Why Local Businesses Can’t Keep Ignoring Apple Maps in 2025

In today’s digital landscape, smartphones have become the primary tool for discovering nearby restaurants, shops, and services. Digital map applications like Google Maps and Apple Maps play a crucial role in everyday decision-making, acting as key gateways through which consumers navigate and engage with their local surroundings. While Google Maps remains the most widely used mapping app, holding approximately 67% of the global mobile navigation market, Apple Maps follows with around 20-25%. Despite this gap, Apple Maps is emerging as a powerful and often overlooked player in local search. This article argues that businesses can no longer ignore Apple Maps, especially in a landscape where nearly half of mobile web browsing in the United States occurs via Safari, and iPhones account for 56.6% of the U.S. mobile phone market.

The Growing Influence of Apple Maps in the Mobile Ecosystem

Globally, Google Maps serves around 1 billion monthly users. In the United States, it reaches an estimated 150 million unique users each month, which is roughly two-thirds of all smartphone owners. As a result, Google Maps holds the lion’s share of the market, with an estimated 67% share of the navigation app market.

Meanwhile, Apple Maps, the default mapping application on iOS devices, has benefited from the popularity of the iPhone. It has grown to an estimated 500 million monthly users worldwide. In the United States, approximately 85 to 100 million people use Apple Maps, representing a notable 20% to 25% share of the market. One reason for the gap in usage compared to Google Maps is that Apple Maps is available only on Apple devices. Nevertheless, Apple’s market share has been steadily increasing in recent years, suggesting that Apple Maps is likely to continue gaining traction.

Although Apple Maps is still behind Google Maps in overall usage, its growing influence within Apple’s expanding ecosystem is particularly significant given Apple’s dominance in the mobile space. As of 2025, Safari is the leading mobile browser in the United States, accounting for 49.9% of all mobile web browsing, while approximately 56.6% of mobile phone users own iPhones. As a result, Apple operates within a vast and tightly integrated ecosystem in which Apple Maps plays a central role. Apple’s strategic move to integrate AI-powered search engines into Safari further underscores the growing importance of this ecosystem, as local search may increasingly be conducted through Apple’s native tools, potentially bypassing Google entirely.

Apple Maps as a Strategic Growth Channel

Americans are increasingly using map applications to search for local services rather than relying on traditional web browsers. 46% of all Google searches have local intent, often including phrases such as “near me.” Mapping applications have essentially become local search engines. Many users now simply open Google Maps or Apple Maps and enter queries like “coffee shop” or use voice commands to find nearby options. Notably, 58% of consumers have used voice search to find information about a local business, highlighting the growing importance of voice-activated discovery in local search behavior. Apple Maps, in particular, is closely integrated with Siri. When a user asks, “Where is the best sushi near me?” Siri retrieves information from Apple Maps and Yelp. If a business is not accurately listed or lacks strong reviews, it may be excluded from these voice search results entirely.

Given this shift in consumer behavior, Apple Maps presents a growing strategic opportunity for local businesses. Although it is steadily gaining users, many businesses continue to focus almost exclusively on Google Maps. This creates a valuable opening for early movers. By investing in Apple Maps now, businesses can gain a competitive edge, appear more frequently in voice searches, and improve their visibility in Siri-powered results.

As Apple continues to enhance its search capabilities with AI and deepen integration across its apps and platforms, Apple Maps is becoming more than just an alternative to Google Maps. It now provides access to a growing audience of users who are not yet being actively targeted by most competitors.

Comparing Apple Maps and Google Maps

It should also be noted that while Google Maps offers the most features and generally provides the most accurate and comprehensive data, including points of interest, traffic, transit, Street View imagery, and more, and is available on nearly all devices, it also collects a large amount of user data by tracking location and search activity to personalize results and advertisements. In contrast, Apple Maps offers a cleaner and more privacy-focused experience. Since its rocky launch in 2012, Apple has steadily improved the app’s accuracy. It now includes rich 3D maps and integrates smoothly across all Apple devices, including Siri and CarPlay, while collecting significantly less personal data.

The Role of Yelp in Apple Maps Search Visibility

Apple Maps often relies on third-party sources such as Yelp for business information. As a result, a business’s Yelp presence, including reviews, ratings, and photos, directly influences how it appears in Apple Maps search results. Despite this, many local businesses have not yet claimed or optimized their listings on either Apple Maps or Yelp. This highlights the importance of maintaining an up-to-date and well-managed Yelp profile, encouraging positive reviews from satisfied customers, and actively engaging with feedback.

Practical Steps to Improve Visibility on Apple Maps

1. Claim Your Apple Maps Listing. Register your business through Apple’s Business Connect platform. Ensure that your listing contains accurate and complete information, including location, contact details, operating hours, and business category.
2. Enhance Your Yelp Profile. Since Apple Maps sources business reviews from Yelp, your Yelp profile is equally important as your Google listing. Regularly update photos, respond to customer reviews, and encourage satisfied clients to share their experiences.
3. Adapt to Voice Search Patterns. Optimize your business profile for common voice search queries that users might ask Siri. Use natural, conversational phrases such as “best brunch near me” or “urgent care open now” to align with how consumers search verbally.
4. Maintain Up-to-Date Information. Ensure that all key business details, such as regular hours, special offers, and holiday closures, are current on both Apple Maps and Google Maps. This helps customers receive accurate information across platforms.

Local businesses are still predominantly focusing on Google, but consumer behavior is evolving quickly. With Apple’s strong presence in the mobile market, increasing emphasis on user privacy, and the integration of search across Safari, Siri, and Maps, it is time to stop treating Apple Maps as an afterthought. There is a hidden opportunity here, and it is already in your customers’ hands. You just need to show up.