Add multiple locations in Apple Business
Create all your locations at once in Apple Business so your customers can find you wherever you have a location. If you already have existing locations, see Add an existing single location.
Overview
You can use a locations template file to upload all of your locations, including specific location information for each location. The file can contain locations from multiple brands and existing locations can be updated in bulk.
You can also edit multiple locations, for example, if each location changes their hours of operation. See Edit or remove multiple locations.
Requirements
Your organization needs to be verified with Apple. See Verify your organization.
You need to add a brand before you can add multiple locations. See Add a brand.
Any user whose role has permissions to manage locations can add multiple locations.
The maximum number of rows in a single file can’t be more than 10,000 rows.
Get started
Review these steps, then follow the tasks below this list to add multiple locations.
Step 1: Sign in and download the add multiple locations template .tsv file (located in the ZIP file, see About the ZIP file).
Step 2: Review the column headers and cell requirements for each location.
Step 3: Add the information for each location. Make sure you add all required information for each location.
Step 4: Save the file, then upload the file to Apple Business. If you have errors, fix them, then upload the file again.
Step 5: Send the file to Apple to review and approve the locations’ information.
Step 6: Review and fix any errors or warnings that Apple Business reports back to you.
Step 7: If necessary, review each location again and update any attributes that have a warning message.
About the ZIP file
The ZIP file contains one file and one folder:
A tab-delimited value
.tsvtemplate file pre-filled with your brand details.The folder contains the following files:
An example
.tsvfile that shows sample values for how to fill out the template accuratelyReference files for the following:
Valid category values.
Valid “Good to Know” values.
The meaning of each error code and the suggested corrective action.
Step 1: Download the add multiple locations template file
In Apple Business, sign in with a user whose role has permissions to manage locations.
To view roles and permissions, see Intro to roles and permissions.
In your browser, choose Brands > Locations.
Do one of the following:
If you have already created at least one location: Select Manage > Add Multiple Locations.
If you have not created any locations yet: Select Add Location > Add Multiple Locations.
Select Next.
Select Download Template (ZIP) to download the compressed file.
The ZIP file contains several files. See About the ZIP file.
Step 2: Review the locations template and reference files
Review the locations template requirements and best practices.
Review the categories reference file.
Review the “Good to Know” reference file.
Step 3: Add the information for each location
Gather the information from each location and add it to the template file.
Important:
Copy the correct Brand Reference ID and Brand ID in front of each location row. This ensures the location will be added to the correct brand in Apple Business.
Make sure to check for any spelling errors in street names, city names, and other location information, which may cause errors (for example, an unapproved location) or customer confusion when finding your location.
Review the add multiple locations template.
Step 4: Save and upload the file
Save the file in one of the following formats.
Comma-separated value (
.csv)Tab-separated value (
.tsv)Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (
.xlsx)
Choose one of the following:
Drag the file to the Upload file area.
Select Upload file, then navigate to the folder containing the file you want to upload.
Important: Don’t leave or refresh the webpage until Apple finishes processing the file.
Do one of the following:
If you do have errors, you need to fix them, then upload the file again. Apple Business can’t process a file with errors.
If you didn’t have any errors in your file, you’ll see the total number of locations submitted for review.
When the processing is complete, proceed to step 5.
Step 5: Send the file to Apple to review and approve the locations’ information
Select Send for Review.
This process can take up to five business days.
View the banner that confirms the number of locations in the file and the expected time to complete the processing.
The user who submitted the file will receive two emails:
The first email confirms the file has been successfully submitted.
The second email confirms the final processing status; that the locations have been added or detailing any errors that need correction.
Step 6: Review and fix any errors or warnings
After you successfully submit your locations file, you can review the progress in the Activity section of Apple Business. After its processed by Apple, you can also download a report. Each file you submit shows the following:
Operation Name: This includes your uploaded file name.
Status: Displays either In Progress or Completed.
