Social networking integration with Apple’s forthcoming iOS 6 couldn’t possibly be more apparent.
On Monday, Bloomberg confirmed that it has obtained screen shots of Yelp check-ins within the revamped Apple Maps application coming to iOS 6 this fall.
Yelp, a website that lets users review businesses ranging from plumbers to pet shops, introduced a check-in service for mobile phones in 2010 in an effort to help local merchants build loyalty with regular customers. Integration with Apple Maps may help Yelp challenge Foursquare Labs Inc. and Facebook Inc.
As MMW previously reported, Apple Maps will replace Google as the default location service in iOS this year.
While the benefits of these upgrades will certainly be appreciated by all iOS 6 users, Yelp has much to gain from the Apple boost as well.
As Bloomberg confirmed Monday morning, Yelp is clearly working overtime to attract new local advertising opportunities. This category comprised 70 percent of Yelp’s revenue last year.
But even before Apple came along with iOS 6, check-ins had grown immensely popular with smartphone owners in the United States. The Pew Research Center reveals that 18 percent of all adult smartphone have already used check-ins.