On Thursday, Apple users in the Netherlands, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland have the new Apple Maps. Navigation has become faster and more accurate, and buildings, parks, airports and shopping malls are displayed in detail. Sights such as the Grand Ducal Palace, the NEMO Science Museum, and the castles of Bellinzona can be viewed in 3D.
“With Apple Maps, you explore the whole world without compromising your privacy. We’re excited to let even more users benefit from this with the new features we’re introducing today,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, in a statement. “Maps has been completely revamped and now offers better navigation, more detail, better information for places, and beautiful features that only Apple can offer, such as ‘Look Around’ and ‘Natural Language Guidance.’ It’s now easier than ever to map out trips to your favorite destinations.”
Maps allows millions of people in more than 200 countries and regions to explore the world. Privacy is at the heart of Maps – personalized features use machine learning on the device – and the app can be used anywhere: at home, in the office and on the go, with iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, and in the car with CarPlay. The Maps app is integrated in popular apps that customers use on a daily basis, such as Photos, Messages, Calendar, and Weather. Through MapKit and MapKit JS, Maps is also at the heart of thousands of third-party apps and services.
New navigation experience
In addition to the new map, there are also many features that make it easier for users to explore the world. The ‘Siri Natural Language Guidance’ feature offers directions that sound more natural and easier to follow, for example ‘Turn left at the next traffic light’. Lane instructions are already guided drivers to the right track as soon as they approach their exit or an elevated road. This is to prevent them from turning too late or driving in the wrong direction. The Speed Camera feature shows when users approach a speed or red light camera, and these cameras are also indicated on the map. With iOS 16, Apple Maps plans routes with up to 15 stops. The route is automatically synced from Mac to iPhone when it’s time to hit the road.
Users can tell family, friends, or colleagues what time they expect to arrive with a tap, or via Siri with Share Arrival. The recipient can track the trip and see a revised expected arrival time in Maps if there is a delay. It is also easy to report an accident, danger or speed control, simply by saying to Siri ‘An accident happened further down the road’ or ‘Something is on the road’. Users can even report it when an accident displayed on the map is over, all while keeping attention on traffic.
Drivers with certain electric cars can also plan their ride in Maps with suitable charging points, taking into account differences in altitude and other factors along the route.
Public access users in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland can more easily find nearby stations and pin frequently used lines. With iOS 16, OV travelers can now see what their trip costs within Maps, put their transit subscription in Wallet, and view and replenish their balance.
Explore with ‘Look around’
The ‘Look Around’ feature in Maps offers high-resolution street-level images, 3D photos, and smooth transitions. Maps users from anywhere in the world can now navigate the Netherlands, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourgn and Switzerland to their hearts’ content.
Visual walking instructions
Users can receive step-by-step walking instructions in augmented reality by simply holding up their iPhone so that buildings in the area are scanned. Maps then extremely accurately determines the position and gives detailed instructions that can be viewed in the context of the real world.
In addition to the new updates now available, Maps offers many useful features:
• Cities in 3D with peerless details for neighborhoods, shopping areas, marinas, buildings, and more. In a number of cities worldwide (including London, Los Angeles, Montreal, Paris, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Washington), users can see elevation data, new street labels, and landmarks.
• Favorites offers the ability to navigate to frequently visited locations with one tap. If a destination is listed in the Favorites, users – whether they’re at home, at work, in the gym, or school – can hit the road with a simple tap.
• Flyover offers the ability to view certain metropolitan areas in impressive, photorealistic 3D rendering. By moving their device through space, users can experience a city from above or explore it in high resolution, while zooming, tilting, and rotating their device, moving around the city and its sights.
• With Airport and Mall Floor Plans, users only have to open the Maps app or see which floor they are on, where the toilets are located, and even which shops and restaurants are open.
Maps and privacy
Apple believes it is important that personal information is well secured and privacy is therefore deeply embedded in Maps. No login is required for Maps. Personalized features, such as a suggested departure time for the next appointment, use machine learning on the device. Data that Maps collects during use, such as search terms, navigation routes, and traffic information, is linked to random identification codes that are reset regularly so that search and location data on the server cannot be linked to a recognizable user. To cloud a user’s location on Apple’s servers when searching, Maps goes one step further, using the so-called “fuzzing,” the exact location where the search was performed is converted to a less accurate location within 24 hours.
MacDailyNews Take: Congrats, Apple Maps users in the Netherlands, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland!
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