Hands-On With Apple's Redesigned Maps App in iOS 10

[citysnaps]

Don't like Apple Maps? Simple, don't use Apple Maps - there are other options available. As can be seen here, Apple Maps serves many very well.

I get why some feel good turning it into a competition, as if they're rooting for their high school football team. Baffling are the "Finally, ..." proclamations, expressing faux exasperation. Strange...

 

[iPadPublisher]

Re your gripe, one can do offline mapping in Google Maps. Good sized areas too (click link).

http://i.imgur.com/cHkXRRc.png

Well looky there! Cool... thanks for showing me that.

 

[bbplayer5]

Here come the Apple Maps suck/I use Google Maps comments...

Guess what? Software improves, it's not 2012 anymore.

It absolutely sucks around my area. If I put to go to my parents house, it will literally try to take me an extra mile and a half when their house is 200 yards away from me when I get close to their address. Instead of a 5 mile trip, it goes to around 6.1.

 

[iPadPublisher]

I don't insist that Apple Maps be as good as Google Maps. All I want is for Apple Maps to acknowledge my multiple emails and error reports and correct its location of my home. What's the use of accepting corrections if you never, ever act on them?

Sorry to hear this. Apple's actually been great about accepting changes from my end. Mislabeled freeway in Las Vegas, street name incorrect, a school was about 1/4 mile off in a field, new arterial street wasn't included in data set yet, etc.

 

[uhaas]

You're joking right? Have you actually used and tested both apps frequently in real trips?

As a previous commenter wrote, the issue with Apple maps is not the UI, the features, or software - the issue is with the underlying map data.

Google Maps is light years ahead of Apple Maps because they've invested billions in sending cars all over the world every few years to get the latest, most accurate mapping & crowdsourced traffic data. They also crowdsource map updates/corrections using a very streamlined process (updates are reviewed and made by Google within 24 hours and they email you when the update is complete)

I've had Apple Maps take me to several incorrect destinations over the past few years, including the last six months. I've had to use Google Maps as a backup to get me to my real destination on several occasions. After doing this so many times I gave up on Apple Maps because I need reliable POI, mapping, and traffic data.

While I welcome these new Apple Maps features (some of which are adding features Google Maps have had for years like traffic routing), I can't fully adopt or 'fall in love' with Apple Maps until they improve their data dramatically.

I may give Apple maps one last shot in the fall, but if the data isn't as accurate as Google Maps, it'll continue to be garbage despite its delightful UI.

GPS apps are all about data. Accurate data. Good data. Up-to-date data. POI data.

YMMV. I've had the opposite experience with Google leading me astray more often.

Traffic routing has worked for me in iOS 8 & 9. With the new version, I can see traffic while navigating, a feature that was sorely needed and zoom ahead and see what's coming while still in navigation view.

Apple Maps has worked better for me, but I'm sure it's place defendant for anyone.

 

[iPadPublisher]

Do most of you use your cell phone as navigation in car? I find that either a Garmin navigation or the one built in on my BMW Z4 much nicer and safer to use in the car.

For many years I used a standalone Garmin unit and loved it vs. any factory nav I'd ever seen. But I just got a new car with CarPlay and have been using Maps since. It's really my first run using Apple Maps in at least 18 months. So far, I'm mostly enjoying it.

 

[uhaas]

Still no look-ahead when you're on route?

I switched back to Apple Maps but that's one feature I really miss about Google Maps.

I think you're going to be surprised.

 

[mantan]

I really think there is something with the IP 6. Keep seeing more and more reports of this. My GPS died about two weeks ago. Just stopped working completely. Now it barely connects to any wifi network. I will be in the room next to my router and it has one signal and then drops it. Bluetooth also works for about three feet and then drops. The geniuses were useless in my case also. Basically, their only advice is reset the phone (which didn't help), and then either pay $299 for repair or buy a new one. I'm still making payments on this stupid thing until September. Took it to an ifixandrepair store at the mall as one last ditch effort, but they couldn't do anything either.

I'm going to end up getting the Blu R1 HD, cheapest Android phone I could find that wasn't crap and just sign up for t-mobile acct until the new iphone arrives and I can get rid of my POS.

It's really frustrating. While the GPS watch solved my running problem, I would still like to rely on my phone as a GPS when I travel for work. I didn't realize how much I relied on it for business travel - from finding offices, locating restaurants, helping my navigate the fastest way through rush hour traffic in a new city.

At first it just lost signal occasionally. Now it rarely acquires a signal....and when it does, it can't keep up for more than a mile or two. It's rendered Maps/Google Maps and anything else GPS related as useless.

They gave me the generic 'reset' advice...which essentially was like telling someone to CTRL-ATL-DEL. But I wiped it, set it up as new had the exact same problem.

My phone is paid off so I don't want to buy a new one. I could pay $299 for a repair. But at this point I'd rather throw my money at an alternate solution than to fix a basic feature in a $750 phone.

