How To Report a Problem With iOS 6 Maps Data

[wingsabre]

I would say the android would suit you better if you require google maps. Isn't that the whole idea of choice? Choose apple or android in what thy offer you as a paying customer

But that's the problem. He bought the iPhone 5 assuming that the Apple Maps would work. Had he known that the Apple Maps would be a complete failure of an app, he probably would have bought an Android.

Apple advertised the map app as something equal and better than was was present before. Instead, we have a major downgrade. It's false advertisement. Had he bought the phone today, knowing about the faults of the map app, then it's his fault.

 

[class77]

They've got my house located down the street from where it has been located for 25 years. My current location(my actual house), which is located on a golf course, is listed as the clubhouse for the country club. Because of the canned responses to Apple reporting incorrect addresses, it's very hard to get this across. It was reported days ago and the error still stands

 

[etrinh]

But that's the problem. He bought the iPhone 5 assuming that the Apple Maps would work. Had he known that the Apple Maps would be a complete failure of an app, he probably would have bought an Android.

Apple advertised the map app as something equal and better than was was present before. Instead, we have a major downgrade. It's false advertisement. Had he bought the phone today, knowing about the faults of the map app, then it's his fault.

Not sure what the deal is but most countries have return policies. I would just return it and get something that fits my needs. Obviously if maps is a deal breaker than the competition is probably offering something better

 

[Jibbajabba]

Reporting problems here in the UK would be a full time job, my local road is misspelled, hospital is missing, cathedral doesn't exist either and my Neighbouhrs house is apparently 5 miles away. How can that be SO wrong. Apple Maps is useless for me here locally so I wished there'd be an easy way to revert.

 

[Iam3rd]

The Backlash Could Have Been Avoided

I had to create an account to voice my opinion on this one.

Apple could have avoided this entire backlash of angry apple customers while still achieving its goals of effectively competing with Google.

1. Apple would have gained more by keeping the Google Maps app because an iOS user, I believe, would be more inclined to use voice turn by turn directions while traveling to unknown territory.

In turn, this user would be more gracious in providing voluntary feedback to improve an app that they voluntarily chose and not one that was forced upon them.

2. With Google Maps still on iOS, an user would be less inclined to trash Apple on forums because they can easily overcome the deficiency of Maps by simply deferring to Google Maps.

In turn, they could then report problems to Apple more accurately when needed.

3. Apple prides itself in providing the BEST user experience available. When you take away an app that millions of customers were satisfied with and force on them a far inferior experience, customers have a right to be upset. In other words, Apple forced customers to rely on an app that Apple knows may not give them the information they need.

4. Not a smooth transition at all. Lastly, Apple could have kept Google Maps simultaneously with Maps and allowed users to contribute to Maps (by reporting problems) for at least one year of use. This would have permitted Apple with more time to improve the app based on user feedback and would have created a smoother transition for the user.

Lastly, I never considered an Android phone until now. We customers choose our products with our purchase, companies that think they can bully their customers pay a steep price ala Netflix. If Google submits an app and Apple does not approve it, I will definitely switch to Android on principle alone.

 

[nia820]

In 2010, when Google was suffering similar, though not as widespread problems, they were receiving 10,000 user submitted corrections a day; just over 3.5 million a year. Maps has been “in the wild” for less than a week.

but apple should have gotten it together before forcing us to use their maps or downgrade to ios 5.

 

[xanagu]

5 millions guinea pigs.

Koolaid is strong in this ones...

 

[wingsabre]

Not sure what the deal is but most countries have return policies. I would just return it and get something that fits my needs. Obviously if maps is a deal breaker than the competition is probably offering something better

It really depends on his plan and how he bought the phone. If he bought it alone without a plan, then depends how he bought the phone and their return policy. If he bought it from a carrier, it depends if the carrier will charge a restocking fee, or if they charge your for changing plans before the contract ends. In the US, there's about a 30 day window, but the window is not always free.

 

[etrinh]

Yea if the store wont give him a full refund that would suck royally. I just hope dissatisfied customers return the devices soon and not wait too long before its too late. This bad press is actually going to help any company that sells the phone deny returns after the return period has past since they can just say it was a highly publicized issue and users had the chance to test the device. Anyway, I do feel bad for those who updated their current iOS devices from 5 to 6. I kept mine 4S on ios5 just for this reason in case it was a major deal. I do want an android or windows phone when the time is right for me to upgrade.

