Apple Maps to Get These 10 New Features in iOS 27

[MacRumors]

Apple Maps is getting a range of new features in iOS 27, headlined by an upgraded Flyover experience that uses AI to improve the realism and detail of its aerial imagery.

Flyover is a longstanding feature of Apple Maps and lets users explore more than 350 cities in 3D with detailed landmarks, roads, parks, and buildings. Apple described the enhanced Flyover in iOS 27 as combining aerial imagery with AI models to produce sharper, more lifelike visuals of cities around the world. In its press release, Apple said the update will make details clearer, from the shapes of individual trees to the way light reflects off the glass of skyscrapers.

A new Local Lists feature is also coming to Apple Maps users in the U.S. The feature surfaces curated collections of nearby places based on what's trending locally, including dining spots and places to take kids. Apple says all insights are derived with privacy in mind and are never tied to individual users.

iOS 27 also expands the Suggested Places feature that arrived in iOS 26.5, allowing users to swipe through more recommendations rather than being limited to two. A Trending Restaurants section will appear in the search screen, and natural language search is expanding to cover routing specifics. A Parked Car widget is coming to the Smart Stack, making it easier to locate a parked vehicle, and Offline Maps is said to be getting update improvements, though Apple has not detailed exactly what those entail.

Existing features including Visited Places and Guides are expanding to more countries in iOS 27. The Maps app icon has also been refreshed with a new, multi-layered Liquid Glass design.

Article Link: Apple Maps to Get These 10 New Features in iOS 27

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

What does MR create these “top” articles but never list them out and bury them in a narrative format.

List them out 1-10 and expand upon them if necessary. A much easier read.

 

[McWetty]

“Suggested places” is ads. Call them ads. And if they are obnoxious, Maps is getting uninstalled. I’d rather use Google or Waze if I’m going to be advertised to.

 

[surfzen21]

“Suggested places” is ads. Call them ads. And if they are obnoxious, Maps is getting uninstalled. I’d rather use Google or Waze if I’m going to be advertised to.

Ads is such an antiquated term. It's now called, "highest bidder suggestions" 🥲

Now, doesn't that sound better and inviting. 😂

 

[nnoble]

By all means add optional features while remembering the core purpose of a map is to establish where you are and get from A to B.

 

[orangeadrenaline]

I assume by new offline features they mean ads.

 

[IIGS User]

Ads is such an antiquated term. It's now called, "highest bidder suggestions" 🥲

Now, doesn't that sound better and inviting. 😂

"Curated offerings that may meet your approval".

Just call it a commercial and be done with it. Billions in dollars in revenue and Apple goes "tacky". As if the Google disease is infecting Big Fruit like a noxious work burrowing it's way in.

 

[surfzen21]

"Curated offerings that may meet your approval".

Just call it a commercial and be done with it. Billions in dollars in revenue and Apple goes "tacky". As if the Google disease is infecting Big Fruit like a noxious work burrowing it's way in.

These companies are bidding for my attention and I should be offended?

I think not. I am honored!! 😂

Bid for my attention corporate peasants 😭

 

[B4U]

"iOS 27 also expands the Suggested Places feature that arrived in iOS 26.5, allowing users to swipe through more recommendations rather than being limited to two."

Great, more bloody ads!
Go fly a kite, Apple! 😡

 

[chrisone]

I hope the advanced flyover doesn’t come to the EU.

 

[Onelifenofear]

It desperately needs draggable routes like google maps.

 

[Anonymous123]

How about just adding carpool lanes to Apple Maps? All these suggested places, local lists, visited places, guides, and trending places feel like added fluff. And ads should have no place in Apple’s OS.

 

[JulianL]

By all means add optional features while remembering the core purpose of a map is to establish where you are and get from A to B.

I think that's actually a prelude to an interesting discussion. I can only talk about my personal use case but for me I don't think that is the case anymore. Given the history I accept that traditionally getting from A to B has been the core purpose of a map but I think a new use has now arisen that for me is actually my primary use of a mapping app.

