Maps

How to access iOS 8’s new ‘Flyover City Tours’ feature in Maps

Cody Lee ∙ June 22, 2014

A few days ago it was reported that a new Maps feature was discovered in the just-released beta (2) of iOS 8 called 'City Tours.' Hidden within secret debug menus of the software, the feature takes users on virtual 3D Flyover tours over major cities.

This weekend, it was discovered that City Tours is actually available in the public UI of iOS 8, meaning anyone with the latest version of the developer beta can try it out. Getting to the feature is a little involved, but we'll show you how to do it below...

Video: hidden iOS 8 Maps feature – Flyover City Tours

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 19, 2014

There's a nicely done new Apple Maps feature hidden in iOS 8 Beta 2. Called City Tours, it's basically a set of manually programmed and scripted virtual tours of select major cities, rendered and animated in Maps' three-dimensional Flyover mode.

Apple hasn't talked about City Tours during its WWDC keynote (aside from a brief mention on one slide) and the feature couldn't be found on the official iOS 8 webpage, in WWDC session videos or inside Apple's official developer documentation...

Waze updated with new UI, enhanced sharing features and more

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2014

Fans and users of the popular Waze GPS app will be happy to hear that the mapping client received a significant update today. The release brings about several changes, including various redesigned UI elements and a handful of useful new features.

The new UI covers the ETA screen, which now lets users easily share their drive with friends and family, and also adds a new icon in the ETA tab that shows the number of users tracking your trip. We have a full breakdown of the new features below...

Hidden icons in iOS 8 show Apple’s working on car-finding feature

Cody Lee ∙ June 10, 2014

Last fall it was reported that Apple was working on a new feature for its Maps application that could assist users in finding their car. Using the iPhone's M7 chip, it was said the app could register the location of a parked vehicle, and then help its owner return to that spot at a later time.

The expectation was that this car-finding feature would turn up in iOS 8, but WWDC came and went with no mention of the functionality. It still could make its way into the public release of the software though, as new evidence shows Apple has indeed been working on such a feature...

Personnel issues and internal politics blamed for lack of iOS 8 Maps announcements at WWDC

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 9, 2014

Mark Gurman has established himself as the most reliable Apple blogger out there so we were confused seeing his sources fail him so badly in predicting announcements Apple should've made at WWDC.

For instance, he called for new hardware at WWDC, but Apple's developers conference focused - rather predictably, I should add - on software.

Gurman also said Apple would give OS X a larger presence at the five-day event whereas the company didn't discriminate between iOS 8 and Yosemite.

Most importantly, he made several claims concerning Apple taking iOS 8 Maps to the next level by adding public transit directions, a car finding feature, more points of interests, better labels and so forth. In reality, the Cupertino firm only briefly mentioned that it's updated iOS 8 Maps in China with vector graphics. So, what's going on here?

Google Maps gains faster Street View transitions

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 21, 2014

Google last night issued a minor but welcomed update to its free Google Maps for iOS app. In addition to some bug fixes, version 3.1 now offers "smoother, faster transitions when you move through Street View."

The latest update arrives two weeks after the Internet giant issued a major 3.0 update, bringing the much-needed offline mode to Google Maps in addition to lane guidance, Uber integration, Voice Search, pins and more...

Google Maps 3.0: offline mode, lane guidance, Voice Search, pins and much more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 6, 2014

The Internet giant Google today refreshed its native Maps iOS app with a handful of stuff, including lane guidance in turn-by-turn navigation, Uber integration, Voice Search and more.

A major update, Google Maps 3.0 - available free of charge in the App Store - now allows you to save maps so you can access them without an Internet connection, a major advantage over Apple's built-in Maps.

While you could previously save maps by typing 'ok maps' into the search field, version 3.0 takes this further by providing a proper menu item for the feature and syncing your saved maps across devices. There's lots more to get excited about this Google Maps release so jump past the fold and have a look yourself...

CEO of indoor positioning startup Wifarer has joined Apple ahead of iOS 8 Maps push

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

According to an exclusive TechCrunch report Thursday, Philip Stanger, the CEO and co-founder of indoor positioning startup Wifarer, has joined Apple's Maps team ahead of the anticipated push to improve the company's in-house mapping software in time for the assumed launch of iOS 8 this Fall.

He's now with the Apple Maps team in a “leadership role,” the publication has learned though the report cautions that Apple did not acquire the startup as some sources have speculated.

Wifarer, which is available as an iOS and Android app, features dynamic real-time indoor positioning to help people navigate malls, museums and other venues. Apple of course has its own micro-location indoor positioning system in the form of iBeacons.

Watchers have speculated that these micro-transmitters installed in shopping malls, retail stores, airports and elsewhere could also be used to collect data to improve Apple Maps and Stanger's hiring certainly seems to point in that direction...

Apple Maps adds 3D Flyover of Stonehenge

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Apple lately has been increasingly expanding coverage of the three-dimensional view of its mapping service. Just earlier this month, 3D Flyover coverage extended to include the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area, including the city of Berkeley and its University of California, the birthplace of the flavor of Unix used in OS X and iOS.

But what if you could take a 3D topographic tour of the ancient monument? Well, now you can as Flyover coverage now includes areas of Wiltshire, England, about two miles west of Amesbury and eight miles north of Salisbury where this mysterious prehistoric monument is located...

Apple Maps 3D flyover coverage expands to Berkeley and East Bay areas

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Apple continues to add major new areas to the 3D Flyover coverage in its mapping service available on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 6 or later and Macs running OS X Mavericks.

In late-March, the firm expanded 3D Flyover coverage to include Australia’s Perth, Spain’s Cordoba and France’s Saint Tropez and now Apple's in-house Maps team has added three-dimensional maps for the areas of California including the city of Berkeley and the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area...

Apple seen testing push notifications for resolved Maps issues

Cody Lee ∙ April 9, 2014

Apple is apparently testing a new notification system for Maps, according to a report from MacRumors. The site has posted screenshots showing a new option that some users are seeing to receive a push notification when their reported issue with the app has been fixed.

It works like this: after choosing to 'Report a Problem' within the Maps app, users are given the option to be notified when engineers have fixed the issue. And once the problem has been resolved, Apple sends out a push notification to that user's device letting them know...