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

As a local business owner, it’s easy to think Google reviews are the most critical driver of local visibility. But here’s the reality: not everyone is using Google to search for local businesses anymore. In recent years, platforms like ChatGPT have changed how people look for answers, especially through voice-based queries. Customers are no longer tied to typing into a search bar; they’re asking questions out loud, expecting instant, conversational results.

And while businesses scramble to keep up with Google and experiment with AI-driven platforms, most overlook one of the biggest hidden gems: Apple’s Siri, which is tied to Apple Maps. For millions of loyal iPhone users, Siri has become the default gateway to local discovery via voice search. Every time someone asks, “Where’s the best pizza near me?” or “Find a plumber close by,” those results are powered directly through Apple Maps. Yet most businesses still don’t realize just how much traffic is flowing through this ecosystem.

And while Google Maps still dominates the global market with about 67% share, Apple Maps now commands an estimated 20–25%, largely thanks to the iPhone’s dominance in key markets like the U.S. That gap may seem wide, but here’s the catch: Apple Maps is built into every iPhone. And with iPhones making up 56.6% of U.S. smartphones, and Safari handling nearly half of all mobile web browsing, it’s no longer just a “secondary” platform.

On top of that, voice search is exploding. As of 2025, 153.5 million Americans are expected to use voice assistants, with Siri alone serving around 86.5 million U.S. users. And nearly 58.6% of U.S. consumers have tried voice search at least once, with a growing share, especially ages 18–34, using it daily. 

So if you’re a business owner still betting everything on Google Maps, thinking that’s where all your visibility comes from, it might be time to look a little closer. This article breaks down how customers are increasingly making choices inside Apple’s ecosystem – sometimes without touching Google at all. 

The Shift You Didn’t Plan For: The Growing Influence of Apple Maps in the Mobile Ecosystem

Let’s be realistic, most businesses have spent the last decade building everything around Google. Google Search, Google Maps, Google Reviews. It’s been the obvious move. But what happens when the tools your customers rely on start shifting under your feet?

When Apple Maps launched in 2012, it wasn’t exactly embraced. It had bugs, missing streets, and gave directions that sometimes didn’t make sense. Nobody took it seriously. So it became easy to ignore. Year after year, the assumption held: Google handles search, Google handles maps, and that’s where customers will find us.

But while everyone was focused on optimizing for Google, Apple kept rebuilding. 

It didn’t try to compete feature-for-feature. Instead, Apple made Apple Maps something more foundational: a built-in layer across the entire iPhone experience. 

Apple Maps now serves an estimated 500 million people worldwide monthly. In the U.S., it reaches 85 to 100 million users, depending on the source. That’s up to one in every three smartphone users. And those users didn’t “choose” Apple Maps –  it’s already there. It’s the default.

It’s the map app that opens when someone taps an address in Messages. It powers turn-by-turn navigation in CarPlay. It connects directly with Siri. It feeds results into Safari when someone types “coffee near me.” And now, with Apple rolling AI-powered search directly into Safari, there’s a real possibility that local discovery will happen entirely inside Apple’s ecosystem, without Google ever entering the picture.

That’s the part most businesses haven’t planned for: A search that skips Google altogether.

That’s the shift. Not a drop in Google’s power, but a new layer of search behavior that’s been growing inside the iPhone for years. Quietly. Automatically. And now, at scale.

Apple Maps Isn’t Just a Map – It’s the Engine of a Growing Ecosystem

Too many business owners still treat Apple Maps like it’s an afterthought. Something nice to have. A checkbox. Meanwhile, customer behavior has already shifted, and not in a way that favors those who are slow to adapt.

Here’s what’s actually happening behind the interface: Apple isn’t competing on features. It’s competing for flow. It’s removing friction between the moment someone wants something and the moment they show up at a business.

That means fewer search bars, fewer open-ended queries, and more direct actions. The tap to call. The tap for directions. The instant review scan. This is what Apple has been optimizing for.

And yet, most businesses still treat Maps like a digital business card – a place to list hours and an address. What they miss is that Apple Maps now acts like a decision filter. If your reviews aren’t strong, if your categories are off, if your listing is incomplete or inaccurate, the system doesn’t warn you. It just routes people somewhere else.

That’s the part most business owners never see: the decision that didn’t happen.

What makes this especially urgent is what Apple is doing next. With its push into on-device AI, Maps will start surfacing businesses before anyone even asks. Recommendations will show up based on behavior, context, and intent –  without the user typing a thing.

