Apple Maps

226 'Apple Maps' stories July 2013 - June 2018

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When the iPhone first launched, it was preloaded with Google Maps. In 2012, Apple replaced it with its own mapping application known as Apple Maps. It launched in beta in the iOS 6 beta, and was released to the public that fall.

After its launched, it was clear that it was no on the same level of quality as Google Maps. The poor launch led to a public apology from Tim Cook and ultimately led to the firing of Scott Forstall.

Apple Maps Features

Over the years, Apple has continued to adds features to Apple Maps. iOS 11 brought lane guidance and a speed limit widget on the navigation, and indoor location mapping.

Apple has also added proactive location suggestions (time to get home when you are leaving work, etc), integration with public transit, Yelp integration, and integration with ride sharing services like Lyft and Uber.

With iOS 12, Apple has proclaimed they are rebuilding Maps from the ground up.

Maps is being rebuilt from the ground up to better reflect the world around you. The new underlying map uses Apple data and features enhanced geographic context like pedestrian paths and parks, more detailed building outlines and parking lots, better road network coverage, and more. You’ll also be able to get where you’re going with improved routes, whether you’re on the road or on foot. The new Maps is now available in Northern California and is coming soon to the rest of the United States.

While the general consensus is that Google Maps offers more accurate data and navigation, Apple Maps is widely considered to be the most used mapping application in the world since it’s built into every iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Apple Maps now available to embed into websites with MapKit JS

Benjamin Mayo Jun 6 2018 - 10:34 am PT

The Apple Maps app didn’t get any major changes in iOS 12, but the MapKit team announced at WWDC that they are officially launching MapKit as a web framework for others to use. Google Maps is incredibly popular as an embedded map for other web services, and now Apple is trying to take a slice of that pie. MapKit JS is the same map component that Apple uses in many of its web properties, including Find My iPhone on iCloud.com, and the WWDC 2018 site.

The Apple MapKit JS library is launching in beta this week. It mirrors the MapKit API available to native iOS apps, with Apple Maps iconic cartography and data sources.

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iPhone: How to toggle tolls or highways in Apple Maps

Peter Cao May 21 2018 - 12:01 am PT

Apple Maps has the convenience of being the default mapping solution on all of your Apple products, whether it be iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. But one thing that may be overlooked are some quality of life options that may make your driving experience slightly better.

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Five reasons to prefer Apple Maps over Google Maps

Bradley C May 20 2018 - 5:00 am PT

Is Apple Maps better than Google Maps?

Has there ever been an app that has caused so much of an uproar in the Apple community as Apple Maps? It was released in the fall of 2012 with iOS 6, and it was not received well to say the least. It was so poorly received that Tim Cook even wrote a letter apologizing for the poor launch of Apple Maps which contributed o the firing of Scott Forstall:

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

Now that we are almost six years into Apple Maps, I am of the opinion that Apple was right, certainly in a post Facebook privacy scandal world, to replace Google Maps with their in-house mapping product. In fact, Google Maps isn’t on my iPhone, and here are five reasons I prefer Apple Maps over Google Maps.

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Apple confirms use of drones to improve Apple Maps, says privacy remains a priority

Chance Miller May 9 2018 - 3:28 pm PT

Earlier today, a report explained that Apple was among a handful of companies who had applied for government permission to test drone usage beyond current FAA limits. Now, Apple has officially commented on these plans…

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iPhone: How to change navigation volume in Apple Maps

Peter Cao May 8 2018 - 12:00 am PT

While it could be debated whether or not Apple Maps is better than its competitors, it’s an easy to use app that is built into every iOS device. When navigating and playing music with Apple Maps, it can be infuriating if the navigation volume is too quiet and your music over takes, or vice versa.

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Apple Maps adds new indoor maps for three major international airports

Benjamin Mayo Apr 26 2018 - 2:19 am PT

Indoor mapping lets Apple Maps users explore the internal layout of buildings across multiple floors, with precise location positioning to help you find your way around places like airports and shopping malls.