Dates: Displays either the date created or the date updated.
About the locations report file
The report contains the original information you submitted for the location rows with any potential issues and three columns added at the beginning of the report:
Column title | Values | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Status | Warning: The location created with warnings. Error: The location isn’t created. | ||||||||||
Error | If there are errors, the codes appear for the row separated by a comma. | ||||||||||
Warning | If there are warnings, the codes appear for the row separated by a comma. | ||||||||||
In Apple Business, sign in with a user whose role is Organization Administrator or the user who submitted the file.
To view roles and permissions, see Intro to roles and permissions.
Search for and select Reviewing new locations from [Name of your file].
Select the activity to view the following:
The current number of locations successfully processed.
The number of any potential issues.
A report.
Select Download Error Report, then save and open the file.
Review and fix any errors or warnings shown in the report in your original file.
Optional: Remove the first three columns (Status, Error, and Warning), then save the file.
Select Upload Corrected Report, then choose one of the following:
Drag the file to the Upload file area.
Select Upload file, then navigate to the folder containing the file you want to upload.
Do one of the following:
If you do have errors, you need to fix them, then upload the file again. Apple Business can’t process a file with errors.
If the file contains more than five errors, you can download all the errors in the .txt file, so you can fix them offline before you upload the file again.
If you didn’t have any errors in your file, you’ll see the total number of locations submitted for review.
Select Send for Review to send the file to Apple to review and approve the locations’ information.
This process can take up to five business days.
Step 7: If necessary, review each location again and update any attributes that have a warning message
Scroll through your location list to locate any location with a warning message about incorrect attributes.
Select a location, then edit the attributes with a warning.
Save the changes.
Repeat this task until there are no warnings in any locations.
Review the add multiple locations template
You use the add multiple locations template to upload all your locations and their important information. To make changes to location information after you upload the original file, see Edit or remove multiple locations.
To download the template, see Download the add multiple locations template file.
Overview
There are three main content types:
Required: This content is required for the location.
Optional: This content may be added for the location.
Conditional: This content might be required depending on whether optional content is added.
The following location content can’t be added to the template file:
Organization logo
Cover photo
Showcases
Action links (To add Action links for your locations, see About Actions.)
Photos
Alternative/Additional Name
Alternative About Description
Service Hours
Temporary Hours
App Store URL
Best practices
Use the included reference files to find the correct values for Categories and “Good to Know” attributes that best represent your locations.
View the example file to understand the correct formatting for each attribute.
Don’t delete any columns from the template. Rows may be removed if you don’t need to add more locations.
Note: The file structure and column headers are in U.S. English regardless of the preferred language you set in Apple Business. You can add your preferred language in the dedicated language columns for Display Name and About Location.
Add locations template content list
Content category | Type / Character limits | Description | Example | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brand Reference ID | Required: Yes Character limit: NA | The Brand Reference ID is a unique identifier combining your brand name and country. When you add locations to a specific brand, ensure the Brand Reference ID and Brand ID remain exactly as provided in the downloaded template. Important: Don’t modify them. Copy both values into every row for each new location you add. | Melard_US | ||||||||
Brand ID | Required: Yes Character limit: NA | The Brand ID is a unique identifier. When you add locations to a specific brand, ensure the Brand Reference ID and Brand ID remain exactly as provided in the downloaded template. Important: Don’t modify them. Copy both values into every row for each new location you add. | 12345678901234567890 | ||||||||
Display Name | Required: Yes Character limit: 255 | Needs to match the display name. | Melard Clothing | ||||||||
Display Name Language | Required: Yes Character limit: 5 | Needs to be the language code. See Language list. | en-US | ||||||||