If I measured the time I used my mapping app (I use Google Maps not Apple Maps) and tried to allocate that time percentage-wise between time spent at home using maps as the most convenient way to access restaurant/bar/hotel/etc recommendations, compare the locations of places, look up the closest place I can buy a toaster (random example) or just explore somewhere in Streetview vs the amount of time I have maps active (including in the background) because it is actually navigating me from A to B I'm pretty sure that I would end up with something like an 80%/20% split in favour of using Maps as a research tool rather than a navigation aid and that might even be an underestimate with research accounting for an even higher percentage.

Disclaimer - I no longer have a car so I very rarely drive and I live in London UK that has excellent public transport so I probably have significantly less need for the get-me-from-A-to-B capabilities of a mapping app. I do still use it for the last mile or whatever of walking when going somewhere new and to plan public transport journeys but that's about it.

I wonder if I am a quite marginal use case in terms of using maps for research than navigation or if there are quite a few people like me. If people like me are a noticeable percentage of users then I wonder if there is any correlation by country perhaps with car use vs walking & public transport.

My use case is why I use Google Maps rather than Apple Maps BTW. I find Google Maps so much better for the research part of my use.

 

[jimbobb24]

Does it still have ads? I really dont like them.

 

[nt5672]

I don't want curated anything from Apple.

The current Apple maps is a disaster unless you are going from point A to point B without any stops or looking for dinner, or interesting things to do on the way.

The current Apple maps does not support planned stops by showing time and distance to the next stop.

And whoa, put the map on Car Play and it is terrible. Why is the navigation mode so different from he other modes when not navigating.

We run 2 phones, one for navigation and one for interesting things on the way. But when not navigating the map does not stay positioned so you can see what is on the left and right sides.

I think we need to bring some if these foreign developers into the states and have then try to navigate across the country one time.

 

[timeislove]

Flyover is just a grimmick features. Most of users would use it once or twice then give up.

Why didn't Apple spend engineering efforts on other tweak or enhancement, eg. add an option for setting language in Map app other than the systemwide language for the phone?

I suppose map should be built for bilingual to facilitate travelling.

 

[ifxf]

“Suggested places” is ads. Call them ads. And if they are obnoxious, Maps is getting uninstalled. I’d rather use Google or Waze if I’m going to be advertised to.

No worse than the useless Guides.

 

[ZeromusZeromus]

How about they stop telling me and my whole damn city to turn left at the busy intersection near my home with the big no left turn sign? How about not ignoring all the error reports I’ve submitted about this one issue? How about oh hey Maps says this donut place is good, I gotta go

 

[TwoBytes]

will maps get the feature (or basic fucntion) to route me from a to b in europe effectvly without going through a field or mountain? Dam mountain..don't know who put them there..

 

[d-klumpp]

Who cares about flyover resolution?!

The key missing feature remains: weather radar overlay.

If you're on a roadtrip, it's a matter of safety to know precisely where along your route dangerous weather is likely to occur so that you can take appropriate measures. Otherwise, you're just stopping with others under an overpass. Or maybe pulling over to wait out the downpour on the roadside, like a sitting duck hoping not to be rear-ended by a defiant idiot.

 

[svish]

I like the new icon. Maps are definitely improving. Would likely to see flyover in more cities around the world.

 

[dontwalkhand]

I just want to be able to use the satellite maps for driving and transit views.

 

[Techsticles]

Will there finally be a ding to let you know you’ve gone off route and the maps are being rerouted?

 

[211]

I wish Maps accepts user manipulation. Far too many times it is zooming in and out by itself, or some page slides up that I didn't want. I also want a way to move the route to my preference, because I know the suggested routes won't work for me for whatever reason. Adding and removing stops, as well as duration of them can be a lot better.

I'm not sure why car location can't be in the Find My app

 

[gumbyhw]

I count only 9 “new features” if you inlcude “more countries”