 

[SprSynJn]

But that's the problem. He bought the iPhone 5 assuming that the Apple Maps would work. Had he known that the Apple Maps would be a complete failure of an app, he probably would have bought an Android.

Apple advertised the map app as something equal and better than was was present before. Instead, we have a major downgrade. It's false advertisement. Had he bought the phone today, knowing about the faults of the map app, then it's his fault.

It does work. Just because it doesn't work to your expectations, doesn't mean "it doesn't work". I've used it and it works fine for me. Yes Google Maps is better, but that's obvious. Will it be missed? No. Because I'm sure Apple will fix whatever problems come along. Claiming it as "false advertising" just means you have too much time on your hands to worry about such trivial matters.

To answer the original question, which I'm sure has already been answered, there is an option in the app to report a problem.

 

[dmjossel]

You can also visit http://openstreetmaps.org/ and fix the maps yourselves. One of the things that makes the Google Maps so good is the large amount of details added through the Google Mapmaker initiative, prior to which, the Google Maps were only moderately better than these maps. The Open Street Maps project is what TomTom, Garmin, Mapquest, Bing, and many other services, including Apple use for their mapping data. I have spent the last 6 weeks fixing issues on my island, which thankfully made it into the currently accessible maps, and hopefully, just like the Google Maps changes on iOS, it will only take a few weeks for the updates to make it to iOS.

I was always worried that this would happen when Apple left Google's maps, but I thought that major population centers would have been better off than they were.

TEG

There are at least some locations this will not help, since it appears Apple is not drawing on OSM data for those locations. I live in a small city of 1.5M population, but both Google Maps and OSM have pretty detailed, fairly up-to-date information. Apple Maps has major streets, hardly any POI at all, and no directions-- no automotive, no pedestrian, no public transportation-- are available at all. Google Maps handled all three. It honestly looks like Apple took a ten-year-old tourist map from a hotel lobby and got all their meager information from there. Plenty of sources, including OSM and Navteq, have better available data, but it appears Apple just isn't bothering to use it in places they don't yet consider important-- places that were previously well served by the native Google Maps app, and are not nearly as well served either by Apple Maps or the Google Maps web app. I'm a bit of a maps junkie, so I have lots of alternatives, but an iPhone out of the box used to be a fairly competent navigator around here, and today, it just is completely incapable.

In addition, all the satellite imagery has been changed to winter, in which it is almost impossible to discern any details, it's a mismash of black, white and grey blurs.

 

[doelcm82]

because thats borderline forcing people to do apples work for the wellbeing of their own business therefore the comparison to paying someone not to mess up your establishment.

i run a business and when i get money my customers get goods/service and i expect the same when I hand over money.

If you don't want to help Apple help people find your business, then don't do it. There's no one forcing you to put that little bit of advertising on Apple's Maps. No one at all.

Your competitor down the road is going to do it, and the potential customers will go to her instead. Apple should charge you for the listing.

 

[Lancer]

Tim Cook just pissed off the wrong man!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkDz4wMI9J8

 

[Mapmonkey]

Yeah I could go on and on submitting error reports OR Apple could spend a bit of cash and buy some decent base datasets in the first place. Reading the copyright list on the maps app is like looking at a rag tag collection of low level datasets. OSM, Tiger, Flickr for god* sake.



(*Substitute your deity of choice)

 

[tatonka]

Just yesterday I reported the fact that the Lincoln, Nebraska airport actually, um, existed.

This could take awhile.

Seriously, though, I think this map thing will be like how "Flash on the iPhone" went. Annoying the 1st year, better the 2nd, and by the 3rd year only nerds will still be complaining about it while everyone else is just fine.

I agree .. maps will get better and soon enough the difference will hopefully be minimal .. I just don't agree with Apples policy of showing the POS down my throat.
One can either not update (with an older phone and the willingness to forgo quit a few other changes too) or suffer with Apple through the birthing pains .. a softlaunch would have been a way better idea .. how about a web solution at first. I am sure there would have been enough iOS enthusiasts out there who would have happily help at least fixing the worst glitches before forcing it on everybody ..

