Apple Business Connect: Get Your Business on Apple Maps

If you have a Google listing but have never touched Apple Maps, there is a good chance your business looks wrong to iPhone users. The hours might be old, the photos might be missing, or the pin might sit on the wrong side of the road. Apple Business Connect is the free Apple tool that fixes this. You claim your place card (Apple’s name for a business listing), verify that you own the business, and then control what people see in Apple Maps, Siri, Wallet and other Apple apps.

In this guide I walk through what the tool does, how to set it up and get verified, and what to fill in so your listing actually helps you. I also cover the newer brand features Apple added in late 2024 and the mistakes I see most often.

What Is Apple Business Connect?

Apple launched Business Connect in January 2023. It replaced the older and much more limited Apple Maps Connect. Apple describes it as a free tool that lets businesses of any size claim their place cards and keep their details up to date.

Once your place card is verified, you can manage:

• Basic details: name, address, map pin, phone number, website, hours and special hours.
• Categories: one main category and extra ones that describe what you do.
• Logo and photos: a logo, a cover photo and a gallery.
• Action links: buttons such as order food, book a table or make an appointment, often through partners like OpenTable.
• Showcases: short promotions with an image and a button, shown on your place card.
• Insights: numbers on how people find and use your listing.

This information does not stay inside Apple Maps. Apple says it also shows in Siri, Messages, Wallet and other Apple apps, which reach more than a billion users. When someone asks Siri for “a plumber near me” or opens a link to your place in Messages, the data comes from the same place card.

Is Apple Business Connect Free?

Yes. Claiming, editing and verifying a place card costs nothing. The brand features Apple added in October 2024 are also free. The only costs come if you choose to pay a third-party listing tool to manage many locations for you.

Why Apple Maps Deserves Your Time

Most local SEO advice starts and ends with Google. That makes sense, because Google is still where most local searches happen. But Apple Maps is the default maps app on every iPhone, iPad and Mac. Many iPhone users never install another maps app.

So if your Apple listing is wrong, you can lose customers who never see your Google profile at all. They tap “Directions”, and Apple Maps sends them to an old address. Or they see “Closed” because your hours were never updated.

In my experience, Apple listings are often built from third-party data that nobody has checked. When I audit a local business, I look at the Apple place card right after the Google profile. It is one of the quickest wins in local SEO because so few competitors bother with it.

Apple also opened Apple Maps on the web in beta in July 2024. That means your place card can now show to people on Windows and Chrome, not only on Apple devices.

Apple Business Connect vs Google Business Profile

If you have already set up your Google listing, you will find Business Connect familiar. If you haven’t, start with my Google Business Profile setup guide first, because Google still brings most local traffic. Here are the main differences:

The biggest practical difference is reviews. You cannot reply to reviews in Business Connect. Apple Maps shows its own simple ratings from users, plus reviews pulled from partner sites. So if your Yelp or Tripadvisor profile is neglected, that is what iPhone users may see.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these things first. It makes the setup quick and helps you avoid a failed verification.

• An Apple Account (Apple renamed the Apple ID to Apple Account in 2024). I recommend using a business email address, not a staff member’s personal account, so you don’t lose access when someone leaves.
• Your exact business details: legal or trading name, full address, main phone number, website and opening hours.
• A phone that rings at the business number, if you want the fast phone verification.
• A business document that shows your business name and address, such as a utility bill, lease, insurance policy or business registration. You only need this if phone verification doesn’t work.
• A square logo and a few good photos of the outside, inside, team or work.

Make sure your name, address and phone number match what you use on Google and your website. Apple checks your details against other sources, and mismatches are one of the most common reasons verification gets delayed.

How to Set Up Apple Business Connect Step by Step

Apple’s self-service website works in a browser on a computer, tablet or phone. Here is the process for a small business with one or a few locations.

1. Sign in. Go to the Apple Business Connect website and sign in with your Apple Account. Agree to the terms.
2. Choose your business type. Pick the small business option if you manage your own locations. Larger brands and agencies have separate routes, covered below.
3. Find or add your location. Search for your business. If Apple Maps already lists it, select it to claim it. If not, add a new location with your address.
4. Place the map pin. Drag the pin to your main entrance, not the middle of the building or the car park. This is what Apple uses for walking and driving directions.
5. Add your details. Enter your categories, phone number, website and hours. You will see a preview of your place card update as you type.
6. Verify the business. Choose phone verification or upload a document. I explain both below.
7. Finish the place card. After approval, add your logo, cover photo, gallery photos, action links and a Showcase.

You can add more locations from the same dashboard later. You can also invite other people, such as a colleague or an agency, so you don’t have to share your login.

Brands With Many Locations

Businesses with many locations under one brand can register as a brand and manage locations at scale. Apple’s API (a way for software to update listings automatically) is only available through approved listing partners. Apple has named partners such as DAC Group, Rio SEO, SOCi, Uberall, Yext and Reputation. If you have, say, 40 branches, I’d go through one of these rather than claim each one by hand.

How Apple Business Connect Verification Works

Verification is how Apple checks that the business is real and that you are allowed to manage it. Until you are verified, you can’t edit the public place card, add photos or create Showcases.

Option 1: Phone Call

Apple can call the phone number listed for the business. You answer and confirm. When it works, this is the fastest route, often done the same day.

The catch is that the call goes to the number Apple has on file. If that number is old or goes to a call centre, you won’t receive it. Fix the number on your website and other listings first, or use documents instead.