About Location | Required: No Character limit: 500 | A short, customer-facing description that tells Apple and your customers about this location. For example, what it’s known for, its specialties, history, or notable features. See Add an “about”. | Melard Clothing is a vintage clothing store for everyone that opened in Cupertino in 1992. | ||||||||
About Location In Additional Language | Required: No Character limit: 500 | A translated version of the About Location content for regions with more than one commonly used language. | A Spanish translation of the About content for a location where Spanish may be an official optional language. The content needs to be identical across all languages. For example, Melard Clothing es una tienda de ropa vintage para todos que abrió en Cupertino en 1992. | ||||||||
Location Address Country Name | Required: Yes Character limit: 2 | The approved two-letter country code for the country of the location. | US | ||||||||
Address Line 1 | Required: Yes Character limit: 2-200 | The official street address of the location. | 123 Main Street | ||||||||
Address Line 2 | Required: No Character limit: 200 | A suite, floor, or unit number of the location. | Building 5 | ||||||||
Address Sub-locality / Neighborhood / Village | Conditional: On country or region requirements. Character limit: 255 | The sub-locality, neighborhood, or village of the location. Mandatory for locations in the following seven countries: Austria (AT), Brazil (BR), Mexico (MX), New Zealand (NZ), Portugal (PT), Türkiye (TR), and United States (US). | Kadıköy | ||||||||
Address City | Required: Yes Character limit: 255 | The full name of the city of the location (not an abbreviation). | Cupertino | ||||||||
Address State or Region | Conditional: On country or region requirements. Character limit: 255 | The full name of the state or region of the location. | United States: Needs to be the full name, for example, California. Can be empty only for countries where it’s not required. | ||||||||
Address Postal Code | Required: Yes Character limit: 10 | The postal code of the location. Note: Prepend an apostrophe (') before any postal code that starts with zero (0), for example, 01234. The apostrophe preserves the leading zero, for example '01234. | 95014 '01234 | ||||||||
Address Coordinates | Required: No Character limit 1: 2-3 numbers plus a comma Character limit 2: 5 decimal places also required | The longitude and latitude of the location, centered directly on the building. | 37.32496,122.01582 | ||||||||
Normal Hours | Required: Yes Character limit: See Example | Normal operating hours of the location. Normal Hours is a free-text field. You don’t need to follow a strict format, Apple interprets your input automatically. Be as clear as possible when entering hours. If Apple can’t interpret your input with sufficient confidence, your location will still be updated for all other fields but you’ll receive a warning in your processing report and you’ll need to update the hours manually in that location’s Info section in Apple Business. See Manage hours. | Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-3pm, Sun closed | ||||||||
Phone Number | Required: Yes Character limit: 8-15 digits | The plus sign (+), country code ,and public phone number of the location. See Add a phone number. | +18885551212 | ||||||||
Website | Required: No Character limit: 255 | The URL of the location’s website, Facebook, Instagram, or Tik Tok page. Not permitted: Third-party websites not owned or operated by your organization’s brand. See Add a website. | https://www.melardclothing.com | ||||||||
Primary Category | Required: Yes Character limit: NA | The primary category of the location. See Add your category. | Clothing store | ||||||||
Additional Category | Required: No Character limit: NA Other: Maximum 3 additional | An optional secondary category of the location.You can provide up to three additional categories per location. See the category reference file that was downloaded in the ZIP file and Add your category. | Coffee shop | ||||||||
Good To Know | Required: No Character limit: NA Other: Maximum 10 additional | Attributes about the location, separated by a pipe (|). Only values associated with the primary category are permitted. See the “Good to Know” reference file that was downloaded in the ZIP file and Manage “Good to Know” attributes. | Wheelchair Accessible|Contactless Payments|Free Wi-Fi|Outdoor Seating | ||||||||
Status | Required: Yes Character limit: NA | Can be set to OPEN or OPENING_SOON. See Manage status. | OPEN | ||||||||
Opening Soon Date | Conditional: Required if Status is set to opening soon. Character limit: 10 Other: Needs to be in the ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format. | The Opening Soon Date can be up to six months from the current date. | 2027-08-05 | ||||||||