In June of 2018 it was reported that Apple was going to rebuild Apple Maps from the ground up, focusing on providing more detailed information.
Since then, Apple has been rolling out those changes in stages, bringing in huge sections of the United States one update at a time. Now, over a year later, we’ve reached the end point. Apple today has announced that the redesigned Apple Maps experience is now available for all users in the United States.
With the upgrade, Apple Maps will now include faster navigation, with comprehensive views of roads, airports, parks, malls, and more. Apple adds that it will be rolling out the upgraded Maps experience across Europe in the “coming 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,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “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. The completion of the new map in the United States and delivering new features like Look Around and Collections are important steps in bringing that vision to life. We look forward to bringing this new map to the rest of the world starting with Europe later this year.
The announcement also includes reminders of iOS 13 related features including Look Around, which features street-level imagery and the ability to explore areas “on foot” without actually visiting the location in person. It’s similar to Google’s Street View feature.
And from there we also get rundowns of Apple Maps’s Collections, Favorites, Share ETA, and more. Here are the major bullet points from the announcement:
- Real-time transit information gives detailed transit schedules, live departure times, arrival times, the current location of a bus or train en route, and system connections to help plan a journey. Maps also includes important real-time information like outages. Real-time transit is available in many cities across the world including the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles and, starting today, in Miami, with many more cities to come.
- Share ETA sends an estimated time of arrival to family, friends or coworkers with a simple tap. The receiver can follow along on the journey, and Maps will even update them with a revised estimate for when the traveler is arriving if a significant delay occurs.
- Flight status uses on-device Siri intelligence to scan for information stored in Mail, Calendar or Wallet and proactively serves flight information for terminals, gate locations and departure times, as well as flight changes or cancellations for upcoming travel.
- Indoor Maps for airports and malls makes it possible for users to get the most out of their next trip or shopping excursion. By simply opening the Maps app, users can see what level they’re on, restroom locations and even which stores and restaurants are open.
- Siri Natural Language Guidance provides more natural-sounding directions that are even easier to follow, such as “At the next traffic light, turn left.” Siri Natural Language Guidance is available across the United States.
- Flyover offers a way to see select major metro areas with photo-realistic, immersive 3D views. Users can move their device through space to experience a city from above, or explore in high resolution as they zoom, pan, tilt and rotate around the city and its landmarks. Flyover is available in more than 350 cities.
The real announcement here is that the upgraded and improved experience in Maps is now available to all users in the United States. If you’ve already used the upgraded Maps, are you happy with it?