It's getting the point where Applecare is required because the quality of their products is so sketchy. The proximity sensor never worked right on my 4. The battery had multiple issues on my 5. The GPS went out in the 6.

In my experience the reputation of Apple quality far exceeds actual experience.

 

[Snoopy4]

How about a Safari update???

 

[name99]

Regarding the UI - I really have trouble reading Apple Maps. There is very little contrast (light grey streets and grey street names against a white background), and the street names are too small. Compare the same area of a city to Google Maps side by side and notice how much easier it is to see everything on Google Maps. It's classic Apple choosing form over function again, but it doesn't actually look cool, it's just worse.

I guess this is a matter of opinion and can only be settled by voting or something to learn the numbers.
Personally I find Google Maps to be much more painful to read than Apple. The ugliness does not translate into increased legibility, and I find the Material design (and the constantly appears and disappearing cards) to be utterly incomprehensible --- a few minutes of using GMaps and I want to scream.

If you want to understand in detail what Apple is displaying vs what Google is displaying, the place to look is here:
http://www.justinobeirne.com/essay/cartography-comparison
Apple is not "worse" than Google in what they're choosing to display and prioritize, just different. You're welcome to claim that Google's priorities better match your own, but in the absence of data you're not welcome to make the claim that Google's priorities better match everyone else's, or even the majority of most users.

(Note what Justin is doing in his articles --- actually OMG using REAL DATA to draw conclusions, rather than simply spouting off about which company he hates more. Imagine such a thing...)

 

[Benjamin Frost]

I used to say that Apple Maps was much inferior to the accuracy of Google Maps and almost completely lacked any ability to re-route in real time around a newly formed congestion along the active route. However, for about 6 months now, I've been using Waze, and I can say that those who are using Google Maps, try Waze because Waze to Google Maps is what Google Maps is to Apple Maps.

Frankly, I cannot understand why Apple didn't buy Waze. Had they done so, Apple Maps would have been an amazing addition to the Apple's ecosystem. As it stands now, Google has two amazing products. Google Maps has always been a great navigation system, but with the Google's acquisition of Waze, Google now has the two best navigation system that are competing with each other.

There's one downside to Waze, and that is the fact that Waze doesn't have as extensive database of POIs as Google Maps. Even though it seems that the two systems are exchanging a certain amount of information (such as live traffic events), certain POIs that I needed to navigate to couldn't be found by Waze, but could be found by Google Maps. However, Waze is amazing in finding the routes saving significant amounts of time in congested traffic areas where Google Maps just follows the most commonly known route. As a result, the difference in arrival times for a 20-mile drive in high-congestion times of the day could be 10-15 minutes in favor of Waze.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I used to use Apple Maps. When I got a car, it quickly proved useless in England. I turned to Google Maps, which was much, much better. I then discovered Waze, which is better even than Google Maps.

 

[dk001]

Do most of you use your cell phone as navigation in car? I find that either a Garmin navigation or the one built in on my BMW Z4 much nicer and safer to use in the car. I would only consider using the phone if I rented a car an forgot to bring the Garmin. Trying hold the phone and us a touch screen is not really a safe way to drive, and I wonder if you get get a ticket doing this, as the police would think you are either talking on the phone or texting, both of which are illegal in my state.
On the Z4, the navigation is a much bigger screen, out by the windshield where you can keep your eyes on the road, plus the control to zoom the map is on the arm rest where you hand naturally rests on it.

I travel frequently and rely on my phone in most cases. While the rentals typically come with GPS, they usually charge extra for the feature.
[doublepost=1467581188][/doublepost]

I agree wholeheartedly.

I used to use Apple Maps. When I got a car, it quickly proved useless in England. I turned to Google Maps, which was much, much better. I then discovered Waze, which is better even than Google Maps.

Since Google owns them, I wonder how much of their data/tech has been incorporated into Google Maps.

 

[Precision Gem]

I travel frequently and rely on my phone in most cases. While the rentals typically come with GPS, they usually charge extra for the feature.
[doublepost=1467581188][/doublepost]

Since Google owns them, I wonder how much of their data/tech has been incorporated into Google Maps.

I travel a lot too, but always take my Garmin GPS. When traveling in Europe i have one with the European maps, as streaming data to the phone would get rather expensive.

I mainly use apple maps when in the hotel looking for a place to eat or my next destination. In Germany and France and the US it has always worked very well for me.

 

[MacAddict1978]

You are aware that a great number of people actually is using this app every day... right? Not because it's mandatory on Apple devices but because it's truly useful. As someone said, it's not 2012 anymore and the experience has become really really good! And they [Apple] are STILL improving it.

Not mandatory? No, you can manually open something else. It is the mandatory default, which pretty much makes it mandatory as if you click any links for maps or directions, guess what opens?

It's not nearly as crappy as it used to be.... it's no longer a smoking stink pile of dung.... just dung.... but dung is still...dung. And it can remember where I parked! Wow, how four or five years ago....

 

[r018u]

Not sure why Apple still tries to make Apple maps a thing... I only use it because CarPlay doesn't support google maps

I think you just answered your own question.

