple calls it the fastest route | Only offered for locations already on Maps, using the number Apple has on file. |
| Transfer from another manager | Up to 5 business days | Needs documents showing your business name and address. |
| Display name change | Up to 5 business days | Apple can reject it and keep its own version. |
| New action button (Order, Reserve, Menu) | Up to 3 business days | Every action needs Apple’s approval before customers see it. |
What to fill in once you’re verified
Verification gets you on the map. A complete place card is what gets you chosen. Apple says claimed businesses get 30 percent more views, and that the place card appears in Maps, Siri, Calendar, Messages and Spotlight. Work through these:
- Category. The most specific primary category that fits. It decides which searches you can show up for.
- Hours. Your regular hours, updated whenever they change. Wrong hours are the fastest way to lose a customer who drove over.
- Photos. Real photos of your storefront, interior and work. Apple’s standards ban added text, QR codes, collages, watermarks and any AI-generated content.
- Actions. Buttons such as Menu, Reserve, Order or Tickets that link straight to where customers do those things. Apple says action links raise click-through by 31 percent.
- Showcases. A promotion, event or new item on your place card, with a button to act on it. Think of it as Apple’s version of a Google post.
- Insights. Apple Business shows how people find and use your place card. Check it monthly.
Apple also offers brand extras like Branded Mail, which puts your logo on the emails you send customers. They’re nice to have, not the priority.
Keep it matched to your Google profile
Your Apple listing and your Google Business Profile should say exactly the same thing: the same business name, address, phone number, category and hours as your website. When they disagree, customers get sent to the wrong place, and AI assistants that piece your business together from several sources get mixed signals. That consistency is one of the basics in getting ChatGPT to recommend your business.
The practical habit: change both on the same day. Holiday hours, a new phone line, a move down the street. Apple also sometimes suggests its own changes to your details, and flags the location as having updates available. Review those instead of accepting them blindly. If your Google listing is the one with problems, start with why a business doesn’t show up on Google Maps.
And Apple now sells ads there
Since August 2026, businesses in the US and Canada can buy ads in Apple Maps. An ad can appear at the top of Suggested Places, before someone types anything, or at the top of relevant search results. Pricing is an auction: you pay when someone taps or views the ad, and you set the budget. Apple hasn’t published typical costs.
Your verified listing is the entry ticket, so nothing above is wasted. A few categories can’t advertise, including home services and cannabis, and Apple reviews medical services case by case. Businesses with more than five locations manage ads in Apple Ads, which adds keywords, scheduling and bid control. We set up and manage both the listing and the ads on our Apple Maps service.
Sources
- Apple Newsroom, “Introducing Apple Business” (March 24, 2026)
- Apple Business User Guide, “Sign up for Apple Business” (verification methods, 60-day window, up to five business days)
- Apple Business User Guide, “Add a single location in Apple Business” (location fields, phone verification, transfers)
- Apple Business, “Location eligibility”
- Apple Business Partner Guides, “Brand claim process” (phone verification as the fastest path)
- Apple Business User Guide, “Maintain location information accuracy” (Apple’s suggested updates, name reviews)
- Apple Business User Guide, “About Actions in Apple Business”
- Apple Business User Guide, “Photo and text standards and guidelines”
- Apple Business User Guide, “Intro to Apple Business” (place card, Showcases, Branded Mail, insights)
- Apple Business, “Grow” (30 percent more views; 31 percent click-through)
- Apple Business User Guide, “Promote your business on Apple Maps” (August 14, 2026), Apple Ads for agencies (auction pricing) and Maps advertising policies
- Apple Business User Guide, “Move to Apple Ads”