Apple Maps facts for kids
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Apple Maps on an iPhone 13 running iOS 15
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| Developer(s) | Apple | ||
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| Initial release | September 19, 2012 | ||
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| Operating system | iOS 6 and later, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS | ||
| Type | Web mapping | ||
Apple Maps is a web mapping service developed by Apple Inc. The default map system of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, it provides directions and estimated times of arrival for driving, walking, cycling, and public transportation navigation. A "Flyover" mode shows certain densely populated urban centers and other places of interest in a 3D landscape composed of models of buildings and structures.
First released in 2012, Apple Maps replaced Google Maps as the default map system on Apple devices. At launch, it drew criticism from users and reviewers for incorrect directions, sparse data about public transportation, and various other bugs and errors. Apple has since further developed the software addressing criticisms.
While exclusive to Apple devices, it can be accessed on non-Apple devices in map-related search results on DuckDuckGo.
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Contents
Features
Apple Maps started using vector graphics before competitor Google Maps, which allowed the application to use less data than Google Maps. The map has four available layers: regular map, satellite view, hybrid view (a combination of regular and satellite view), and public transit view. The main provider of map data is TomTom, but data is also supplied by Automotive Navigation Data, Getchee, Hexagon AB, IGN, Increment P, Intermap Technologies, LeadDog, MDA Information Systems, OpenStreetMap, and Waze. Apple renewed their agreement with TomTom in 2015. TomTom is the parent company of Tele Atlas, which is also used by Apple Maps' competitor, Google Maps. The satellite imagery comes from Maxar Technologies. iPhones located in China use data from AutoNavi instead. The latest supplier is listed on the attribution page of Apple Maps.
Apple Maps can be used to plan routes. Apple expands their basic Maps interface by adding badges. A weather and air quality index badge will be seen a long side the current traffic information constantly. Before, a user could only observe the traffic information while using the turn-by-turn directions. According to Apple, the navigation function is available in 56 countries worldwide. Apple Maps can also be used to see real-time traffic information. In addition, Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, is integrated into Apple Maps. The map displays points of interest provided by approximately twenty companies, including Booking.com, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, and Yelp. The data from Foursquare was added in late 2015. Users can drop pins on the map to save places for later retrieval. The satellite view features Flyovers, three-dimensional satellite views, in designated locations.
Flyover and 3D maps
With Flyover, certain locations — mainly the big cities and landmarks — can be seen from a birds-eye perspective. The three-dimensional views are photo-realistic, and users can change the perspective. Flyover has been available since the first release of Apple Maps. Many cities with Flyovers also have "City Tours." With this feature, the user is guided in the Flyover view along landmarks in that location. "City Tours" was added to Apple Maps in iOS 8 (released on September 17, 2014) and in OS X Yosemite (released on October 16, 2014). In addition to Flyovers, around fifty cities also feature 3D maps. This feature enables the user to see three-dimensional models of structures in the map view. These models, which are not photo-realistic, can also be seen when using the turn-by-turn navigation.
Nearby
The feature "Nearby" is exclusive to iOS 9 and watchOS 2.2. It shows icons of different categories like "food" and "transportation" in the search menu. After clicking each icon, nearby points of interest in that category are shown with their names, distances, and reviews on Yelp. Additionally, pins appear at the locations of these places on the map. The turn-by-turn navigation can be activated with Nearby as well.
Transit
The function "Transit" shows the public transport networks on the map in a number of cities and their surroundings. The functionality was added to iOS 9 (released on September 16, 2015), OS X El Capitan (released on September 30), and watchOS 2 (released on September 21). Apple Maps displays the networks of buses, subways, trains, and ferries in these cities. Additionally, the mapping service includes public transit schedules and shows the locations of the entries and exits of the subway and train stations.
Support for all the routes of Amtrak in the United States has been added as of October 2, 2016. The routes of NSW TrainLink in New South Wales were added in April 2016. The routes of V/Line (Regional Rail) in Victoria (Australia) were added on October 9, 2016. Transit directions were expanded across the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland, on December 19, 2016. Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) was added on October 16, 2017.
Apple's transit directions are not available in third-party apps.
In iOS 16, Apple added the ability to add Transit Cards to the Maps app, as well as see Transit Fares.
