How to set up your Apple Maps listing in Apple Business

What is Apple Business, and what happened to Business Connect?

In March 2026 Apple announced Apple Business, a single platform that folds in the tools previously offered as Apple Business Connect. Apple said it would be available as a free service starting April 14, 2026. For a service company, the part that matters is the same as before: claiming and editing the place card people see when they find you in Apple Maps.

Apple says you can customize that place card with photos, location details, hours and other information that displays across Apple Maps, Safari, Spotlight and more. iPhone owners who search Maps for a plumber see whatever Apple has on file. If you've never claimed it, that may be an old number or no listing at all.

The step-by-step instructions live in Apple's Apple Business User Guide. This page follows it, translated for a contractor or home-service owner.

What you'll need

• A computer with a browser and about 30 minutes.
• Your legal name as the person signing up. Apple says it wants a real person's name, not a title like "Office Manager."
• An email address and phone number that can receive verification codes.
• A business ID: your EIN or a D-U-N-S Number. If you don't have an EIN yet, our guide on getting an EIN covers it.
• A second proof, ideally DNS access for your website's domain (to add a TXT record), or a document such as a business license, sales tax permit, lease or utility bill.
• Your listing details, matching your Google profile: name, address, category, phone, website and hours.

Step 1: sign up for Apple Business

From Apple's sign-up and verification page:

1. Go to business.apple.com and select Sign up now.
2. Enter your organization name, website (optional, though Apple says it can speed up verification), location and address.
3. Enter your legal first and last name.
4. Create a password and enter your phone number with its region code.
5. Enter the verification code Apple emails you, then the one it texts you.
6. Accept the Apple Business terms and conditions.
7. Optionally tell Apple which features interest you and how many employees you have.

Apple's guide mentions two kinds of accounts. You can keep using a personal Apple Account, which Apple says is limited to brand and location management, or create a Managed Apple Account for the full feature set. Brand and location management is all you need for a Maps listing.

Step 2: verify your organization

Apple gives you 60 days after signing up to verify, and says the review takes up to five business days. If you don't verify in time, Apple says your data is deleted. You need two methods from this list:

• Business ID: a D-U-N-S Number or an Employer Identification Number (EIN).
• Domain validation: add a TXT record to your domain's DNS.
• App Store Connect, which most service businesses won't have.
• Document upload: Apple lists examples including a business license, sales tax permit, lease or property agreement, and utility bill.

For most contractors, the quickest pair is the EIN plus the DNS record. Apple notes that your organization name may change during verification, so don't be surprised if your LLC's legal name appears.

Step 3: claim or add your Maps location

First, search Apple Maps on an iPhone or Mac for your business name. If a place card already exists, claim it rather than creating a second one.

If your business is already on Maps:

1. In Apple Business, sign in with a user whose role can manage locations.
2. Choose Brands, then Locations.
3. Enter your location's name, then find and select it.
4. Drag the map, or enter coordinates, if the marker isn't in the right spot, then select Next.
5. Confirm the language, display name, primary category and status.
6. Select Next and set your hours.
7. If your organization is already verified, select Done. If not, Apple says phone verification may be available for a location that already exists on Maps: after you receive Apple's call, you enter the four-digit code.

If you're not on Maps yet:

1. Under Brands, then Locations, enter your business name and choose the option to add a new location with that name.
2. Enter the address and adjust the map marker until it sits on the right spot, then select Next.
3. Enter the language, display name, category, status (Open or Opening Soon) and phone number.
4. Select Next, set your hours, and select Next again.
5. Choose or create a brand (your logo and cover photo, which Apple calls the place card header).
6. Finish verification, then optionally select Get Started to add more details.

What if you work from home?

Google and Bing both let service businesses hide their address and show a service area instead. As of October 2026, Apple's user guide doesn't describe an equivalent setting: adding a location asks for an address and a map marker, and its location attributes page refers to the address customers use to travel to or find you.

So think before you add a location at your house. If you have a shop, yard or office with a real address, use that. If the only address you have is your home, and you don't want customers or strangers pulling into the driveway, it may be better to skip the place card for now and revisit if Apple adds a service-area option. Either way, don't use a mailbox or virtual office address; the same accuracy rules that apply on Google apply here in spirit, and a fake location tends to get corrected by customer reports.

Step 4: fill in the place card

Apple's location attributes page lists what you can set. The fields worth your time:

• Category: one primary category, plus up to 19 optional ones. Pick the primary that best matches the work you most want.
• About: a short description of what you do and where. Plain sentences, no keyword lists.
• Photos: a logo, a cover photo and additional images. Apple reviews the cover photo and logo before they appear.
• Hours: regular hours, plus temporary hours for holidays or storm weeks.
• Website and phone: your own site and a number that rings a person.
• Actions and Showcase: buttons such as booking links, and a promotional module for seasonal offers.

Common errors and fixes

Do you need Apple's Maps ads?

No. Apple announced ads in Maps search results for the U.S. and Canada starting in summer 2026, and said businesses must first claim their location on Maps to use them. The listing itself is free and works without ads. Get the place card right first; decide on ads later, the same way you would with any paid channel.

What to do next

1. Match Apple, Google and Bing exactly. If you haven't done Bing yet, see how to set up Bing Places.
2. Check Apple's insights for your location every few months to see how people find and use your place card.
3. Make sure your website backs up the listing with the same name, phone and hours. Our website service and local SEO service handle this, and our free system quote flags any place your listings disagree.

Frequently asked questions