The Siri Listing Check – Mathew's Library

01 Where Siri's few names come from

Ask Apple's new Siri for a restaurant near you with gluten-free options and outdoor seating, and it answers with a few names. Not a page of results. A sentence. So where do those names come from?

Apple keeps its own list of businesses. Not your Google profile. It's called Apple Business, it's free, and in April 2026 it replaced Apple Business Connect. Your place card there (photos, hours, details) shows up across Apple Maps, Safari and Spotlight. The written reviews come from other sites. According to the listings company Uberall, Apple Maps pulls them from partners like Yelp and Tripadvisor. Siri sums them up. Ask what people recommend at a restaurant and it lists the dishes guests recommend, with sources linked underneath.

Nobody outside Apple has explained how Siri picks the names it says. Anyone selling you the formula is guessing. But you can control what it can see about you, and most of that takes an afternoon.

If you're a plumber, electrician, locksmith, roofer or pest control company. Since August 14, businesses in the U.S. and Canada can buy ads in Apple Maps, but Apple's rules don't let you buy them. For you, the listing is the only way in.

One more limit worth knowing. Apple Business shows you searches, views and taps. It doesn't show you the conversation. Someone can ask their living room about you, and you'll never hear what they said.

02 Find yourself, then claim it

Step 1: search the map, not your website

On an iPhone, open Apple Maps and search for your business. Check the name, the pin and the hours.

Step 2: claim it in Apple Business

Apple Business is Apple's free account for businesses, at business.apple.com. Apple's own guide describes the path like this:

Sign in to Apple Business and choose Brands, then Locations. Select Add and enter your business name. Confirm the address and move the pin if it sits on the wrong building. Add your category, phone number, website and hours. If your place already exists on Maps, verify it by phone. Apple calls the number it has on record, and you enter the four-digit code. If you don't recognize that number, contact Apple Business support.

Already claimed by someone else? You'll see "This location is already managed." Request a transfer and add documents, such as a business licence or a utility bill. The review can take up to five working days, so don't leave it for the week before a holiday.

03 Say it where it can be read

Step 3. When tech YouTuber Stephen Robles tested Siri, he didn't ask for restaurants. He asked for gluten-free, with outdoor seating, and the answer came back on those details. So write down the details people ask about out loud, then put them in two places: your Apple Business place card and your own website, in plain words.

Hours and holiday hours. Same on the card and the website.

Real photos. Your place as it looks today.

What you serve or do. In the words a customer would say.

A button to reserve or order. Apple Business calls these custom actions. You can add them once the location is verified.

A showcase for this week's special. Showcases highlight deals or seasonal items on your place card.

Our details, said out loud

What customers ask for, in their words:
1. [e.g. gluten-free options]
2. [e.g. outdoor seating]
3. [e.g. open late, parking, walk-ins]

Our plain answer to each:
1. [Yes, we have ...]
2. [...]
3. [...]

On our Apple Business place card: [yes / no]
On our website, in plain words: [yes / no]
Checked on: [DATE]

04 Reviews and the monthly Siri test

Step 4: open the review pages Apple Maps shows

Look at your place in Apple Maps and see which review sites it shows. They may be Yelp or Tripadvisor, not Google. If you've spent years answering Google reviews and never opened your Yelp page, that's your gap.

Step 5: ask Siri once a month

Ask Siri the question your customers would ask, out loud, and write down whose names come back. Not your name. Their need. "Somewhere open late with parking." "A dentist who takes walk-ins." It's the only ranking report you're going to get.

Monthly Siri test log

Month: [MONTH]
Question asked out loud: "[THE CUSTOMER'S NEED, e.g. somewhere open late with parking]"
Names Siri said: [NAME 1], [NAME 2], [NAME 3]
Were we one of them? [yes / no]
What the others show that we don't: [DETAIL]
One thing we'll fix this month: [ACTION]

For years the fight was page one. Now it's a sentence with room for a few names.

Sources

Apple Newsroom: Introducing Apple Business Apple Support: Add a location in Apple Business Uberall: Apple Maps vs Google Maps for local visibility TechRepublic: Apple Maps ads launch in the US and Canada Apple Newsroom: Apple unveils the new Apple TV 4K

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