Best New Features to Try in Apple Maps Redesign
Apple Maps is back with a brand new version that the company hopes will make it more attractive (and competitive) compared to Google Maps and Wazes in the app world. Not only does the new Apple Maps look much better with all the building, landmarks, and terrain details Apple has packed, but Apple is doubling down on privacy for your mapping experience.
There is a lot to love about Apple Maps nowadays. Let’s start with its accuracy. Back in 2018, Arthur Grabowski conducted a rather interesting test in which Apple’s service was compared with Waze and Google Maps. Comparing the estimated times provided by each map service for 120 trips, Grabowski found that Apple Maps was the most accurate for estimated times – even though Google Maps actually got it to its destination slightly faster than Apple Maps when tested. and Waze.
Rather than relying on third parties to get the data used in Apple Maps, Apple is now building its own (thanks to the fleet of LIDAR-powered vehicles that constantly travel around the country, as well as satellite imagery and other sources). This appears to improve the accuracy of Apple Maps directions. No promises, but I would at least give it a try – especially around large metropolitan areas.
As for all the other fancy features you can find on Apple Maps, here’s a quick rundown of some of our favorites – for both newbies and returning users with disabilities.
Customize your favorite places (and collections)
Adding your home and work to Apple Maps is a breeze, making it easy to find directions through the app or yell Siri quickly. But you can also add all the other places you want to visit. Click Add in the Favorites section, right below the Apple Maps search bar, and you’ll get a list of recommended places you visit often. Select one or enter the address manually, and then you can customize its label and choose a contact that will notify you when you start navigating through it.
If you have a few favorites, the best way to organize them is to put them all in a collection. It might even be something inspiring, like “bars I want to drink at ”. It’s easy to create a new collection in Apple Maps – find the New Collection link in the Collections section. Tap it, name your collection, tap Create, and then tap a collection to start adding locations.
To share your collection with others, so to speak, barmates, simply swipe up and hit the Share button. (You can also swipe left on a specific collection on the Apple Maps home screen to share.) Be sure to heed Apple’s warning before choosing a contact using an iPhone or iPad to share your list:
Call Street View Look Around to look at a place from afar
Unlike Google Street View, there is no easy way to see all the areas that Apple supports with Look Around – it’s “our car drove by and photographed this particular location”. If available, and you may have to zoom in on the area for this to happen, you will see a small binoculars icon pop up in the upper right corner. Tap it and you get a photo of a specific location, which can then be panned like a normal 360-degree image. Tap or slide your finger across the map itself to navigate to new locations – however only those highlighted in blue, which can be difficult to see if you’ve zoomed in too much.
Click on your daily forecast
It’s a small trick, but very useful. When viewing a location in Apple Maps, notice the small weather icon (and air quality index!) In the lower right corner. Press and hold to view the forecast for the next few hours at that location, as well as an overall view of the current weather, expected highs and lows, and the likelihood of rain.
Learn how to use public transport
If you are new to a place or just want to be reminded of all the public transportation options available to you, all you have to do is click on the “i” icon in the upper right corner of Apple Maps. Switch your view from the map to public transport and you will see beautiful little moments of all the public transport options available to you. (Sorry, buses. Only metro and railroad!)
Take an indoor (virtual) walk
As you zoom in on Apple Maps, you may notice that some places have a blue Look Inside link below their names on the map. Tap it and you can virtually “open” them to see what’s inside. For example, if you are looking at a mall, you will be able to see its layout – including all stores packed inside, regardless of the height of the building. While it would be even better if you could walk around the mall virtually using Apple Maps’ inspection feature, at least you don’t have to look for one of those weird shopping mall kiosk map things the next time you get lost.
Force (or summon) Siri to help with the route
Once you’ve chosen a destination and downloaded the directions to your iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen – a small bar just below the giant map. You will now see several additional options for the game. You can add stops to your trip (gas station, food out, or café), and here you can specify how much you want Siri to help you with your trip.
Click on “Audio” and you’ll be presented with four different volume options for the directions Siri plans to shout at you during your ride: quiet, low, normal, and loud. You can also use this screen to have Siri automatically pause your podcasts or audiobooks when it gives you directions if you don’t want your experience to sound weird.
To set the default volume for Siri, you need to exit the Maps app and open the Settings app. Tap on ” Maps” and then select ” Driving and Navigation”. Find “Navigation Voice Volume” and select the option you want.
In the Apple Maps settings, you can also choose the type of transport that Apple Maps will use by default: by car, on foot, or on public transport. You can also turn off public transit options that you never want to use in Maps when planning your trip by clicking on the Transit option.
Alternatively, you can use the settings to switch between miles and kilometers in Apple Maps. You can also turn off its Air Quality Index and Weather Icon, and even if you want Maps to help you by marking where you’ve parked your car. (As someone who often gets lost in parking lots, I don’t understand why you don’t need this feature.)
Share your estimated arrival time with a friend
One fun feature Apple added in iOS 13 is the ability to send contacts automatically about the progress of your trip, which is probably useful for dating. Once you’ve got your itinerary and look at your travel map, swipe up from the arrival / end section on the screen. From there, click Share ETA and select a contact.
When you share your estimated arrival time at a location, your (iOS) contact will receive a small text message that will include your, well, estimated arrival time, as well as the name of the location you are traveling to. They can then click on a location to customize their own routes as well, or see where you are – useful if you both meet somewhere. This feature works similarly for Android users, they simply won’t be able to tap to open the map.
Take a virtual flight
Some places on Apple Maps, mostly in major cities, have a special Overpass feature that you can see when you search. For example, find Chicago, Illinois and click the flyover button to see a beautiful 3D view of the city. You can control what you are looking at by moving your phone or using pinch / expand gestures with your fingers. I find it easier to just hit the Start City Tour button, which is much less likely to cause motion sickness. It almost reminds me of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Nearly.