Apple Business Connect and Bing Places for Business: get listed beyond Google

Do you need Apple Maps and Bing Places listings?

Google is still where most local searches and reviews happen. But Apple Maps comes on every iPhone, Apple also shows these listings in Safari and Spotlight, and Bing is the default search engine in Windows and Edge. If you do not manage those listings, other data sources decide your opening hours, your phone number, and sometimes whether you appear as “closed”.

This guide covers what each platform shows, how to claim or create your listing, and how to avoid duplicates. It applies in the UK, Ireland, Canada and across Europe.

Google vs Apple vs Bing: what is different?

Your Google reviews stay on Google: they are not shown on your Apple Maps place card. Your Google review work stays the priority (see how to get more Google reviews).

Apple Business Connect is now Apple Business: what changed?

In March 2026 Apple announced Apple Business, one platform combining Apple Business Connect (Maps listings), Apple Business Essentials and Apple Business Manager. It has been available since 14 April 2026, free, in more than 200 countries and regions.

• You already had Business Connect: Apple says claimed locations, place card information, photos and account details moved across automatically. Sign in at business.apple.com to check.
• You never set it up: everything now starts in Apple Business.
• Ads on Maps: announced for the United States and Canada only. If you are in Canada, you will see that option; in the UK and Ireland, the free listing is what you get.

Plenty of articles and videos still say “Apple Business Connect”. Same thing, old name.

How to claim or add your business on Apple Maps

1. Create the account. At business.apple.com, choose “Sign up now”, enter the organisation’s name, country and address, the legal name of the person signing up (Apple returns entries such as “IT Coordinator”), a password and a phone number. You can sign in with a personal Apple Account; you then get brand and location management only, which is all a Maps listing needs.

2. Verify the organisation. Apple asks for two methods among: a business ID (D-U-N-S Number, or EIN in the US), a DNS TXT record on your domain, an App Store app, or official documents (business licence, food or alcohol permit, lease, utility bill…). You have 60 days, review takes up to five business days, and an organisation not verified in time is deleted with its data.

3. Add the location. Go to Brands > Locations > Add Location, then fill in:

• Business name as shown on Apple Maps
• Address, with the pin dragged onto the right entrance if needed (satellite view)
• Primary category
• Status: open, or opening soon with a date up to six months ahead
• Phone number (required for new locations)
• Website (optional; a Facebook, Instagram or TikTok page is accepted)
• Opening hours

4. If you are already on Apple Maps: choose phone verification. Apple calls the number it has on record and you enter the four-digit code. If that number is no longer yours, contact Apple Business support.

5. If someone else manages it (previous owner, an agency): request a transfer from the locations list, with supporting documents. Apple quotes up to five business days.

What to put on your Apple Maps place card

• Photos: a cover photo showing the shopfront or the room, then a few sharp photos. Apple publishes photo and text guidelines; avoid text overlays and logos in place of photos.
• Showcases: a time-limited panel for an offer, a new product or an event, with an action button. Useful around Christmas or a Small Business Saturday offer.
• Actions: “Reserve”, “Order”, “Book” buttons that open your own pages. Point them at your own booking page to avoid commission.
• Insights: how people find your listing (searches, views, action taps).

How to import your Google profile into Bing Places

Bing Places for Business is Microsoft’s free service to claim an existing listing or add a new one. The fastest route is the Google import:

1. Sign in at bing.com/forbusiness.
2. Select Import from your Google Business Profile.
3. Choose how often to sync: weekly, biweekly or monthly.
4. Sign in to your Google account and import the listings Bing detects.

If your business is already verified on Google, Bing verifies the imported listing automatically. It then goes through standard publishing, which typically takes 7 to 12 days; the dashboard may say “Pending Publish” while the listing is already live.

Things to know, from Bing’s own help pages:

• you cannot pick which listings to import: Bing takes every eligible listing on the Google account;
• the import can create a duplicate if your business already existed on Bing;
• some fields, such as categories and UTM tags, may not sync exactly;
• a listing linked to Google cannot be edited directly in Bing: update it on Google and the sync follows.

No Google profile, or no shopfront?

Without the import, search for your business in Bing Places, claim it if it exists or create it, then follow the verification method offered. Bing says it checks submitted details against what it finds across search engines, websites and social media, so consistent details make approval easier.

Service-area businesses without a public shopfront (plumbers, electricians, mobile hairdressers) are supported: a valid address is required for verification but can be hidden from results. It works like Google; our guide to tradesperson websites covers the rest of the setup.

Why consistency matters more than anything

Your name, address and phone number must be written the same way everywhere: Google, Apple, Bing, your website, social profiles and local or trade directories. It is how search engines know all those listings are one business, and it is what AI assistants repeat when asked for your address (see getting recommended by ChatGPT and Gemini).

When you change hours for the holidays (see Google holiday hours), change Apple too; Bing follows Google if sync is on.

Mistakes to avoid

• Creating a new listing instead of claiming the existing one: instant duplicate.
• Running the Bing import on top of an existing Bing listing and not checking afterwards.
• Missing Apple’s 60-day verification window: the organisation is deleted.
• An old phone number on record: phone verification fails.
• Different hours from Google, especially on bank holidays.
• Set and forget: a ten-minute check every quarter is enough.

Which businesses benefit most?

Start with Google: our free visibility check shows how your profile looks today. Then search for your business on Apple Maps and Bing and fix what is missing.

The steps at a glance

Steps to create accurate Apple Maps and Bing listings alongside Google.

1. Check your Google profile. Name, address, phone and hours correct: this becomes the reference.
2. Create an Apple Business account. At business.apple.com, with a personal or work Apple Account.
3. Verify the organisation. Two methods (D-U-N-S, domain, documents…) within 60 days.
4. Add or claim the location. Brands > Locations > Add Location; phone verification if already on Apple Maps.
5. Import Google into Bing. Bing Places > Import from your Google Business Profile, with regular sync.
6. Check for duplicates. Search for your business on Apple Maps and Bing, fix duplicates, recheck quarterly.

This guide for your trade

• Restaurant
• Hotel and B&B
• Tradesperson
• Garage
• Shop

Go further

• Google Business Profile: the complete guide
• Business not showing on Google Maps
• Get recommended by ChatGPT and Gemini
• Local SEO: the complete guide
• Local SEO mistakes to avoid