Apple has today expanded its list of indoor mapping locations with a few new airports; iPhone and iPad can now explore Sydney International, Edinburgh and Hamad Internationl (Doha, Qatar) …

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Apple Maps now includes bike sharing data for more than 175 cities

Michael Potuck Mar 12 2018 - 9:37 am PT

Apple has added the ability to find bike sharing stations in its Maps app much more easily as it has integrated new data in over 175 cities. The update comes as Apple has struck a deal with data company Ito World.

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Apple Maps expands transit directions and lane guidance in several locations

Peter Cao Feb 28 2018 - 1:12 pm PT

Apple has today made some improvements to both transit directions and lane guidance in Apple Maps. The company has been making a rapid push to get both of these features out the door and has been looking to expand them in as many cities as possible.

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In-depth analysis compares quality of Apple’s mapping data against Google’s, highlights challenges Apple faces to compete

Michael Steeber Dec 20 2017 - 7:12 am PT

Since its introduction in 2012, Apple Maps has carried the burden of much scrutiny and criticism for the quality and coverage of its mapping data. While Apple’s data has steadily improved since day one, a new comparison shows just how much more work it will take to surpass Google Maps.

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Here are all of the airports and malls that support indoor maps in iOS 11

Chance Miller Dec 13 2017 - 6:51 pm PT

iOS 11 introduced a new indoor mapping feature that offers walking directions through a variety of different airports and malls. Apple has been slowly rolling out support for additional buildings, but changes and additions have been hard to track…

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Feature Request: Siri could use help learning to pronounce city names

Zac Hall Nov 13 2017 - 1:58 pm PT

Siri is steadily getting better with new features and improvements, but one place where the voice assistant could still learn a thing or two is how it pronounces city names. Siri tries its best to pronounce the names of cities based on their spelling, but this often leads to a comically bad mispronunciation that makes Siri sound like a complete out-of-towner.

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Apple Maps now offers public transit directions for Ireland

Ben Lovejoy Oct 16 2017 - 5:25 am PT

In the latest update to Apple Maps, public transit directions have been added for Ireland. Steve Troughton-Smith wryly commented that the update had arrived just in time for the weather to shut down public transport in the country …

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CarPlay in iOS 11: Lane guidance, interface tweaks, and more

Zac Hall Jun 23 2017 - 8:28 am PT

When iOS 11 for iPhone ships later this fall, CarPlay users will gain new features like lane guidance in Apple Maps, new route recommendations, and other new features. Below we’ll take a look at some of the new changes coming to CarPlay in iOS 11.

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Jibestream says it will support indoor Apple Maps, Branding Brand adopts ARKit for retail clients

Zac Hall Jun 20 2017 - 2:04 pm PT

Two companies have announced plans to adopt new Apple technologies coming this fall with iOS 11. Jibestream says it will work with clients to provide indoor mapping data to Apple Maps which is new to iOS 11, and Branding Brand says it plans to use ARKit to build augmented reality experiences for retail apps.

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Apple reportedly rolling out ‘Mechanical Turk’-esque program to improve Apple Maps data

Benjamin Mayo Jun 2 2017 - 5:17 am PT

Apple is advancing its data accuracy efforts with Apple Maps, according to a new report from iGeneration. The report details a new website app program where freelancers can sign up and get paid a small fee each time they correct/verify a Point-of-Interest or placemark in Apple Maps.

Similar to a Mechanical Turk system, people in the program can get paid about 54 cents per task, with a maximum of 600 tasks per week …

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Apple Maps 3D images of Apple Park show buildings, walkways & fountain

Ben Lovejoy May 29 2017 - 5:34 am PT

Apple Maps now shows 3D images of the Apple Park campus, with detailed representations of buildings, walkways and other landscape features. The detail extends as far as the sun-shade slats and solar panels on the main building.

