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Apple has announced a significant expansion of its Business Connect service, allowing businesses to increase their visibility across Apple's vast ecosystem of devices and platforms. The free service, launched last year, enables businesses to manage their presence across Apple's 1.5 billion devices in areas such as Maps, Siri, Spotlight search, Safari, and Wallet. With the latest update, businesses will be able to integrate their branding into other Apple products, including Mail, Tap to Pay on iPhone, and the Apple Phone app, further enhancing their online presence and customer engagement.

The updated Business Connect service will now offer a range of new features, including:

  • Branded Mail: Businesses will be able to customize their email display in Apple's Mail app, featuring their brand's name and logo in the inbox and a colorful header at the top of the screen. This will enable businesses to establish a strong visual identity and make their emails stand out in a crowded inbox.
  • Tap-to-Pay: The business's icon will replace the generic category icon, and the business's name will be customizable during the payment process. This will enable businesses to create a seamless and personalized payment experience for their customers.
  • Phone App: The integration will identify calls by featuring the business name, logo, and department, helping consumers determine which calls may be unwanted or spam. This will enable businesses to establish a strong reputation and build trust with their customers.

In addition to these new features, the expanded Business Connect service will also allow businesses to:

  • Customize their brand's presence across more Apple apps and features
  • Manage their brand's presence at scale through listing management agencies
  • Access insights on how consumers are interacting with their business

The expanded features will be available to "most" businesses worldwide by signing up for Business Connect with an Apple account. Businesses can also manage their location presence at scale through listing management agencies like DAC Group, Rio SEO, SOCi, Uberall, and Yext.

"We're excited to offer all businesses — including those without a physical location — the ability to create a brand that appears across the Apple apps that over a billion people use every day," said David Dorn, Apple's senior director of Internet Software and Services Product. "We designed Business Connect to empower businesses to present the best, most accurate information to Apple users. With today's updates, we're helping even more businesses reach customers, build trust, and grow."

The expansion of Business Connect is a significant step forward in Apple's efforts to empower businesses to present their brand across its platforms. The new features will enable businesses to increase their visibility, build trust, and grow their customer base. With the ability to customize their brand's presence across more Apple apps and features, businesses will be able to reach a wider audience and establish a stronger online presence.