Option 2: Business Documents

You can upload a document that shows the business name and the same address you entered. Apple’s team reviews it, which can take up to about five business days.

To give yourself the best chance:

• Use a recent document where the name and address are clear and match your listing exactly.
• Upload a clean scan or PDF, not a blurry photo.
• Add a short note if your trading name differs from the legal name on the document.

If Apple rejects it, you can try again with a different document. I usually find a utility bill or lease works better than a generic registration certificate that doesn’t show the street address.

What If Someone Else Already Claimed the Listing?

This happens when a former employee, an old agency or a previous owner claimed it. You can request a transfer from inside Business Connect. You explain your connection to the business and provide supporting documents. If Apple approves, the place card moves to your account and the current admins are told.

Service-Area and Online Businesses

In October 2024, Apple opened Business Connect to businesses without a physical location, such as online shops and service businesses. For these, the main benefit right now is the brand features, such as your logo in Mail and Wallet. A place card on Apple Maps still needs a real location customers can visit.

How to Optimise Your Apple Maps Place Card

Apple has not published a list of ranking factors for Maps. So I focus on what clearly helps people choose you: correct, complete details and good visuals. These also give Apple the most data to match you to relevant searches.

Pick Categories Carefully

Your main category matters most. Choose the one that best describes what you are, not everything you sell. Then add extra categories for real services you offer. If you are a dental clinic that also does cosmetic work, the main category is the dentist one, and cosmetic dentistry is an extra.

Keep Hours Exact, Including Holidays

Add special hours for public holidays and closures before they happen. Wrong hours are the fastest way to annoy a customer. I set a calendar reminder a week before each holiday to update Apple and Google together.

Add a Logo and Real Photos

Upload a clear logo and a cover photo that shows what customers will actually see. A shopfront photo helps people recognise you when they arrive. New images go through a review, which can take a few days. I’d skip stock photos completely, because they make a listing look less trustworthy.

Use Action Links

Action links put a button like “Order”, “Reserve” or “Book” on your place card. They work through partner services, so you need an account with a supported partner such as a booking or ordering platform. If you take bookings online, this is often the most useful thing you can add.

Your website link matters too. Point it to the best page for that location, not always the home page. For a service business, a strong service page is usually a better landing spot than a generic home page.

Create Showcases

A Showcase is a short promotion with a photo, a title, a short description and a button. Think seasonal menus, a new service or a limited offer. Apple first launched Showcases in the US and said it would expand them to more countries, so check whether the option appears in your account.

A Showcase runs for up to 30 days and needs approval first. Schedule it a few days before you want it live, and don’t edit it while it is under review, because that can restart the wait.

Fix Your Reviews Where Apple Gets Them

Because Apple shows ratings and reviews from partner sites, check which sources appear on your place card. Then claim and look after those profiles. Apple Maps users can also rate places with a simple thumbs up or down, so good service in person matters here too.

Branded Mail, Tap to Pay and Business Caller ID

In October 2024, Apple announced new brand features for Business Connect. Verified businesses can now show their name and logo in more places:

• Branded Mail: your name and logo next to emails you send to customers in Apple’s Mail app. Sign-up opened in October 2024, and Apple said logos would start showing to customers later that year.
• Tap to Pay on iPhone: your logo instead of a generic category icon when customers pay you with Tap to Pay.
• Business Caller ID: your name, logo and department on the screen when you call customers. Apple said this is coming in 2025.

These features are free, but you need a verified business and brand first. If you send a lot of email to customers, such as order updates or newsletters, Branded Mail is worth setting up. A familiar logo makes your emails easier to spot and harder to confuse with spam.

How to Read Apple Business Connect Insights

Insights show how people interact with your place card. You will see:

• Views: how often your place card was seen.
• Searches: how people found you, for example by searching your name or by searching a category like “coffee”.
• Taps or actions: calls, directions, website visits, shares and action link taps.

The split between name searches and category searches is the part I pay most attention to. Name searches mean people already know you. Category searches mean Apple is showing you to new customers. If category searches are low, I review the categories and the description first.

Data takes a few days to appear, and small numbers may be grouped or hidden. To see what happens after the click, add UTM tags (short labels at the end of a link that tell analytics where a visit came from) to your website link, such as ?utm_source=apple&utm_medium=maps. Then you can see those visits in GA4. My GA4 setup guide covers the basics if tracking isn’t in place yet.

Common Apple Business Connect Mistakes

These are the problems I see most often when I check Apple listings:

• Never claiming the listing. An unclaimed place card can still show, often with old hours or a wrong phone number.
• Using a personal Apple Account. When that person leaves, the business can lose access.
• Different details on Apple and Google. A different phone number or a slightly different address can delay verification and confuse customers.
• Leaving the pin in the wrong place. This sends people to the back door, the car park or the wrong street.
• Forgetting holiday hours. People show up to a locked door and blame you, not the app.
• Set and forget. A move, a new number or a rebrand needs an update on Apple too, not only Google.
• Creating duplicate listings. If your business already shows on Apple Maps, claim that one instead of adding a new location. Report true duplicates with “Report an Issue” in the Maps app.

Conclusion

Apple Business Connect takes about an hour to set up, and it puts you in control of what iPhone users see when they look for you. Claim your place card, verify it, and fill in categories, hours, photos and action links. Then check Insights every month or so and update your details whenever something changes.

My advice is to treat Apple and Google as a pair. Whenever you update one, update the other on the same day. If you haven’t done a full review of your Google listing recently, my Google Business Profile guide is a good next step.