When Maps was updated in the last 3 or 4 iOS updates to make the nearby search result list much larger it was obvious that ads were coming. The UX of "search for x nearby" has suffered because where as before you could fit ~2x as many results.
One thing I don’t get is how to do search for X near the thing I’ve clicked. It often resets to near me.
And then when I pan the map, maybe 90% of the time it doesn't load new results for the visible area. It makes Apple Maps pretty unusable for finding things in unfamiliar areas.
After you enter a search term there are two search choices in the list below, either “Nearby” or “Near area on your map”