Three kinds of hours
Apple keeps hours in layers, and most mistakes come from putting a change in the wrong one.
- Normal hours are your regular week. They show on the place card every day unless something overrides them.
- Temporary special hours cover single days or date ranges with a start and end date: holidays, a week of renovation, an early close for inventory.
- Service special hours are for a part of the business that keeps its own schedule, like a drive-through open later than the dining room. Customers pick them from an Hours Name dropdown. They only work for services already listed for the location in Apple Business.
If you’re only open differently for one week, don’t edit normal hours and try to remember to change them back. Add a date range in temporary hours and let it expire on its own. Apple doesn’t publish how long an hours change takes to show on Maps, so enter holiday changes several days early, then look up your business in Maps on a phone to confirm.
Edge cases Apple spells out
Temporary hours can’t express “closed from 2 to 3 p.m.” on a day you’re otherwise open. Apple says to list the times you are open instead, so a split day becomes two open periods. To mark a whole day closed, add it as temporary hours and set it to closed.
Holiday hours that match your normal hours add nothing, and Apple’s guide says holiday entries must differ from standard hours.
When Apple overrides you
Apple lets customers report from a place card that a business shown as open was closed. Apple reviews those reports and can change your hours or status to match. You’ll get an email, and the location shows Updates Available in Apple Business. Open it, read the alert, and either select Looks Good if Apple is right, or View Details, Edit, enter the correct hours and Save. Apple’s guide gives no review time for a contested hours change, and it doesn’t say what happens if you ignore the alert.
Frequent overrides are a signal that your posted hours don’t match what people find at the door. Fix the cause, whether that’s a sign, your website or staff leaving early, as well as the listing.
If it doesn't work
- You got an email saying Apple changed your hours: open the location marked Updates Available, select View Details, then Edit, enter the correct hours and Save.
- You want to show a lunch break as closed: temporary hours can't record a closure inside an open day. Enter the open periods instead.
- Holiday hours match your usual hours: Apple says holiday hours must differ from standard hours, so leave that day out.
- Your drive-through or pickup keeps different times: use service special hours, which work only for services already listed in Apple Business.
Questions owners ask
We keep different hours in summer. Which layer should that go in?
Our advice: for a season of a few weeks, use a temporary date range so it expires on its own. For a season that runs months, change normal hours at the start and again at the end, and put a reminder in your calendar for both dates.
What hours should an appointment-only business list?
Apple asks appointment-only locations to list the times when appointments can be booked, not the hours staff are in the building. Match what your website says, since Apple wants hours to agree with your official site where possible.
Can I update hours for many locations at once?
Yes, if you have five or more. Apple's bulk edit download is a template of your locations' information, with a reference file for service hours values. Apple's bulk guide doesn't describe setting holiday dates in the file, so plan to add those per location.
Sources
- Configure location attributes (support.apple.com)
- Edit or remove a single location (support.apple.com)
- Maintain location information accuracy (support.apple.com)
- Edit or remove multiple locations (support.apple.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.