Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch
iPhone's Google Maps app now shows ads
Have you noticed the new "Sponsored Link" search results showing up when you search in Google Maps on your iPhone? These new search results are ads. They're easy to pick out, because they use a customized icon instead of the typical push pin icon. While it's not surprising that Google is going to want to find every way possible to monetize its mapping service, it's still a little disconcerting to see these results popping up.
Given this obvious new revenue stream, it makes us wonder whether Apple wants to get in on the lucrative mapping action. Their recent purchase of the mapping service company Placebase certainly suggests the possibility.
Do you mind seeing ads intermingled with your map search results on a mobile device? Why or why not?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Mike said 6:11PM on 10-10-2009
starts to wait for the people who cry a river about the ads like they did with CNN. rember we paid for this to people.
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strato said 6:17PM on 10-10-2009
We didn't pay for the maps.
Nailbunny said 7:26PM on 10-10-2009
@Strato
I completely disagree, the mapping functionality of the iPhone was most definitely one of the primary selling points for me and many others who purchased the product. Will you say anything when ads are played before AT&T will connect a phonecall?
There is such thing as core functionality, and this fight between Ma Apple and Pa Google is becoming beyond irksome.
THINK OF THE CHILDREN!
Jordan said 9:31PM on 10-10-2009
All the people on here saying they don't mind the ads...wow
The maps function was one of the major basic functionality points of the iPhone. Built into it, not optional. It's not like it's some free crappy app from the app store from the plethora of crappy apps, it's a major component. I can still go to google maps online and not get ads...why are they on my phone?
The iPhone just lost a lot of credibility with me, and hopefully many others. Though you're probably thinking "so what", this is kind of a big deal seeing as I'm starting to get sick of the iPhone as it is. Loved it at first, but now its major weaknesses are showing. This is just one more reason to add to my list of reasons why I might not buy another iphone when my contract is up. Apple should be worried, they may be able to do whatever they want and their few blind faithful will follow, but the masses may not.
puhsitch said 10:16PM on 10-10-2009
Jordan: I think it's more likely to be other way around. A select few may jump ship, but the masses won't even realize what's going on.
Jordan said 11:48PM on 10-10-2009
You're right, the masses won't, at first. But it's a chain reaction. The only reason the masses use the iphone is because it's been labeled cool. The masses would not have picked it up had all us nerds here been clamoring over it to begin with. We move out and start drooling over something new, time marches on and the next thing you know the iPhone isn't as hot an item anymore.
Like I said, Apple needs to be more careful moving forward than it ever has before. The competition is beginning to deliver.
Noah said 12:52AM on 10-11-2009
I didn't pay hundreds of dollars for an iPhone to be bombarded with ads in my "Maps" application.
puhsitch said 3:42AM on 10-11-2009
I wouldn't give us nerds *too* much credit...we were all slaves to the overt/covert marketing machine in one way or another. The reason why the iPhone became such a huge hit was because it was anticipated and talked about for so long, and to a lesser degree, because it somehow managed to just about meet the high expectations.
If something is going to displace the iPhone within "the masses," it needs to do more than have perfect functionality and the perfect price...it needs to be gawked at by the ladies on The View. And I don't think they're spending too much time reading Engadget or Gizmodo :)
SlickChunky said 3:38PM on 10-11-2009
Wow Jordan, you're a bitch. Go overreact somewhere else.
shmooopy said 9:06AM on 10-12-2009
@Jordan
Are you sure this is an iPhone thing and not a Google thing? Maybe your anger is misdirected?
Travis Walls said 6:11PM on 10-10-2009
If they can keep it looking tasteful and relevant to what I'm searching for, I suppose I don't mind. It does seem a bit wrong, seeing as the app is part of the OS. I mean it isn't like we can pay 99 cents to upgrade to an ad-free version like we can with most third-party apps that decide to spring ads on us in an update.
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mantia said 6:14PM on 10-10-2009
Frankly, I think they stand out less than the red pins. I wouldn't probably notice the light brown and white markers often as they blend into the map itself. Poor choice of style for the "sponsored" links. If I paid for advertisements, I'd expect a different colored pin that would stand out better or equally to the red pin.
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Jordan said 9:34PM on 10-10-2009
Yeah...they just take up 1/10th of your screen space. And when we're talking about a screen this size, it's a big issue
JohnnyCaraveo said 6:29PM on 10-10-2009
hmmmm, well if it's relevant to what I am trying to find I don't see why not.
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kinto said 2:40PM on 10-12-2009
@johnny... i agree. i first noticed the 'sponsored link' when i was recently searching for a hotel room. had it been a random ad mucking up my search results i would've been pissed, but sponsored or not it was still a hotel room so who cares. (though they wasted their ad dollars on me because one of the non-sponsored red pins had cheaper rates...)
tobini42 said 6:25PM on 10-10-2009
Is this part of the new update? I'm still on 3.0 and haven't noticed it.
I loathe advertising. I can barely tolerate it on websites, but never on an app I paid for.
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Felix H said 6:29PM on 10-10-2009
I don't mind at all unless ads are too many.
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signsTheMovie said 6:53PM on 10-10-2009
Isn't this diluting the Google brand? Back when I switched to Google, the reason was the sponsored links my old search engine had mixed into the regular search results. And those didn't obscure a map. In the regular Google search results the ads are at least clearly spatially separated.
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elldove said 6:38PM on 10-10-2009
The issue is that this isn't a Google branded program. It's just called Maps and comes free, pre-installed, with an iphone and ipod touch. There are other developers that make mapping apps for the platform, why does Google get theirs pre-installed? Its one thing if its revenue-neutral, ad-free. But you can't even uninstall Maps if don't want the ads.
If Google going to make money off our eyeballs, we should be able to delete the app.
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msavwah said 6:37PM on 10-10-2009
I noticed it on my map the other day and it was pretty annoying cause it had nothing to do with what I was looking for.
This is lame.
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