Apple's Indoor Maps for Airports and Shopping Malls in iOS 11 Slowly Rolling Out

[MacRumors]

Apple has slowly begun enabling indoor maps for select airports and shopping malls, providing an early look at the new Apple Maps feature coming in iOS 11.

On devices running iOS 11 beta, indoor maps are available now in Apple Maps for Philadelphia International Airport and Mineta San Jose International Airport, and for shopping malls Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose, California and Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco, California.

Indoor maps will provide detailed floor plans of major airports and shopping malls around the world, allowing iOS 11 users to plan ahead.

At airports, for example, Apple Maps users can tap "look inside" or simply zoom in to view terminals, boarding gates, security checkpoints, airline check-in desks, baggage claim carousels, information kiosks, restrooms, stores, restaurants, parking garages, and even escalators, elevators, and stairs.

Apple Maps users can browse by floor, or search for shops, food, drinks, or restrooms in a specific terminal. Tapping on a restaurant, for example, brings up a detailed place card with photos, hours, and additional information.

Likewise, at shopping malls, Apple Maps users can zoom in to view the exact location of stores, restaurants, restrooms, escalators, elevators, and stairs on each floor. Users can also filter stores by categories such as clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty, food, and drinks, with detailed place cards for each.

Apple senior executive Craig Federighi previewed Apple Maps indoor maps at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. Skip to around the 1:07:50 mark of Apple's WWDC 2017 keynote video.

At launch, indoor maps will be limited to select airports and shopping malls, in cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, and the Washington D.C. area. Apple said more locations will be added over time.

The feature is only available in iOS 11, which is currently in beta testing. The second developer beta was released on Wednesday, and a public beta will be released later this month. The software update officially launches in the fall.

Article Link: Apple's Indoor Maps for Airports and Shopping Malls in iOS 11 Slowly Rolling Out

 

[DTphonehome]

Good feature but Apple is always a few years behind Google with stuff like this.

 

[winmaciek]

Looks really cool. What a shame it’s not going to be available in my country in the foreseeable future

 

[Macwick]

What's a shopping mall.

 

[nepalisherpa]

Good feature but Apple is always a few years behind Google with stuff like this.

Google started on this stuff earlier than Apple, so, yes!

 

[joiwomcow]

Apple truly are the Bing of mapping services.

 

[JackieTreehorn]

What's a shopping mall.

It’s a place to put people to forget about

 

[diipii]

All this is merely to mask the fact that Apple is at the end of the line of innovation in main-stream computers. They have only the froth to work with now having deserted the pro and prosumer clientele. When millennials consider smart phones uncool it will all go down the pooper. And that can happen any day now probably when someone pays Beyonce or Taylor Swift and bazillion dollars to say they think social media is for dorks.

 

[alexgowers]

I still find basic stuff missing from the maps app and issues like 'you'll have to park and walk to your destination' when theres a road! I mean great if apple keep it current etc but I suspect it'll only be out of date as soon as it goes live with the speed at while shops change around and airports expand and restructure. I hate to admit google is doing it better but they are is so many areas and apple seems so reluctant to invest the right amount of people and research to really get ahead.

 

[prhat317]

More importantly....what airport has Gordon Biersch inside?! Not a big fan but much better beer options I would imagine than most airports outside of DEN.

 

[Bacillus]

Apple truly are the Bing of mapping services.

Ah, that Altavista of Google, but then 10 years later (had to Bing it, sorry)
OT: why not rename Apple Maps => Apple Shopping Maps.
Then no-one will lose his face on this ongoing tragedy - and Angela will certainly feel better...

 

[Vasilioskn]

What's a shopping mall.

It’s this place where a lot of loud kids and teens hang out and never buy stuff.

 

[Zaft]

Its good apple is adding these features. Yes, google maps has had it for a while but apple started maps only several years back.

Next will be apples take on street view.

 

[oldwatery]

Maps can't show me how to get to the end of my street half the time so good luck with this waste of time.

 

[jonnysods]

My wife loved the sound of this, so that's gotta be a good thing.

 

[mercybelcher]

Where is the indoor map?

 

[Böhme417]

Some of those seem like odd choices. I hope they expand that list quickly.

 

[dannyyankou]

Is lane guidance working yet? I’m ready to dump Google Maps, Apple has been more accurate for me this past month.

 

[Ries]

Directions to starbucks:
Please take emergency exit #4, then proceed along runway #2 for 200m, turn right and cross runway #6 and enter Terminial #1 through emergency exit #12, starbucks is now to your left.

 

[mthomas184]

Maps can't show me how to get to the end of my street half the time so good luck with this waste of time.

If you need a map to get to the end of your street, I think you are in WAY worse shape than Apple ever will be.

 

[Abiatha Swelter]

I wonder of this will be integrated with Find My Friend so your spouse can find you when you've been taken into detention by airport security for refusing the invasive body cavity search.

 

[William Gates]

What's a shopping mall.

A future drone racing arena.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

I wonder:

How much does Apple charge for showing a company's shingle overlaid on their Maps?

Is it free? Or is it 30%? /s

 

[Chupa Chupa]

What's a shopping mall.

It's the mid-to-late 20th century's version of the town square. So you ask "what is the town square?" It's where people once concregated, socialized, and bought stuff. Today it's known to millenials as "my parent's basement."

 

[Saipher]

All this is merely to mask the fact that Apple is at the end of the line of innovation in main-stream computers. They have only the froth to work with now having deserted the pro and prosumer clientele. When millennials consider smart phones uncool it will all go down the pooper. And that can happen any day now probably when someone pays Beyonce or Taylor Swift and bazillion dollars to say they think social media is for dorks.

Having a bad day there buddy?