With the second beta of iOS 26.5, Apple is continuing to prepare for ads in the Apple Maps app. There's a new splash screen in the app that says it will display ads based on approximate location, current search terms, or a view of the map when searching. Ads will also be shown in the "Suggested Places" section that was added in the first beta.


Apple says that advertising information is not linked to an Apple Account to preserve user privacy, so ads viewed and interacted with will not be associated with an Apple Account. Data is not collected or stored by Apple and not shared with third parties, according to Apple.

Signs of ads in the Maps app were spotted in the first beta, but iOS 26.5 testers could start seeing ads with the second beta. It's not yet clear if Apple has just implemented the splash screen, or if ads are going to begin showing up in the near future.


Apple announced plans to introduce ads for the Maps app back in March, with ads set to roll out to the public "this summer." Apple plans to include ads in the Maps app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac in the United States and Canada.

Ads in ‌Apple Maps‌ will have an "Ad" label, much like ads in the App Store.
This article, "Apple Maps Ads Move Closer to Launch With iOS 26.5 Beta 2" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The European Commission today said it found that Apple Maps and Apple Ads should not be designated as "gateways" under the EU's Digital Markets Act.


In a press release, the European Commission said that Apple Maps and Apple Ads are not big enough individually to qualify as "important gateways between business users and end users," and therefore the platforms will not be subject to stricter regulations. This follows an investigation that began in late November.

"This assessment is based on a number of considerations, including that Apple Maps has a relatively low overall usage rate in the EU, and that Apple Ads has very limited scale in the online advertising sector in the EU," the European Commission said.

Apple as a whole is still considered a "gatekeeper" under the Digital Markets Act.

Apple Ads and Apple Maps will have more in common soon, as Apple reportedly plans to start showing ads within Apple Maps search results as soon as this year.
This article, "EU Spares Apple Maps and Apple Ads" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In iOS 26, Apple Maps has a feature called Visited Places that when enabled automatically logs where you've been, with the aim of making it easier to revisit your favorite spots or to share locations with friends.


While it can be useful for tracking your travels, you might prefer to keep your location history private. Here's how to disable the feature and clear your history.

What Is Visited Places?

Visited Places keeps a record of locations you've visited, organizing them by category such as restaurants, shops, or transit stops. The feature is end-to-end encrypted, so Apple can't read your data, and it syncs across all your Apple devices signed into the same account.


You can search your visited places by name, date, or category, add personal notes, and even save locations to custom guides. However, if you'd rather not have Maps tracking your movements at all, you can turn it off completely.

How to Turn Off Visited Places

When you upgrade to ‌iOS 26‌, the Maps app pops up an alert on first launch letting you know about the new Visited Places feature, so that you can opt in or opt out. If you opted in and now want to disable it, or you don't remember seeing the popup, here's what to do.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.


2. Tap through to Apps ➝ Maps ➝ Location.


3. Toggle off the Visited Places switch.

With the toggle disabled, Maps will no longer track the places you visit. Note that you can also access the toggle by going to Privacy and Security ➝ Location Services ➝ Maps.

How to Clear Your Visited Places History

In the Maps app's Visited Places card, the Keep Visits buttons gives you options to change how long visits are kept (three months, one year, and forever). If you want to delete the entirety of location history, you can also clear it from within the Maps app.

1. Open the Maps app on your iPhone.


2. Tap Places, then tap Visited Places.


3. Scroll to the bottom, tap Clear History, then tap Clear All.

Your visited places history will now be permanently deleted. You can also remove individual locations by tapping More (the three dots) next to any place card and selecting Remove.
This article, "Apple Maps May Be Logging Places You Visit – How to Disable" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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