Free control over how your business appears on every iPhone — in Maps, Siri, Messages, and Wallet.
Verified August 2026.
Apple Business Connect is the listing almost nobody claims, which is exactly why it's worth your time.
It controls your Place Card — what someone sees when they look you up in Apple Maps, ask Siri for directions, or tap your address in a text message. On a platform where a large share of your customers do everything on an iPhone, that card is a first impression you currently may not control.
It is free, and unclaimed place data comes from third-party sources that are frequently out of date.
Before you start
You will need:
- An Apple Account (formerly Apple ID) — use your business email
- Legal business information for verification
- Your logo at exactly 1024 × 1024 px
- A cover photo at minimum 1600 × 1040 px
A note on naming: reporting from April 2026 indicates Apple consolidated Business Connect with Business Manager and Business Essentials into a single "Apple Business" dashboard, while Apple's support documentation still uses the Business Connect name. Expect the sign-in path to have changed even where the underlying process has not. (Directional.)
Step 1: Create your account and claim your business
Sign in with your Apple Account and register your company. Apple asks for legal business details, which it uses for verification.
Then search for your business location. If a place already exists in Apple Maps — and it usually does — you claim it. If not, you add it.
Step 2: Verify
Apple verifies that you represent the business before granting control. Methods vary by business type and can include phone verification, documentation review, or a review by Apple staff.
You cannot add photos until verification completes. Plan to do the visual work in a second session.
Verification is generally faster than Google's postcard method but slower than a phone code. Expect days rather than minutes.
Step 3: Complete your Place Card
Business name. Exact match to your standard string.
Address. Apple is precise about pin placement. Check that the map pin is on your actual entrance, not at the middle of the building or on the wrong side of the block. This is the field most often wrong on unclaimed listings, and the one customers notice, because a bad pin sends them to the wrong door.
Categories. Choose from Apple's list. Primary category matters most.
Hours. Include special and seasonal hours.
Phone and website.
Action links. Apple lets you attach direct links for ordering, booking, menus, or reservations. These render as buttons on the Place Card.
Step 4: Add photos
Apple has the strictest image requirements of any platform in this guide.
| Asset | Specification |
|---|---|
| Logo | 1024 × 1024 px exactly, 1:1, JPEG or PNG |
| Cover photo | Minimum 1600 × 1040 px, 1.54:1 ratio, max side 4864 px |
| Showcase image | 1:1, minimum 492 px, maximum 4864 px |
| Gallery photos | No wider than 2.2:1, no taller than 1:2.2 |
The logo dimension is an exact requirement, not a recommendation. 1080 × 1080 will be rejected — this is the one file in your image kit that must be built specifically for Apple.
Content rules Apple actually enforces
- No stock photography. Photos must show your actual business.
- No watermarks.
- No heavy filters or obvious editing.
- No text overlays or promotional graphics in gallery photos.
Apple reviews submissions and rejects images that violate these. This is stricter than Google, and considerably stricter than Facebook.
Step 5: Use Showcases
Showcases are Apple's version of a post — a promotion, event, or announcement that appears on your Place Card.
| Field | Limit |
|---|---|
| Headline | 38 characters |
| Body | 58–100 characters (sources conflict) |
| Alt text | 100 characters |
Write to 38 and 58, and you are safe regardless of which limit is enforced. These are the tightest text fields of any platform in this guide — roughly a short sentence each.
Three things to know about Showcases:
- Apple reviews them before they go live, which can take up to three days.
- They expire 30 days after release. Not a set-and-forget field.
- Editing one while it's in review restarts the approval clock. Get it right before submitting.
Because of the review lag, don't build a time-sensitive promotion around a Showcase unless you've submitted it at least a week ahead.
Step 6: Check it on an actual iPhone
Open Apple Maps and search your business. Confirm:
- The pin is on your entrance
- The logo renders cleanly at small size
- Hours are right
- The phone number dials correctly
- Action buttons go where they should
Also ask Siri for your business by name and see what comes back.
Common problems
Logo rejected. Almost always the wrong dimensions. It must be exactly 1024 × 1024.
Photos rejected. Usually stock imagery, a watermark, or visible filtering.
Can't add photos. Verification hasn't completed yet.
Pin is in the wrong place. Adjust it in the dashboard. This is worth checking even on a listing that otherwise looks correct.
Showcase stuck in review. Check whether it was edited after submission — that restarts the clock.
Maintenance
- Every 30 days if you use Showcases, since they expire
- Quarterly: verify hours, phone, and pin placement
- Immediately: any change to hours, address, or phone
Next steps
Next is LinkedIn, the largest of the Tier 1 items, because it requires two builds — a Company Page and personal profiles.
Full checklist: the complete setup guide.
Verified August 2026 against Apple Business Connect documentation and current published sources. The Showcase body limit is reported inconsistently across sources; the platform consolidation noted above is directional, and the sign-in path may differ from what's described.