Apple Maps

Apple reportedly set to launch Transit service, trip-planning feature and indoor maps with iOS 9

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 21, 2015

One important piece of the Apple Maps puzzle is about to fall in place at next month's WWDC as Apple readies to announce the Transit feature within Apple Maps in iOS 9, 9to5Mac reported this morning.

The same publication ran a scoop last year reporting that the Transit feature would launch as part of the iOS 8 software update, but the rumor didn't pan out.

“Having originally planned to add a new transit directions feature to Maps last year, only to pull the feature before WWDC 2014, Apple now hopes to launch its Transit service with iOS 9,” the report, based on “sources,” reads.

TomTom renews Apple Maps agreement

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

TomTom, an Apple Maps data provider, announced Tuesday renewing its partnership with the iPhone maker “for maps and related information.”

“TomTom has renewed and extended its global agreement with Apple for maps and related information,” wrote the Amsterdam-based company in a short notice on its website. “No further details of the agreement will be provided,” they added.

Apple acquires GPS firm Coherent Navigation

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Apple appears to have quietly acquired San Francisco-based GPS firm Coherent Navigation, MacRumors reported on Sunday. Several of the company's employees, including the CEO and co-founders, all started working for the iPhone-maker in recent months, and its domain servers were recently updated to point to Apple.

Among Coherent's technology is something called High Integrity GPS, which offers greater accuracy and precision and higher signal integrity versus standard GPS. It accomplishes this by combining signals from both mid-earth orbiting GPS satellites low-earth satellites used by data provider Iridium for voice and data.

20 new Flyover locations added to Apple Maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 30, 2015

The Apple Maps service has expanded Flyover coverage to an additional twenty locations around the world. Following today's update, owners of iPhone, iPod, iPad or Mac devices in the United States, Australia, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and Spain can being enjoying realistic three-dimensional virtual tours of select cities and landmarks, including the Arches National Park in Utah, Mont Saint-Michel in France and many more.

Nokia reportedly targeting Apple to buy its HERE Maps division

Jake Smith ∙ April 22, 2015

Bloomberg reports that Apple is among the list of companies Nokia is hoping will purchase its struggling HERE Maps, as it seeks to cut divisions that are losing money.

According to the publication's anonymous source, Nokia is seeking more than 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) from a sale of the unit. It's selling HERE Maps for the "ubiquity and utility" of its location-based services.

Apple hiring software engineers to help integrate transit info into Maps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple is working on integrating public transit information into its Maps app, according to a job listing spotted by AppleInsider on Tuesday. The company is hiring software engineers for its Maps division's Routing team, which it says is working on "one of the most anticipated features of Apple Maps."

The job listing calls for applicants with experience in developing high quality, robust software systems using C++ and Linux, excellent problem solving and analytical skills, and asks that they have "in-depth knowledge about public transit, both as a consumer of those services and the technical aspects."

Business owners can now claim POIs as their own via Apple Maps on iOS 8.3 and OS X 10.10.3

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 3, 2016

One of the welcome changes in the iOS 8.3 and OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 software updates, which hit yesterday, includes the ability for business owners to claim any point of interest as their own using an updated Report a Problem tool in Apple Maps for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac, as reported Thursday by AppleMapsMarketing.

The company began allowing local businesses to manage their listing in the service last October, but required them to use its Maps Connect web service.

At the same time, the iPhone maker appears to be removing some TripAdvisor hotel reviews which started showing up in its Maps service last week.

Hotel reviews from Trip Advisor, Booking.com come to Apple Maps

Jake Smith ∙ April 5, 2015

Next time you're driving through Chicago looking for a nice place to stay - Apple has you covered. Over the last several days, the Cupertino company has added more hotel review data to its Apple Maps app on iOS, as it works to continue bolstering Maps to compete with the king, Google Maps.

The new data for hotel reviews isn't being served up by Apple itself, outsourcing the work courtesy of Trip Advisor and Booking.com, along with reviews from Yelp that have been there for quite sometime.

Apple Maps now animates London Eye and Big Ben’s clock tower

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 26, 2015

Apple has started to animate certain landmarks in a three-dimensional Flyover view in Apple Maps, The Daily Mail reported Thursday. Specifically, London's Big Ben clock and the popular London Eye now feature animated segments in Flyover.

The face of Big Ben's clock tower is being animated to show the correct local time while London Eye's rotates slowly when browsed in Apple Maps' Flyover view.

Apple adds two new Maps data partners: GasBuddy and GreatSchools

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Apple's acknowledgements page for its Maps service has been recently updated with several new references, MacRumors reports. Among the companies cited are GasBuddy and GreatSchools, both of which are data aggregates that display information about nearby gasoline stations and schools, respectively.

Apple adds 10 new Flyover locations to Maps

Cody Lee ∙ February 23, 2015

Apple today added a handful of new locations to the 3D Flyover feature in its iOS and OS X Maps applications. The new locations include Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Boise, Idaho in the United Sates, Venice, Italy, and other cities around the globe.

First introduced in Apple Maps when it launched in 2012, the Flyover feature allows users to take close-up, 3-dimensional looks at buildings, landmarks and various other areas of interest.

Apple Maps gains 3D imagery for a dozen new locations across Europe, US and elsewhere

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 27, 2015

Apple Maps has an impressive feature called Flyover that taps high-resolution aerial photography turned into three-dimensional terrain, landmarks and buildings that can be rotated around in the full 360-degree freedom.

It's pretty awesome and also quite expensive to create. Apple basically has to fly a fleet of special aircraft to do terrain mapping in the sky. That's why, as of this writing, Flyover was available in a little more than a hundred locations around the world.

As spotted by Dutch website iCulture.nl, a dozen new cities and landmarks across Europe (and some in the U.S.) have received their Flyover treatment in Apple Maps.