That means you’re either in that loop, or you’re not. There’s no middle space. No “we’ll fix it later.” If Apple’s system doesn’t see you as a relevant option, your business just doesn’t appear.

And right now, most of your competitors still don’t realize that’s coming.

Comparing Apple Maps and Google Maps

Here’s a straightforward, side-by-side look at how each stacks up — focusing on fresh insights that local businesses should care about today:

Google Maps: Still the Power Player

• Rich and granular data: Offers global street-level imagery (Street View), extensive point-of-interest listings, live traffic updates, and multi-stop route planning.
  
• Universal availability: Works across Android, iOS, web browsers, and virtually any device.
  
• Crowd-sourced intelligence: Leverages inputs from millions of users for real-time updates and improved accuracy.
  
• More invasive data collection: Uses detailed location and search history to personalize results and ads – privacy-conscious users are taking note.
  

Apple Maps: Quiet, Privacy-First Growth

• Seamlessly embedded in Apple ecosystem: No downloads needed as it integrates across iOS, macOS, Siri, CarPlay, and Safari.
• Cleaner, simpler design: A minimal interface that’s easy to use, with features like “Look Around” (Apple’s version of Street View), topographic layers, and offline maps for remote areas.
• Privacy-first features: Includes location “fuzzing,” no retention of search history, and in iOS 26, an opt-in “Visited Places” feature that is fully encrypted and on-device only.
• AI-enhanced navigation: Upcoming features such as preferred routes and predictive suggestions will personalize guidance without compromising user privacy.

What This Means for Local Businesses

 

What Signals Influence Apple Maps Visibility?

Apple Maps draws its data from several key sources:

• Apple Business Connect: The official portal for business owners to manage NAP data, categories, and visual assets.
  
• Yelp & TripAdvisor: Reviews and ratings that flow directly into Maps.
  
• Data aggregators like Localeze and Yext: Apple pulls structured information from them for verification.
  
• Google & Bing listings: Consistency across platforms increases Apple’s trust in your info.
  

If you’re misaligned or incomplete across any of these platforms, Apple doesn’t warn you—it quietly sidelines you.

What You Should Do Now Before Everyone Else Catches On

You don’t need a complete strategy overhaul. But you do need to stop leaving this untouched. Apple Maps is still underutilized by most local businesses, which makes it one of the few places where you can still gain ground fast.

Start here:

1. Claim and Control Your Apple Maps Listing

Use Apple Business Connect to take ownership of your listing. Don’t rely on Apple to pull your details from scattered third-party sources. Fill in everything yourself – location, hours, categories, phone number, photos, and links. Incomplete listings get buried.

2. Fix Your Yelp Presence as It Directly Impacts Apple Maps

Apple Maps uses Yelp for business ratings, reviews, categories, and photos. If your Yelp page is weak, your Apple Maps visibility is weak.

• Update visuals regularly
  
• Respond to reviews
  
• Encourage real customers to leave fresh, detailed feedback
  

3. Write for the Way People Actually Search

Siri queries are conversational. That means your descriptions should reflect real phrasing, like:

• “best pizza open late”
  
• “urgent care near me”
  
• “Family dentist accepting new patients”
  

The closer your listing language aligns with real-world questions, the more likely you’ll appear in voice-based results.

4. Make Your Business Info Match Everywhere

Mismatched details create friction and kill trust. Make sure your hours, categories, phone numbers, and location data are consistent across:

• Apple Maps
  
• Yelp
  
• Google Business Profile
  
• Your website
  

Inconsistencies confuse algorithms and customers alike.

Don’t Be Left Out of the Next Customer Search

You don’t need a new marketing department to fix this. You just need to act while the space is still open. Most businesses haven’t caught on yet. They’re still focused only on Google, assuming that’s where all their customers are. And for now, that still works – but not for long.

Most businesses are still glued to Google, assuming that’s the only place customers look. That might be fine for now, but it won’t last. Apple Maps is already built into every iPhone, and people are using it every day through Siri, Safari, and CarPlay. If your business isn’t there, you’re invisible to that crowd.

And it’s not just Apple. People are starting to use ChatGPT for recommendations. Voice search is picking up with younger customers. Search itself is splintering in ways most business owners haven’t caught up to yet. So this isn’t about leaving Google behind. It’s about not putting all your visibility in one place while the other side stays wide open.

The bottom line is simple: make sure your business shows up where people are actually searching. Apple Maps is the place to start – and the longer you wait, the harder it will be to catch up.