Congestion zones
With the release of iOS 14, various countries in Europe received congestion zone alerts in the Maps app to reduce harmful emissions in the area. Users have the option of inputting navigation that avoids these areas.
Indoor airport and shopping mall maps
iOS 11 introduced indoor maps for airports and shopping malls.
United StatesAtlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington
| Country | Locations |
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Traffic information
Apple Maps shows real-time traffic information on the map. In addition, the turn-by-turn navigation takes delays into account when calculating the estimated time of arrival and will occasionally choose a detour in case of traffic. Apple introduced this function in iOS 7 (released on September 18, 2013) and it is available in 75 countries as of June 2019. In the beginning of 2015, Consumentenbond, a Dutch organization promoting consumer rights, researched the traffic information of various navigation applications and concluded that Apple Maps gave the most false responses of all seven applications that were tested.
Speed Cameras and Incident Reporting
iOS 14 introduced the addition of speed cameras when doing turn-by-turn navigation. More countries will be added as time goes on. In iOS 14.5, Apple implemented new ways to report incidents in real-time, with users able to report accidents, hazards, and speed checks during their route using Siri.
Cycling Directions
When Apple announced iOS 14 at WWDC 2020, they introduced cycling directions for Apple Maps in select cities, including Los Angeles, New York, and London.
Look Around
Look Around allows the user to view 360°street-level imagery, with smooth transitions as the scene is navigated to provide precision in city environment. Look Around was introduced with iOS 13 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2019. It was publicly released as part of iOS 13, with additional areas to be covered as time goes on.
Apple Maps Connect
In October 2014, Apple introduced Apple Maps Connect, which allows small business owners to claim their business listing and edit business information, such as location and open hours. After the user logs in with their Apple ID, they are given a prompt to claim and link an Apple Maps listing to their account. The user can search through Apple's database to locate their listing or add a missing listing to Apple's database.
Detailed City Experience
At WWDC 2021, Apple officials announced they would add new information to Apple Maps' portrayal of various cities, including real-world widths of roads, accurate elevations, and more detailed depictions of some buildings and landmarks.
Guides
At WWDC 2020, Apple announced that iOS 14 would bring "Guides"—packages of tourist information—for certain cities, many produced by third-party publications.
Native Ratings and Reviews
iOS 14 introduced the addition of native ratings and reviews to make it easier to search ratings. Yelp, as a result, is slowly being phased out in exchange for this new system.
ComScore investigated the market shares of different web mapping services in the United States using polls. Prior to the launch of Apple Maps in September 2012, there were 103.6 million Americans with iOS or Android, 81 million of which used Google Maps. According to comScore, the latter figure had dropped to 58.7 million in September 2013, a year after the release of Apple Maps. At the same time, there were 35 million American Apple Maps users and a total of 136.7 million people with iOS or Android in the United States. Out of the 60.1 million iPhone users, 8.3 million used Google Maps. However, some of those iPhone users were not able to use Apple Maps, since their devices were not updated to iOS 6. In addition, research by comScore conducted between July 2013 and February 2016 revealed that between 20% and 30% of all American smartphone users used Apple Maps — this includes users with operating systems for which Apple Maps was not compatible. During the same period, it was concluded that between 40% and 51% of American smartphone owners used the application Google Maps.
Furthermore, comScore studied the market share of Apple Maps on iPhones in the United Kingdom. In September 2013, one year after its launch, more than 6.2 million of the total 10.35 million British iPhone owners used Apple Maps. Google Maps had the second largest market share on British iPhones with over 1.8 million British iPhone users.
In the second half of 2013, British Internet service provider EE Limited concluded that Apple Maps had a market share in the UK of 64% of 4G network users and 57% of 3G network users. The research involved comparing the data of the internet provider and the results of an investigation by Taylor Nelson Sofres among 1,000 users of the 4G network. However, EE Limited did not indicate how many of its users had an iPhone. According to subsequent research by EE Limited, in the first half of 2014, the market share of Apple Maps increased among iPhone users: 70% of the 4G network and 76% of the 3G network. At the turn of the year, the same values amounted to 73% and 82% respectively.
See also
In Spanish: Apple Maps para niños
