Apple on Wednesday announced an expanded set of tools to help businesses increase visibility on Apple's platforms through its free service Apple Business Connect. Launched last year, the online portal allows businesses to manage their presence across Apple's 1.5 billion devices in areas such as Maps, Siri, Spotlight search, Safari and Wallet. Now, business owners will be able to integrate their brand into other Apple products, including email, iPhone Tap to Pay, and Apple Phone apps. Additionally, the company says Business Connect opens its doors to all types of businesses, not just those with physical locations.
Business Connect evolved from a simpler system called Apple Business Register, which allowed businesses to manage their listings on Apple Maps. Since Business Connect launched in early 2023, “millions” of locations around the world have begun using the service to customize how their businesses look to consumers. This includes the use of place cards, cover photos, logos, business photos, limited-time promotions and incentives called “Showcases,” and action buttons like “Pick up order” and “View menu” .
Businesses can use insights to understand how consumers interact with their business, such as how the user found the business and what actions the user took once on the business's place card. You can also find out more about who is involved.
With today's expansion, Apple is making it possible for businesses of all types to establish profiles on the system, including businesses that provide services, businesses that operate from home, and businesses that operate entirely online without a physical location. It will be.
Additionally, all businesses will have more control over their brand presence across more Apple apps and features.
Through the dashboard, businesses can enter details about their brand, such as name, category, logo, and website, and preview how their place cards will appear to consumers.
Image credit: Apple
Later this year, this information will also be used to customize how business emails appear in Apple's Mail app. You can now see your brand name and logo in your email inbox instead of the boring gray logo you see now. Additionally, when you click on an email, in addition to your company name and logo, a colorful header derived from your brand's logo appears at the top of the screen, giving your brand an even bigger presence.
This branded email feature comes with the newly redesigned Mail app for iOS 18, which now categorizes emails and groups them by sender. Similar to Gmail, iOS 18 categorizes emails into tabs such as primary, transactional, updates, and promotions. However, Apple says it doesn't rely on whether a company has established its brand through Business Connect to determine where an email is classified.
Apple says brands will submit their brand information and then go through a review process. You'll also be able to manage multiple emails and branded domains, including marketing and order confirmation emails. Brands can sign up for this option now and their logos will start appearing to customers later this year.
Image credit: Apple
Tap to pay is another area where branded icons will be displayed instead of the general category icons that are currently displayed. Your business's name is also customizable, so your business will appear exactly as you want it to your customers during the payment process. Apple says this change will help customers know when to pay with trusted and verified companies.
Although not expected until next year, integration with phone apps will help identify calls by displaying the company name, logo, and department, allowing consumers to better understand which calls are unwanted or spam. This may be the most useful as it allows you to make decisions.
Apple says the feature, which includes an all-new Business Connect dashboard with contextual topics and tips, is available to “most” businesses around the world by signing up for Business Connect with their Apple account. He says it will be possible. You can also manage your company's location presence at scale through listing management agencies such as DAC Group, Rio SEO, SOCi, Uberall, and Yext.
Image credit: Apple
“We're excited to give all businesses, even those without a physical location, the ability to create brands that appear across the Apple apps that more than 1 billion people use every day.”Apple said David Dorn, senior director of Internet Software at . Service products are mentioned in the statement. “We designed Business Connect to help businesses present the best and most accurate information to Apple users. With today's update, we're helping even more businesses reach and trust their customers. We will help them build and grow,” he added.