Apple expands Business Connect: not just physical locations, but also e-mail
Companies use Business Connect to place information in Apple's Maps app. Now, they are extending this to emails, certain card payments and soon also to calls.
New Apple Business Connect functions: Tap to Pay with logo, Business Mail and – coming soon – Phone calls with branding
(Image: Apple)
Apple has announced an expansion of its Business Connect service. The service, which allows companies to present themselves in Apple's Maps app in particular (and also in Messages and Wallet), is being extended to other Apple apps and now also includes companies – including individual – without a physical location. Apple made the announcement on Wednesday evening.
Better presence on iPhone & Co.
Until now, Apple Business Connect, which can be controlled via its own portal, was always linked to a location entry that could be physically visited. Now you can set up a free brand presence without this. Among other things, this has a logo and, if desired, photos and further descriptions, as well as features such as the option to accept orders or reservations. The entry is now not only recognized and displayed in Maps, Messages and Wallet, but also in Apple Mail on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
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This means that emails from a verified company receive a quickly recognizable logo so that users can distinguish them from spam, for example – Apple calls this "branded mail". (How such emails appear in other clients, such as Gmail, remained unclear at first). If a company registered with Business Connect uses the iPhone credit card payment service Tap to Pay, which has also been available in Germany via service providers since the summer, the logo is also displayed for payments.
The company – will also soon appear on phone calls
The third new service announced by Apple is that telephone numbers can also be verified ("Business Caller ID") and linked to Business Connect. From next year, when a company calls, its stored logo will also appear directly on the iPhone when calling via the telephony app. This is also intended to create more trust with customers. In addition to the logo, the company name and, if applicable, the company's department ("Customer Service") will be displayed.
As mentioned, entries can be created via Apple's Business Connect portal (see link above). This requires an existing or new Apple account. The brand entry can then be maintained and will go online after verification by Apple. For many company locations, an "entry management agency" can also be commissioned, for example Yext, Uberall, DAC, Rio SEO or SOCi. A user guide to Apple Business Connect provides further details.
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