iPhones in America will soon have unremovable ads users can't turn off

Apple Maps are getting a revamp but it’s not what users were expecting as the feature is no longer ad-free.

This comes after it was revealed that iPhones across the US are now rolling out unremovable ads which users are unable to turn off.

Much to the shock of many users, there is no button hidden away in Settings that will make them disappear.

Instead, the tech giant has begun rolling out advertising in Apple Maps across the US and Canada, following an announcement earlier this year that it planned to introduce promoted listings during the summer. The rollout is expected to reach more users over the coming weeks.

Ads are now rolling out on Apple Maps (Apple)

So, if you regularly use Apple Maps to find somewhere to eat, shop or visit, you may soon start seeing businesses promoted ahead of ordinary results.

And unfortunately for anyone who likes their Apple apps to remain relatively uncluttered, you can't simply switch the Maps ads off.

New ads appears on Apple Maps

So, where are the new ads places? When you open Maps, promoted businesses can appear within the Suggested Places section.

Advertisements can also be displayed alongside relevant searches, giving businesses a way to put themselves in front of people who are actively looking for somewhere nearby.

Apple itself is now advertising the service to businesses as a way of reaching customers who are searching for local services.

Apple stated: “There are two places where your ad can show up on Maps: one is before customers begin searching, and the other is as a result of their search. The ad experience is optimized for customers and tailored to enhance how people interact with Maps.”

The advertisements are labelled, so Apple isn’t attempting to disguise paid placements as completely organic results. Still, the change represents a significant shift for Maps.

Users cannot opt out of the new ads (Apple)

For years, opening Apple’s navigation app generally meant searching for a destination and getting on with your journey without having promotional listings inserted into the experience, but that all appears to be changing.

Here’s the part that many iPhone owners have expressed irritation over - Apple Maps doesn’t offer a setting that lets you disable these promoted listings altogether.

Turning off Apple’s personalized advertising options doesn’t mean Maps suddenly becomes ad-free because the adverts are part of the service rather than something users can simply opt out of.

That means even people who would rather not see advertisements while using Maps will still encounter them.