 

[dk001]

Not mandatory? No, you can manually open something else. It is the mandatory default, which pretty much makes it mandatory as if you click any links for maps or directions, guess what opens?

It's not nearly as crappy as it used to be.... it's no longer a smoking stink pile of dung.... just dung.... but dung is still...dung. And it can remember where I parked! Wow, how four or five years ago....

Wonder what happens when you delete it in iOS 10? Does any default map function fail?

 

[lordofthereef]

Don't like Apple Maps? Simple, don't use Apple Maps - there are other options available. As can be seen here, Apple Maps serves many very well.

I get why some feel good turning it into a competition, as if they're rooting for their high school football team. Baffling are the "Finally, ..." proclamations, expressing faux exasperation. Strange...

I can see people proclaiming "finally", if for no other reason, the fact that Apple Maps remains the stock and standard maps app within iOS (we can't change this in iOS 10 either afaik). Things like saving where your car is as well as adding POI are also handy; more so from a stock app.

Up until now ove used google maps I'd say 99% of the time. I can see myself potentially going all Apple after these changes. Or at least far more than the "once in a blue moon" I used to.

 

[nicesukhi]

Awesome! I can't wait!

Looks good.

 

[CB1234]

Apple map isn't accurate. It almost lead me to someone's home.

Look on the bright side.. you made a new friend !!

 

[fatboyslick]

Hang on....did it say on the video you can scroll ahead to see how your journey looks?
Isnt that something we've been able to do in google maps since forever?

This sounds too simply a thing to have been missing or have I got this wrong?

 

[unibility]

hmm... that's point size you just visually described not font size.

no
SUPER HUGE FONTS



must not be totally redesigned from the ground up

 

[admob71]

Here come the Apple Maps suck/I use Google Maps comments...

Guess what? Software improves, it's not 2012 anymore.

You say that but most of the folk on here still think android is a lag fest...

 

[dk001]

Look on the bright side.. you made a new friend !!

and in the voice of Johnny Carson or Jay Leno:
"Just what kind of friend was it? ... let me tell you just what kind of friend it was ..."
[doublepost=1467653367][/doublepost]

Hang on....did it say on the video you can scroll ahead to see how your journey looks?
Isnt that something we've been able to do in google maps since forever?

This sounds too simply a thing to have been missing or have I got this wrong?

No. Apparently iOS 10 AM will now have this feature. It apparently "was detoured" and has now found its' way home.

 

[kevinthecoach]

Apple's Maps app received a major overhaul in iOS 10, introducing a new look and some impressive new features. Design wise, Maps looks a lot different, with easier to access controls and destination suggestions that are front and center.

As seen in the video below, when you open the Maps app, you'll immediately see a search window and an overview of your current location. Swiping upwards from the search bar brings up options for places you might want to go, based on recent places you've visited, calendar events, appointments in your Mail app, and general user habits.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Maps in iOS 10 features traffic information en route, with options for alternative routes and routes that avoid toll roads. There's a dynamic view that allows users to zoom in and out to see what traffic conditions look like ahead, and there's an option to search along a route to find gas, food, coffee, and more while on a trip. Maps will automatically adjust routes to incorporate stops, letting you know how much time a detour will add.

When parking, Apple Maps has an awesome new feature that'll automatically remember your car location so you never forget where it is, and a new Maps extensions option for developers will let you do things like book a reservation in OpenTable or call an uber all without leaving the Maps app.

For details on other new features coming in iOS 10, make sure to check out our iOS 10 roundup. Don't miss out on our previous videos, which have covered iOS 10, watchOS 3, tvOS 10, and macOS Sierra:

- WWDC 2016 Overview in Seven Minutes
- iOS 10's Overhauled Lockscreen
- The New iOS 10 Photos App
- The New iOS 10 Messages App
- macOS Sierra - Siri
- iOS 10 Hidden Features
- watchOS 3 Overview
- iOS 10's Redesigned Apple Music Experience
- 3D Touch in iOS 10
- The New Home App for Controlling HomeKit Devices
- iOS 10's Face Gallery App for Apple Watch
- iOS 10's Revamped News App
- Everything New in tvOS 10
- Apple's Upcoming Apple TV Remote App

We've also got roundups for all of the upcoming operating systems, including watchOS 3, macOS Sierra, and tvOS 10.

Article Link: Hands-On With Apple's Redesigned Maps App in iOS 10

[doublepost=1467663473][/doublepost]Apple maps clear graphics are great and it is sometimes smarter at finding places than Wayze but when it comes to instant rerouting to avoid hazards Wayze is inspired, and also it's speedo is very useful here in the UK with so many average speed cameras.

 

[ATC]

Wonder what happens when you delete it in iOS 10? Does any default map function fail?

I ask the very same question when iOS10 beta was first released, hoping that it would mean we can make Google maps (or any other mapping app) the default, unfortunately early beta testers said it just asked them if they want to re-install Apple maps.