Apple Business Connect for Australian Businesses: Get Found on Apple Maps
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Apple Business Connect is Apple's free tool for claiming and editing how your business appears on Apple Maps and other Apple apps. iPhone users who ask Siri or search Apple Maps see this information, not your Google profile. If customers can find you on Apple Maps, it's worth 20 minutes to claim your place card and make sure the details are right.
What is Apple Business Connect?
Apple launched Business Connect in January 2023 as a free tool that lets businesses claim their place cards and customise how key information appears across Apple Maps, Messages, Wallet and other apps (Apple). You can add photos, a logo, opening hours and action links, and see insights on how people find your card (Apple).
Do you need it if you already have Google?
Google is where most local searches happen, so your Google Business Profile comes first. But Apple Maps is the default map on iPhones, and Siri uses Apple's data, so a wrong phone number or old hours there can still lose you jobs. Claiming it is free and the upkeep is small. That's our general view, not an Apple statistic.
How do you set it up?
- Go to Apple Business Connect and sign in with an Apple Account (ideally a business one, not your personal Apple ID)
- Enter your business details and verify that you're authorised to manage it
- Search for your business. Claim the place card if it exists, or add a new one
- Check name, address or service area, phone, website, category and hours
- Add a logo, cover photo and real photos of your work
- Wait for Apple to verify the changes, then check the card on an iPhone
Apple's verification can ask for documents or a phone check. The exact steps vary, so follow the prompts in Business Connect.
What should you fill in?
| Field | Tip |
|---|---|
| Name | Exactly as on your signage, ABN registration and Google profile. No extra keywords |
| Phone and website | The same as everywhere else. Link to your real homepage or a service page |
| Hours | Including holiday hours, which you can update ahead of time |
| Category | The closest match to your main service |
| Photos | Your real work, team or shopfront. No stock photos |
| Action links | A link to book, call or request a quote if offered |
Common mistakes
- Leaving an old phone number or a moved address on Apple Maps
- Using a different business name from Google and directories. See how to check NAP consistency
- Claiming with a personal Apple ID that only one person can access
- Forgetting to update public holiday hours
Where does Apple fit with other listings?
Treat Apple Maps like Bing Places and the main Australian business directories: set it up once properly, then check it twice a year or whenever your details change.
Who should own the Apple account?
The account you use to claim your place card controls it. If that account belongs to a staff member, an old agency or a personal email you don't check, you can lose control of the listing.
- Create or use an Apple Account tied to a business email address the owner controls
- Store the login with your other business passwords, not in one person's head
- If an agency sets it up for you, ask them to use your account or add you as a user
- Review who has access once a year, and remove anyone who has left
The same rule applies to your Google Business Profile and Bing Places: the business should own the account, and others should be added as helpers.
What if you don't have a shopfront?
Many tradies and mobile businesses work from home and don't want their address shown. On Google, that means hiding the address and showing a service area. See should you hide your address on Google?
Check what Business Connect offers for your business type when you set it up; the options can vary
Don't list your home address as if it were a shopfront customers can visit
Make sure your phone number and website are correct, since those are what most mobile customers use
Keep your business name and phone identical to your Google profile
If you're unsure, follow the prompts in Business Connect and keep the details consistent with your other listings.
Which photos should you add?
Photos help a customer recognise your business and judge your work before they call. Use the same good photos you use on Google and your website, so your business looks the same everywhere.
- A clear logo that is readable at small sizes
- A cover photo of your best recent work, your shopfront or your branded vehicle
- Three to six photos of real jobs, with nothing that identifies a customer's address
- A photo of you or your team, if you're comfortable with that
- No stock photos, text-heavy graphics or images with phone numbers on them
Replace old photos when you update your Google profile, so the two never drift apart.
How do you check your card the way a customer sees it?
Once your changes are approved, look at the card on an iPhone as a customer would. It takes two minutes and catches mistakes before customers do.
- Open Apple Maps on an iPhone and search your business name
- Check the name, category, phone, hours and website on the card
- Tap the phone number and website link to make sure they work
- Search for your main service and suburb, such as "electrician Sunshine", to see whether you appear
- Ask Siri to call your business by name and check it dials the right number
If something is wrong, fix it in Business Connect rather than reporting it through the Maps app, so the change comes from the verified owner.
How do you keep Apple, Google and Bing in sync?
The hard part isn't setting listings up; it's keeping them the same when something changes. A short routine helps:
| When | What to check |
|---|---|
| Every month | Hours, phone and website on Google, Apple and Bing |
| Before public holidays | Special or holiday hours on all three |
| When you change anything | Update every listing on the same day, starting with Google |
| Every six months | Photos, logo and category; replace anything out of date |
| Once a year | Who has access to each account |
Keep a simple list of every place your business is listed, with the login details stored safely. See is your business listed the same everywhere?.
What if the details on Apple Maps are wrong and you can't fix them?
Sometimes a place card shows old information, or someone else seems to have claimed it. Start with the simple checks:
- Make sure you're signed in to the right Apple Account; the card may already be claimed by a colleague or an old account of yours
- Search for duplicate cards with an old name or address
- Follow the claim and verification prompts in Business Connect, which may ask for documents
- If you still can't get access, use Apple's Business Connect support options
Keep proof of your business name, ABN and address handy, as you may be asked for it. It also helps to have a recent invoice or utility bill in the business name and a photo of your signage ready, in case Apple asks for extra proof.
Apple shows insights in Business Connect about how people find and interact with your place card (Apple). Check them every few months alongside your Google numbers.
- Note how many people viewed your card and tapped to call, get directions or visit your website
- Compare with your Google Business Profile performance report. See reading your performance report
- Ask new customers whether they found you on an iPhone or through Siri
- Watch for calls from customers who say your hours or address were wrong somewhere, and check Apple first
Even if Apple brings far fewer customers than Google, an accurate card stops you losing the ones it does bring, and it takes only a few minutes a month to keep right.
Morphic can claim and tidy your Google, Apple and Bing listings so your details match everywhere. Get a free quote, or book a 30-minute call.
Related service. local SEO.
Related reading: Bing Places in Australia and AI Search for Local Businesses.
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Key Takeaways
Apple Business Connect is free and controls your Apple Maps place card.
iPhone users and Siri see Apple's data, not your Google profile.
Claim it with a business Apple Account, then verify your details.
Keep name, phone, website and hours identical to Google and directories.
Check it twice a year and before public holidays.
Emon Datta
Founder, Morphic Agency
Morphic Agency is a Melbourne-based UX design agency. We've shipped 50+ products across 15+ countries.
