Apple Redesigns Its Entire Map Ecosystem For Improved Road Coverage, More Detailed Land Cover, Precise Addresses and Pedestrian Data for Users in the United States
Image via Apple
This past Thursday, Apple released its redesigned Apple Maps ecosystem. Apple overhauled all of its maps to offer more detailed insight for more precise searches for people to navigate and explore the world. The new app features a lot more detail — from homes to businesses, smaller bodies of water, landmarks and locations of note. This is a huge and dramatic improvement on its prior version available on iOS 12, bringing the mapping app on par with Google Maps.
Apple Maps today are in use more than ever as customers use maps on their digital devices and with Car Play. Maps are also integrated into many popular apps such as Messages, Calendar, Weather and Photos. MapKit is in use by third-party apps such as Instagram, Bank of America and Nike Run Club.
The new Apple Maps is based on years of work and addresses feedback and extensive criticism from users over the years. The company announced it was rebuilding the app previously and was gathering new data using its own fleet of sensor-equipped vans and by using anonymous data from iPhone users who voluntarily choose to share it. In order to provide users with turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps, Apple had to redesign Apple Maps from the ground up. Apple spent billions of dollars to update and rehaul its map ecosystem with new features and more precise data pulled from on-location tracking that are accessible by just a simple tap. The new Apple Maps also offer more insight into nearby landmarks. Apple Maps will rollout throughout Europe in upcoming months.
“We set out to create the best and most private maps app on the planet that is reflective of how people explore the world today. It is an effort we are deeply invested in and required that we rebuild the map from the ground up to reimagine how Maps enhances people’s lives — from navigating to work or school or planning an important vacation — all with privacy at its core.”
A Breakdown of New Features and Accessibility
Look Around: Street-Level Imagery with High-Resolution 3D Photography
Similar to Google's Street View, the new Apple Maps offers interactive street-level imagery with high-resolution, 3D photography through a new “Look Around” feature that explores cities such as New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston and Oahu in detail. Look Around is available in iOS 13.
Image via Apple
Share Lists of Favorites Through Collections
You can build and share lists of your favorite restaurants or places you want to visit using Collections. This feature is available in iOS 13 and makes it easy to save directions for places you visit often. Additional improvements in Apple Maps include:
Real-time transit info, now in Miami, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles
Share ETA to family, friends, or co-workers
Flight status info
Indoor maps for malls and airports
Siri Natural Language Guidance in the US
Flyover
Image via Apple
Flyover Offers 3D Views
In response to much criticism over its previous mapping experience, Apple has redesigned its Apple Maps Flyover experience to now offer a view of select major metro areas with photo-realistic, immersive 3D views. Experience a city from above or explore in high resolution as you zoom, pan, tilt and rotate around the city and its landmarks. Flyover is available in more than 350 cities.
Image via Apple
Three Benefits from Using the New Apple Maps
1. Plan Your Trips Better
By sharing your favorite locations or places you intend to visit through the ‘Collections’ feature, you can plan your trip more easily. You can research ahead using the Maps and save spots to visit, ranging from coffee shops and restaurants to art galleries and museums on to a list that you save and then share this list with other people as you wish.
2. Share your ETA
This practical feature helps you share your ETA with anyone with your estimated arrival and real-time updates. You will not have to text them as they will already have access to that information.
3. Get to where you are going — faster and more efficiently
Integrated with real-time transit information, the new Apple Maps helps you get to your destination faster as you will have access to more detailed transit time including any delays, traffic and more.
Image via Apple
Commitment to Privacy
Apple is committed to privacy and keeping personal information safe. Hence, no sign-in is required for Maps and Apple Maps are not linked to Apple ID. On-device intelligence offers personalized features such as departure time.
“Any data collected by Maps while using the app, like search terms, navigation routing and traffic information, is associated with random identifiers that continually reset to ensure the best possible experience and to improve Maps. Maps goes even further to obscure a user’s location on Apple servers when searching for a location through a process called “fuzzing.” Maps converts the precise location where the search originated to a less-exact one after 24 hours and does not retain a history of what has been searched or where a user has been.”
In order to receive the updated Maps on iOS 13, just update your iPhone software. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
