Apple announced on Wednesday an expanded series of tools that will help businesses increase their visibility on Apple’s platforms through its free service, Apple Business Connect. This online portal, launched last year, allows businesses to manage their presence across Apple’s 1.5 billion devices in various areas such as Maps, Siri, Spotlight search, Safari, and Wallet. Now, business owners can integrate their branding into other Apple products, including Mail, Tap to Pay on iPhone, and the Apple Phone app. Moreover, Business Connect will be open to all types of businesses, not just those with a physical location, according to the company.
Business Connect evolved from a simpler system called Apple Business Register, which allowed businesses to manage their listings on Apple Maps. Since the launch of Business Connect in early 2023, millions of places worldwide have started using the service to customize how their business appears to consumers. This customization includes place cards, cover photos, logos, business photos, limited-time promotions known as “Showcases,” and action buttons like “order pickup” or “view menu.”
Businesses can also access insights to understand better how consumers interact with their business, such as how users discover the business and the actions they take on the business’s place card. With the latest expansion, Apple will enable any type of business to create a profile on the system, even those providing services, operating from home, or being fully online without a physical location. Furthermore, all businesses can manage their brand’s presence across more Apple apps and features.
Through the dashboard, businesses can input details about their brand, like name, category, logo, and website, as well as preview how their place card will appear to consumers.
Later this year, this information will also personalize how business emails display in Apple’s Mail app, presenting the brand’s name and logo in the inbox. When opening an email, the brand will have a larger presence with a colorful header at the top of the screen derived from the brand’s logo, in addition to the business’s name and logo.
The Branded Mail feature coincides with the new Mail app redesign for iOS 18, which categorizes emails and groups mail by sender, similar to Gmail. Apple assures that email sorting won’t depend on whether a business has set up its brand through Business Connect.
Brands submitting their brand information will undergo a review process and can manage multiple emails or branded domains like marketing emails versus order confirmation emails. Businesses can sign up for this option now, and their logo will start displaying to customers later this year.
Tap to Pay will now showcase the brand’s icon instead of the generic category icon currently displayed. The business’s name will also be customizable during the payment process, ensuring customers know they’re making a payment to a trusted and verified business.
Although coming next year, the integration with the Phone app may be the most practical, as it will identify calls by showing the business name, logo, and department, helping consumers identify unwanted or spam calls.
Apple says these features, including a revamped Business Connect dashboard with contextually aware topics and tips, will be available to most businesses worldwide by signing up for Business Connect with an Apple account. Businesses can also manage their location presence through listing management agencies like DAC Group, Rio SEO, SOCi, Uberall, and Yext.
“We’re thrilled to offer all businesses the ability to create a brand that appears across the Apple apps that over a billion people use daily, including those without a physical location,” said David Dorn, Apple’s senior director of Internet Software and Services Product. “We designed Business Connect to empower businesses to provide the best, most accurate information to Apple users. With today’s updates, we’re helping even more businesses reach customers, build trust, and grow,” he added.
