Has Maps Gotten Better in 8.3?

[parseckadet]

Has anyone else noticed that Maps seems to be a lot better since 8.3 was released? I first noticed this when I saw that a school down the road from my house, which I reported as missing years ago, finally started showing up.

This got me wondering how much things may have improved. One of the biggest problems Maps has had has been its classification of certain businesses. For example, downtown Houston is littered with offices for probably hundreds of oil and gas companies, including giants like Exxon. Maps used to label every single on of these as a gas station, making it impossible to actually find where you could fill up your car, not just downtown but just about anywhere in the Houston area. You were just as likely to wind up in front of some office building as you were a fast station. But ever since 8.3 was released this is no longer the case. This alone has me feeling giddy and willing to give Maps another shot.

Anyone else notice any similar improvements?

 

[Lloydbm41]

Has anyone else noticed that Maps seems to be a lot better since 8.3 was released? I first noticed this when I saw that a school down the road from my house, which I reported as missing years ago, finally started showing up.

This got me wondering how much things may have improved. One of the biggest problems Maps has had has been its classification of certain businesses. For example, downtown Houston is littered with offices for probably hundreds of oil and gas companies, including giants like Exxon. Maps used to label every single on of these as a gas station, making it impossible to actually find where you could fill up your car, not just downtown but just about anywhere in the Houston area. You were just as likely to wind up in front of some office building as you were a fast station. But ever since 8.3 was released this is no longer the case. This alone has me feeling giddy and willing to give Maps another shot.

Anyone else notice any similar improvements?

Don't think it has so much to do with the 8.3 update as it does with people and businesses updating information manually over all this time. I know I have personally been manually updating places around where I live and Apple sends me notifications when they have updated Maps based on my input.

 

[BBDDVV]

I also see many new POI's since iOS 8.3. What struck me is that many of these have ratings by TripAdvisor and Booking.com.

 

[bucksaddle]

There was certainly a big update to satellite images in my area that was *timed* with the release of iOS8.3. We have had a new housing estate built which has been around for a least 3 years now and the satellite image in Maps has always shown the initial ground clearance. Since the 8.3 update the fully completed housing estate is now displayed.

The reason I say *timed* is that the satellite images have obviously been updated alongside the release of iOS8.3 but the new images can also be seen on devices running prior versions.

 

[apple.snapple]

Unfortunately, for me, in my area, Maps is still completely useless for my commute.

I've reported a missing road, once a week, since the day it opened 8 months ago. I have "improve maps" turned on.

I use maps exclusively when driving in hopes that Apple will see that I'm, in fact, NOT driving in the middle of a field for 20 minutes, but that this is a new road that shaves nearly an hour off my commute.

Short of calling Apple on the phone, I'm at a loss. Waze has it. GMaps has it. Mapquest has it. Garmin's app has it. I'm truly a blinded apple fanboy and I want to help apple however I can to catch up to Google's offering, but I have no idea what else I can do.

 

[parseckadet]

Don't think it has so much to do with the 8.3 update as it does with people and businesses updating information manually over all this time. I know I have personally been manually updating places around where I live and Apple sends me notifications when they have updated Maps based on my input.

I'm sure some of that is happening, but I think something else happened with my Oil & Gas Company scenario. I'm talking about hundreds of business having their category changed from gas station to something else almost over night.

 

[smorrissey]

yes, google maps are amazing!

 

[Sirious]

Has anyone else noticed that Maps seems to be a lot better since 8.3 was released? I first noticed this when I saw that a school down the road from my house, which I reported as missing years ago, finally started showing up.

This got me wondering how much things may have improved. One of the biggest problems Maps has had has been its classification of certain businesses. For example, downtown Houston is littered with offices for probably hundreds of oil and gas companies, including giants like Exxon. Maps used to label every single on of these as a gas station, making it impossible to actually find where you could fill up your car, not just downtown but just about anywhere in the Houston area. You were just as likely to wind up in front of some office building as you were a fast station. But ever since 8.3 was released this is no longer the case. This alone has me feeling giddy and willing to give Maps another shot.

Anyone else notice any similar improvements?

This has nothing to do with iOS 8.3. They can update the Maps data at any time and this is true with business information etc.
They added an animated Big Ben and London Eye without any iOS update.