Apple may soon start serving ads on its iPhone apps: Report

(Image: Apple iPhone SE 2022)

Apple has so far resisted the temptation to give in to ads, keeping their operating systems lean and uncluttered. A new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that might not be the case much longer.

According to the report, Apple is considering adding advertisements to its apps on iPhones and iPads, this will be in addition to the advertisements Apple already displays on the App Store.

Some of the companies apps like News and Stocks show ads as well, and the report suggests that this may soon extend to apps such as Maps, Podcasts and Apple Books.

The way this will work, is that Apple will charge a fixed amount from businesses to get featured in local searches on Maps for example, or have their apps be more prominently featured on the App Store.

The current ads in its ecosystem already net Apple huge revenue, reportedly around $4 billion per year for the ads it currently shows. Apple wants to increase that figure to double digits.

Gurman points out that currently Apple uses data from its services and your Apple account to decide which ads to serve you. Even if ad personalization is turned off, the system will still leech data like carrier identity, device type and what you read or see on screen. Apple maintains however, that its system does not follow you across apps or third-party websites.

The methodology for ad placement seems similar to Google, which shows ads when you search for an app, for example, or highlighted locations when you search for an area on Maps.