Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
TL; Dr
- Apple may reportedly introduce ads to more first-party iPhone apps.
- An ad-supported Apple TV Plus subscription tier was also discussed.
Apple’s iPhones have a reputation for avoiding ads compared to their Android counterparts, but the Cupertino company still displays search ads in some first-party apps (namely the App Store, News and Stocks apps). Now, a trusted source has revealed that Apple may be stepping things up and introducing ads to even more apps.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in his Power On newsletter that Apple may expand search ads to the Apple Maps, Apple Books and Apple Podcasts apps on the iPhone. Specifically, Gurman claims that the iPhone maker has already done internal work on search ads for Apple Maps.
He adds that Apple will likely allow restaurants and other entities to pay for top billing when it comes to certain searches on Apple Maps (eg, a Japanese restaurant paying to rank at the top for “sushi”) . The Bloomberg reporter suggested that podcast creators and book authors could pay for higher rankings in their respective Apple apps or for their works to appear as ads in those apps.
Is Apple taking a page from Android’s book?
This strategy for serving search-based ads in apps is similar to Google’s own formula for Maps, the Play Store, and other properties on Android and other platforms. Having said that, Google’s approach also sees the company follow you across third-party websites and services. Still, this would be a particularly disappointing turn of events, as we can understand your dismay at seeing iPhone ads that can cost $1,000 or more.
What do you think about first-party ads on the iPhone?
119 votes
I’m fine with them
7%
They are a bit annoying
16%
I hate them
77%
Gurman also suggested that Apple could potentially offer an ad-supported Apple TV Plus offered down the line at a lower price than the current level. This would be similar to the efforts of Hulu and Netflix. In fact, a recent survey by Android Authority found that just over half of respondents would opt for an ad-supported Netflix plan when it arrives. So this could be a smart move for Apple.
However, it seems your options are pretty limited these days if you don’t want ads in first-party apps on your phone. Apart from Google’s own ads on Android, companies like Xiaomi, Realme, Huawei and Oppo have implemented system ads to some extent. Samsung also offered system ads, but last year announced it would end the practice.
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