Apple is aiming to expand its digital advertising network by offering ad deals to companies that include Snap and Pinterest, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple is hoping to build an Apple ad network that would distribute ads across apps, providing a share of revenue to the apps that display the ads.

With these Apple ads, searching for something like "Drapes" in Pinterest could show up an ad from Apple for an interior design app, as an example.

searchadsapple

Apple's App Store search ads

Apple's App Store ads brought in nearly $1 billion in revenue last year, and its ad network ambitions would allow the company to grow its ad business significantly. Companies like Google and Facebook offer similar ad programs, which Apple would need to compete with.

Targeting ads could be more difficult for Apple because it does not use the extensive data collection techniques of Google and Facebook. Apple limits its App Store advertising data collection to age, location, gender, device, and music, app, book, and video downloads.

According to The Wall Street Journal, it is not known where Apple's planning for the ad network stands nor when it could launch. Apple previously had an ad program called iAd, which it shuttered in 2016.

Top Rated Comments

Nr123*123 Avatar
93 months ago
The line between Android and Apple gets blurrier.

I don’t want ads Tim. That’s why I paid the premium over an Android.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
93 months ago
This is a quote from Apple's privacy page ('https://www.apple.com/privacy/'):

"Your personal data belongs to you, not others.
Whether you’re taking a photo, asking Siri a question, or getting directions, you can do it knowing that Apple doesn’t gather your personal information to sell to advertisers or other organizations."

Guess that didn't last long.
A bit of a nit pick. That is Apple's privacy page. That's marketing. That is not their privacy policy. Some people think they are the same. They are not. Apple's privacy policy is linked in the upper right hand corner of that page.

That bold portion of your comment. That's Apple's infamous marketing misdirect. None of them (Google, Apple, MS, etc) sell your personal information to advertisers. But by saying they don't specifically, the implication is made that the others do.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rigby Avatar
93 months ago
A bit of a nit pick. That is Apple's privacy page. That's marketing. That is not their privacy policy. Some people think they are the same. They are not. Apple's privacy policy is linked in the upper right hand corner of that page.
Of course it's marketing. That's my point. It's a promise they make to their customers.
That bold portion of your comment. That's Apple's infamous marketing misdirect. None of them (Google, Apple, MS, etc) sell your personal information to advertisers. But by saying they don't specifically, the implication is made that the others do.
Be that as it may, Apple has always made a point that they are different from Google, Facebook etc. due to their business model. For example, here is a quote from a recent Tim Cook interview ('https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-slams-facebook-privacy-human-right-it-n860816'):

<begin quote>
When asked what he would do if he were in Zuckerberg's position, Cook replied: "What would I do? I wouldn't be in this situation."
"The truth is we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer, if our customer was our product," Cook said. "We’ve elected not to do that."
<end quote>

If the WSJ report is correct that they are expanding their (currently very limited) targeted advertising business, that is obviously no longer true, and they should be called out for it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
drewyboy Avatar
93 months ago
If people actually looked at the privacy policies of Apple vs Google, you'd find that Google is far more transparent on what exactly is done with the information gathered about you and you have more control over it than Apple. That's fact.

It's my opinion that Apple plays this (we don't sell your data, we're not FB, etc...) up into overdrive to justify the "walled garden" to the consumer. If you're concerned about nefarious apps as a reason to not like android, why are you on the internet? It's just as "wild west".
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
93 months ago
This is smart. Don't hit the customer over the head with a full fledged ad program. Do it piecemeal. Intro one component. Let 'em get used to it. Intro another. Then another. At that point they're conditioned. Look back over a couple of years and you have a multi-billion dollar advertising program that makes iAds a distant cautionary tale.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rigby Avatar
93 months ago
This is a quote from Apple's privacy page ('https://www.apple.com/privacy/'):

"Your personal data belongs to you, not others.
Whether you’re taking a photo, asking Siri a question, or getting directions, you can do it knowing that Apple doesn’t gather your personal information to sell to advertisers or other organizations."

Guess that didn't last long.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...