“While we wait for Apple to implement its promised deep changes to Maps, here is how to use a few of the lesser-known features in the company’s navigation software,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld.
“Maps has several gestures to help you navigate it effectively on an iPhone. One of the most useful of these makes it really easy to scroll in an out of the Map using just your thumb,” Evans writes. “Double tap and hold the Map with your thumb (or any other finger). Keep your digit pressed on the display and you will now be able to zoom in and out of the Map by sliding up or down on the screen.”
“Once you’ve created your route you can choose to add to it. Create the route you want to use and tap Go. While on your journey you can add services to your route by swiping up to reveal services, usually Petrol Stations, a place to eat (lunch, breakfast, etc.) and Coffee,” Evans writes. “Maps will create a new route from where you are to this new destination and will then allow you to resume your original route once you’ve finished filling up – just tap the Resume Route item at the top of the display.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We love that zoom feature and use it often!
I hope that when Apple re-boots Maps the biggest change will be that I do not need to check Google and Maps to see which has the better information.
I wasn’t aware of the “thumb” scrolling feature. Quick question…how does it differentiate my thumb from my other fingers? /s
Whatever. Still missing so many features.
Maps on the Mac feels many years behind — all the additional power you should have on the Mac, and yet Apple keeps Maps looking and feeling like a clunky, slow, inefficient interface. That’s even before you get into the poor routing options, data and search accuracy, multiple transport options, aid in lane guidance and parking, and so forth.
Example use case:
Go to a city in a country you’ve never been, route yourself to 3 different stores efficiently as possible to run errands. Make sure one of them doesn’t have a colocated parking lot. Even if you know the exact address or store name, Maps is just about useless in guiding you the most efficient trip plan. That kind of stuff was available 20 years ago on other mapping software.
Maps could have been updated years ago, had Pipeline the audacity to drive his team to produce the best mapping software on the planet. However, Apple’s resources are stretched thin so Pipeline directed them to work on other projects that are more important to Apple users. Whatever those projects are, are only know to Pipeline.
such pandering to Apple; Add to My Route is a POS only allowing me to add a coffee shop, restaurant etc on Apple’s curated list of place categories – don’t try and add a stopoff at your office, friend’s house, church, kid’s school etc
My old TomTom portable unit used to allow me to set a bunch of stops for the day. Office to Customer 1 to Customer 2 to Customer 3 back to Office. Why this capability is beyond Maps is beyond me!
Multi-point routing.
Why such a fundamental feature wasn’t there from the beginning is just absurd. Even Google Maps missed that boat, so…
And yet, according to the latest podcast of another Mac site, one of the commentators (both well known, high profile Mac people) mentioned that he did not need such a feature when traveling and did not think most other people did either.
I was absolutely flabbergasted by this viewpoint… considering it to be very presumptuous, narrow, and out of touch.
Best way to use Apple Maps effectively is to use Google Maps or Waze.
Very nice.
I’ve switched to WeGo Here. Seems like the best total package right now that isn’t offered by one of the two most infamous creepy datamining ad houses.
Mapquest deserves mention too — it’s got a lot of bells and whistles that Apple Maps doesn’t have.
Funny how the reviews (funded by google and facebook perhaps?) ignore the half dozen other map apps that can, and do, outshine the big boys in many ways.