The app added 3D satellite imagery back in March, though this was rather out of date. At that time, the map view was still rather sparse, something Apple has now fixed, though another issue remains unresolved …

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Apple expands Maps imagery collection to Connecticut, new areas of New York & Arizona

Chance Miller May 7 2017 - 7:50 am PT

For the past two years, Apple has been using vehicles around the United States and other countries to collect data for Apple Maps. Now, the company has further expanded those efforts, deploying a fleet of vans in Connecticut for the first time…

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Apple creates new hardware team led by former Google satellite execs

Michael Potuck Apr 21 2017 - 11:16 am PT

It’s well known that Apple is working hard to bring innovation to augmented reality and self-driving cars (in some capacity). However, new hires recently made by the company are making a satellite project seem likely.

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Apple Maps expands EV charging station data to Europe, adds bike rental hubs

Zac Hall Apr 19 2017 - 11:16 am PT

Apple Maps started listing electric vehicle charge points as points-of-interest late last year, and now Apple is expanding that functionality to Europe. The new feature rollout will include listings for bike rental hubs in three cities around the world as well.

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Report: After fatal accident, Apple says it is working to add rail crossing data to Maps

Chance Miller Dec 19 2016 - 7:14 pm PT

As navigation apps such as Apple Maps become a more integral part of society, a variety of effects are starting to become apparent. A new report from The New York Times details how Google Maps played a role in a fatal accident in 2015 on railroad tracks in California:

Following directions from Google Maps on a smartphone last year, Jose Alejandro Sanchez-Ramirez turned a Ford truck, hauling a trailer, where he thought the app was telling him to go. But he ended up stuck on the railroad tracks at a poorly marked California crossing.

Soon after Mr. Sanchez-Ramirez abandoned the truck, a commuter train barreled into it, killing the engineer and injuring 32 others.

Following a nearly two-year long investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board is calling on companies such as Apple and Google to add the exact location of 200,000 grade crossings to their mapping data…

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Apple reportedly hiring engineers from mapping company Here for unannounced Berlin office

Ben Lovejoy Dec 14 2016 - 4:38 am PT

LinkedIn updates suggest that Apple is beefing up its mapping efforts by poaching senior staff from Here – the map technology company which Nokia once hoped to sell to Apple.

Now co-owned by German automotive companies Audi, BMW, and Daimler, Business Insider spotted half a dozen hires over the last few months from Here. Interestingly, the roles appear to be based in Berlin, where Apple does not officially have a base but was once the site of Apple Car rumors …

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Apple Maps transit directions go live for iOS 10.1 beta users in Japan ahead of official rollout

Chance Miller Oct 19 2016 - 7:10 pm PT

Transit directions in Apple Maps for users in Japan are expected to go live to the public when iOS 10.1 is released, and Apple today has flipped the switch for iOS users running the latest iOS 10.1 beta build. According to local blog Ata Distance, Apple Maps in Japan supports transit data information with the latest iOS 10.1 beta, offering information such as transit times and fares.

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Apple Maps now has public webpages for some landmarks and points of interest

Benjamin Mayo Sep 22 2016 - 8:13 am PT

Apple is now publishing public web pages for landmarks and POI in its Apple Maps database: here’s one such place. The website link shows details about the place such as location, name, telephone number and reviews. The design is identical to the cards in the iOS 10 Maps app.

When on an Apple platform, these URLs appear to act as deep links into the native Maps app. If viewing in Chrome or on a non-Apple device like Android, the fallback webpage is loaded. The purpose for these URLs is unclear, but it may possibly foreshadow a larger move by Apple to offer its own online mapping service to compete with Google Maps on the web.

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Apple Maps adds enhanced parking space info, electric charging listings via Parkopedia

Jordan Kahn Jul 27 2016 - 8:14 am PT

Apple Maps is getting enhanced data for parking spots as Parkopedia today announces a deal to provide Apple with its database of parking services worldwide. That means that Apple Maps is now gaining enhanced data for the 40 million parking spots currently tracked by Parkopedia across 75 countries in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

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