Apple Maps may have had a shaky start, but it has undoubtedly grown very compelling over the years. One area that’s still hit or miss, though, is integrations with third-party services like Yelp. But that Yelp integration is about to get better.

New feature lets Apple Maps users request a professional service quote

Today Yelp announced a variety of changes debuting in its end-of-year release.

There’s one change especially geared for Apple Maps users, but a lot more that will likely benefit Maps users in the future too.

First, a new Request a Quote feature is being added to the Apple Maps app for connecting with service pros

Here are the details:

• To make it even easier to connect with pros, no matter where you’re searching from, our Request a Quote feature is now integrated into Apple Maps. You can effortlessly request quotes from pros across more than 200 home, local, auto, professional, and events categories by clicking the “Quote” button on Apple Maps business pages, which brings you directly into the Request a Quote flow for that business in the iOS Yelp app. For those without the Yelp app installed, the feature directs you to the Request a Quote mobile web experience, ensuring a seamless connection with local pros. This integration brings even more high-intent leads to businesses from people starting their search off Yelp.

It’s interesting that Yelp is adding a new feature directly to its Apple Maps integration, since Apple has been slowly phasing Yelp out with some of its place listings. The company now uses its own native thumbs up-thumbs down review method on some Maps listings.

More improvements coming to Yelp

Some of the other changes Yelp announced aren’t explicitly intended for Maps, but they will hopefully benefit Apple users regardless.

Changes include:

• AI-powered review insights: These “leverage large language models (LLMs) to discern reviewer sentiment for common aspects of a business, such as the quality of its food, service, ambiance, wait time, and drinks.”
• More business attributes: “To help you better plan for the bill before you get there, we’re adding eight new business attributes that provide more transparency around a restaurant’s tipping policies, as well as payment policies and available payment methods.”
• Expanded reviewer Recognitions: “To further distinguish contributors who are familiar with specific types of businesses, we’re now showcasing a reviewer’s Recognitions alongside their reviews on business pages. This makes it easy to navigate differing perspectives in reviews and identify reviewers who have experience with businesses in that category.”

There are a variety of other changes coming to Yelp’s iOS app that should help provide a better experience for Maps users when they get booted out of Maps and into the full Yelp experience.

Source: 9to5mac