Apple is launching Apple Business, which is a new way to let business owners and employees interact with a business.
Owners can head to business.apple.com, which offers built-in mobile device management allowing employees to configure employee groups, device settings, security and apps all from a single interface. Apple Business includes ‘Blueprints,’ which allows employers to easily set up devices with preconfigured settings and apps, to make sure that there’s consistency among devices, and they are ready to go out of the box.
Employers can create user groups or teams to assign apps and roles to, and create custom roles to manage an employee’s access exactly the way they want. Employees will be able to go into the Apple Business app and see information about the groups they’re in and see contact details.
And Apple Business can help a company grow its reach with new features in Apple Maps, Mail, Wallet, Siri and more. In Apple Maps, for instance, there will be new place cards for businesses, which will allow them to customize photos, show detailed location information, hours and will have a new look with a cover photo at the top.
Additionally, there is a showcases section in these Apple Maps cards allowing users to see special offers, new products, seasonal options and even offer custom actions like an order or reserve option that will direct customers to a website or app. Personally, I can see this working great with a coffee shop; search for a coffee shop, see one close by, and directly from Apple Maps, you can order that limited edition pumpkin spice latte, for example.
Apple Business also offers location insight to see how customers discover and interact with your business on Maps. Further, you can add branding communications in the Mail app on iCloud to increase awareness of the brand and include a brand logo and name on the payment screen when accepting payments from an iPhone.
Apple Business is launching on April 14 in 200 countries, including Canada. Once Apple Business launches, Business Connect data will automatically migrate to Apple Business at launch. The Apple Business companion app will require iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26.
Pricing depends on how much iCloud storage you’ll need per user, starting at 5GB for free, and AppleCare+ Business coverage per device. U.S. pricing offers an additional 2TB of iCloud storage per user, starting at US$0.99 (roughly C$1.36) per month. AppleCare+ Business coverage is available per device or per user, starting at US$6.99 (roughly C$9.62) per month or US$13.99 (roughly C$19.24) per month per user up to three devices. We’re still waiting on specific Canadian details.
Ads
As rumoured, ads are coming to Maps, using Apple’s privacy-first approach that Map users already use. With Ads on Maps, a user’s location and the ads they see and interact with are not attached to the user’s Apple Account. Additionally, Apple doesn’t share these details with third parties, and personal data stays on a user’s device and isn’t collected or stored.
Ads will be seen among search results and suggested locations, but will be clearly labelled as an ad.
When Apple Business launches in April, businesses will need to first mark their locations on Maps. Ads launch in the U.S. and Canada in the summer. When it’s available, businesses will be able to use an automated experience for creating ads in Apple Business in simple steps.
