Apple Business Connect users will be able to display logos and brand names — Image credit: Apple
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Apple's free business promotion service is now available to businesses without a physical location, such as those that only operate online, plus it offers more branding options.
Apple Business Connect launched in 2023 as a free way for businesses to promote themselves across Apple services like Maps and Wallet. Businesses sign up with Apple and can fill out a Business Connect form with logos, images, and more, which will then appear on Apple Maps.
The service is free, but it was specifically limited to businesses with physical locations like retail stores. Now, however, any business can go to businessconnect.apple.com and sign up without a physical address.
“We’re excited to offer all businesses — including those without a physical location — the opportunity to create a brand that will appear in Apple apps used by more than a billion people every day,” David Dorn, Apple’s senior director of Internet Software and Services, said in a statement to AppleInsider.
The goal is to provide the service to both online businesses and small home-based businesses. These companies obviously won't be featured on Apple Maps, but they will benefit from the service's promotion in Siri, Spotlight, Wallet, and new features.
Branded Mail and Tap to Pay
These new features are being rolled out in two batches. The first and largest batch is available for signup now, and it brings new branding to both Mail and Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Once a business completes their Business Connect form with images, they will automatically appear as a header in Apple Mail.
Similarly, when a customer presents their iPhone to use Tap to Pay on iPhone, the business logo and name will appear on the screen.
Businesses can complete and edit the Business Connect form to include their logos in Mail and more — Image courtesy of Apple
Businesses can sign up for Apple Business Connect and add their images now. Customers will see the logos when iOS 18.2 is released before the end of 2024.
Business Caller ID
Then in 2025, Apple will also add Business Caller ID. Currently, iPhone only displays the phone number when the caller is not recognized, but registered business users will be able to display more.
Specifically, along with the phone number, the company logo and name can appear on the call screen, as they do now. The company name can also include the name of a specific department.
“We designed Business Connect to enable businesses to provide Apple users with the best, most accurate information,” Dorn continued. “With today’s updates, we’re helping even more businesses find customers, build trust, and grow.”
This expansion of Apple Business Connect follows the company's program of offering special “Today at Apple” sessions for small business owners.
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