Apple shuts home service contractors out of upcoming Maps ads

Apple this week quietly published a set of policies that include prohibiting home service businesses from participating in its upcoming local Maps ads. 

Catch up quick: In March, Apple announced that U.S. businesses will be able to place local ads in its Maps app on iPhones and iPads beginning this summer. At the time, it didn’t specify a launch date — or say anything about industry eligibility. 

What’s happening: “Ad content that contains or directly or indirectly promotes home services — including but not limited to plumbing, electrical, locksmith, HVAC, pest control, roofing, or general contracting services — is prohibited,” the company wrote, effective July 14. 

• Representatives for Apple didn’t return a request for comment about why it’s excluding home services or whether that will change. 

The big picture: The decision “sets Apple apart from Google, where Local Services Ads are one of the company’s largest local advertising categories,” news outlet TechCrunch wrote Wednesday, adding that the policy suggests Apple is “initially limiting its ads to places with a physical presence that their customers actually visit.”

• TechCrunch speculated that the move could also “save Apple some headaches,” noting that home service businesses “often require additional verification” and, on Google, face “audits to remain in good standing.”

Looking ahead: While an official launch date remains unclear, Apple’s policy update suggests that Maps ads are coming soon.