Apple Business guidance for location capture eligibility
Location Capture Eligibility
Not every physical entity qualifies as a location eligible for capture in Apple Business. This guidance defines what does and does not meet the eligibility threshold for submission as a standalone location record.
Eligible Locations
A location qualifies as a candidate for capture when it meets all of the following criteria:
- Location MUST have a distinct, customer-facing physical presence. It must occupy a defined physical space that a visitor could independently identify, navigate to, and arrive at.
- Location MUST be independently navigable. A member of the public unfamiliar with the surrounding area MUST be able to meaningfully seek out, route to, or identify the location.
- Location MUST have an official name that reflects its identity as a distinct place — not merely a functional description of an internal service, amenity, or merchandise area.
- Location SHOULD be recognized as a discrete place by members of the public, independent of any containing structure.
Place Types
The following place types are examples of entities that may be eligible for capture.
| Place Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Companies & franchises | Restaurants, hotels, day care centers, law firms, and company headquarters |
| Non-profit organizations | Schools, churches, museums, and foundations |
| Government offices | Offices at all levels of government, except restricted-access offices |
| Housing complexes | Apartment complexes (not individual apartments) |
| Landmarks | Public monuments, bridges, and squares |
| Transit stations and airports | Metro and subway stations, railway stations, and bus stops |
| Parking lots | Public and paid lots, except restricted-access parking lots |
| Public amenities | Restrooms, stairs, and drinking fountains located in parks, public spaces, and malls |
| Seasonal businesses | Ski resorts, Christmas tree farms |
| Farmers markets | Regularly scheduled open-air or enclosed markets |
| Areas of Interest | Parks, beaches, lakes, and mountains |
| Retail chains | Chain businesses with more than one place, including franchises |
| Enclosed places | Places contained by other places, such as stores inside malls, airports, and university campus buildings |
General Disqualifiers
A location record MUST NOT be created when any of the following are true:
- Entity has no physical presence
- Entity operates exclusively through a website
- Entity has a residential address
- Entity is a mobile business
- Entity cannot be physically visited by a member of the public
Locations Not Eligible for Capture
The following types of entities do not qualify as locations eligible for capture and MUST NOT be submitted as location records.
Departments and Internal Subdivisions
Areas within a business that exist as organizational or merchandise categories — rather than as distinct, independently navigable places — are not eligible.
Examples: Departments Not Eligible
| Entity | Parent Location | Why Not Eligible |
|---|---|---|
| Women's clothing department | Department store | Internal merchandise area; no independent customer-facing identity |
| Electronics department | Big-box retailer | Organizational subdivision; visitors navigate to the store, not the department |
| Pharmacy counter | Grocery store | Internal service counter; no distinct street-level presence |
| Returns desk | Retailer | Functional service point within a larger location |
| Emergency department | Hospital | Organizational subdivision of the hospital; visitors navigate to the hospital, not the department independently |
Utility and Service Spaces
Spaces that exist to serve the internal operations or basic needs of a location's visitors — rather than as independently identifiable destinations — are not eligible.
Examples: Utility and Service Spaces Not Eligible
| Entity | Why Not Eligible |
|---|---|
| Fitting room | Ancillary amenity; exists to serve the parent location's operations |
| Loading dock | Internal operations; not visitor-facing |
| Storage room | Internal operations; not visitor-facing |
Administrative and Structural Designations
Floors, wings, or zones identified only by alphanumeric designation or internal convention — rather than by a named, publicly recognized identity — are not eligible.
Examples: Administrative Designations Not Eligible
| Entity | Why Not Eligible |
|---|---|
| Floor 3 | Structural designation without a customer-facing identity |
| East Wing | Internal navigation convention; not a recognized destination |
| Zone B | Operational designation; no independent customer-facing identity |
Applying the Test
When evaluating whether an entity qualifies for capture as a location, apply the following test:
Could a member of the public, unfamiliar with this location, meaningfully search for it by name and expect to find and navigate to a distinct physical place?
If the answer is no — because the entity is a department, a utility space, or an internal subdivision without an independent customer-facing identity — the entity does not qualify and MUST NOT be submitted as a location record.
Related
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Display Names | Guidance for capturing location names |
| Categories | Guidance for assigning location categories |
| Location Eligibility | Onboarding guide introduction to location eligibility |