Some big stories from Apple this week, so I decided to consolidate them into one feature story. Here's what's new with Apple this week:
- Apple is introducing paid advertising in Apple Maps in the U.S. and Canada this summer, allowing businesses to claim their physical location and appear in ads above organic search results, positioning itself to compete directly with Google Business Listings and local ads. Apple says the ads will maintain the company's existing privacy controls, with user location and ad interaction data staying on-device and not linked to Apple accounts or shared with third parties.
- Apple rolled out its largest-ever update to App Store Connect Analytics, adding more than 100 new metrics covering In-App Purchase and subscription performance, new cohort analysis tools that let developers track user behavior by download date, source, or offer start date, and two new peer group benchmarks measuring download-to-paid conversion and proceeds per download. The update also includes two new exportable subscription reports via the Analytics Reports API, support for up to seven simultaneous filters, and a new App Store Analytics Guide to help developers build data-driven growth strategies.
- The company is launching Apple Business on April 14 in more than 200 countries, consolidating Apple Business Connect, Apple Business Essentials, and Apple Business Manager into a single free platform that will replace all three existing services. The platform combines mobile device management, integrated email and calendar tools, brand profile management, and Tap to Pay on iPhone.
- Apple Music partnered with Ticketmaster to integrate live event discovery directly into the app, giving users personalized concert recommendations based on their listening habits through a homepage carousel, dedicated Concerts Tab, Artist Pages, and push notifications for nearby shows. Every event listing now includes a direct link to Ticketmaster for ticket purchases, expanding an existing relationship that already powers event listings across Apple Maps, Spotlight Search, Photos, and Shazam.
- Age verification is coming to UK iPhone users, who will be required to confirm their age to access apps rated 18 and older, with those who decline facing limits on web browsing and “communication safety” checks on messages and FaceTime calls. The UK is the first European market where Apple is introducing these controls, following government pressure on Big Tech companies to better protect younger users with its new Online Safety Act.
- Apple is testing a standalone app for its Siri voice assistant and a new “Ask Siri” feature designed to better control features within iPhones and Macs, tap into personal data, and interact with users in a conversational format through text and voice. The overhauled Siri, code-named Campo, is set to be unveiled June 8 at WWDC as part of iOS 27 and macOS 27, replacing the current Spotlight search system and adding a systemwide “Ask Siri” toggle across the company's built-in apps, deeper web search results, and AI-generated news summaries powered by Apple News.
I would imagine that some of the urgency around creating new advertising and commerce channels has to do with Apple losing its App Store moat in the EU. With the region's Digital Markets Act forcing the company to open iOS to third-party app stores and sideloading, Apple appears to be building alternative revenue streams in preparation, which perhaps it should have been concentrating on for the past decade anyway.