.. nevermind .. I am ranting again .. I'll have a cup of coffee and still wait for my i5 to be delievered .. argh.

T.

 

[doelcm82]

Reporting problems here in the UK would be a full time job, my local road is misspelled, hospital is missing, cathedral doesn't exist either and my Neighbouhrs house is apparently 5 miles away. How can that be SO wrong. Apple Maps is useless for me here locally so I wished there'd be an easy way to revert.

Don't make it your full-time job. I assume you already have one of those. Report a few problems that are important to you. Or do nothing, if it's not important to you. Other people with iPhones or iPads will also be reporting problems and they may report some of the ones that are less important to you.

Eventually, the gaps are filled in, and the only thing missing may be that the chip shop on the corner has shut down. If you want to report it at that time, then do.

 

[Macist]

While watching a boring movie last night I started reporting problems. I'd say without exaggeration that 80%+ of POI pins were wrong - some about 50 yards out, some 200 yards out and many, many long-closed (like 5 years+) businesses. So I reported about 15 things before getting completely bored.

But I see no way to highlight POIs that should be there. I live in an area rich in restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes. Around 1 in 10 is actually on the Map. Some POI are just crap too - clearly just the registered address of some obscure business that happens to be based at a domestic property.

This is a complete joke. Apple management must now be in a state of complete disarray if they think they can release junk like this.

I'm wondering if the hired Google Engineers could create scripts that merely translate Google Maps POIs and put them on Apple Maps. This would count as mere 'facts' so there would be no copyright implications. That still doesn't solve the laughable 90s-style search tech in Apple Maps. Replacing the entire Google backend with... wait for it... Yelp... it's a horror show... the whole thing...

 

[wingsabre]

It does work. Just because it doesn't work to your expectations, doesn't mean "it doesn't work". I've used it and it works fine for me. Yes Google Maps is better, but that's obvious. Will it be missed? No. Because I'm sure Apple will fix whatever problems come along. Claiming it as "false advertising" just means you have too much time on your hands to worry about such trivial matters.

To answer the original question, which I'm sure has already been answered, there is an option in the app to report a problem.

It doesn't work compared to the baseline. That's what we measure it to, the baseline. Apple set a standard, and they're expected to follow that standard with the next reiteration of the technology. They set the expectations, and they failed by execution. Will it be fixed? yes, it eventually will, but realize that Google took 7 years to bring the technology where it is now. Instead of being arrogant, Apple should have shown some hubris and just license the map from Google for the sake of the consumer. Apple does have a responsibility to share holders, but it doesn't mean they should sacrifice the consumer.

Furthermore, there's an option to report a problem, but it can't undo the problem that was done to begin with. This is 2012, not 1990 when GPS first came out and everything was withing a range of 100 yards, and not 2005 when Google first came out with their maps. If a product is not ready by today's standards, then don't release it. Sure it works, if you compare it to 2005, but I'm not the type of guy to settle for something mediocre just because Apple makes it and tells you it's good.

Apple should just renew the license with Google, and work on an Apple Maps app for iOS7 or iOS8. This is not 1997, Apple is not going bankrupt. They are the most profitable company on the Earth right now. They could have and should have worked on a long term plan instead of a hastily rushed process to cobble together a maps application.

This whole problem could have been avoided if they were less arrogant about their abilities, and a little more hubris. So what if information was leaked that they were, or are working on a maps application for the future. We knew the iPhone 5 would have a bigger screen for over 2 years.

 

[ggt]

This is really interesting, I just tried Nokia and Bing and they are just as bad as Apple Maps in my area. In fact Bing has my town (Driffield, East Yorkshire, UK) mixed up with a village in Gloucestershire. I'm not excusing Apple for this situation they have got themselves into, but you get a better perspective of how hard it is to match Google when the other two map giants (who have been going much longer than Apple Maps) haven't yet.

You can always fire up Safari and go to http://maps.google.com and add it to your home page... Works nicely.

So does http://m.maps.nokia.com (which is actually the web interface to NavTeq which Nokia owns).

Or you can use http://maps.bing.com .

There are also a hundred other apps you can download. Like Waze. Or you can buy an app like Navagon.

Man if only we had an alternative to Apple maps...

Or you can help make Apple maps better by reporting problems which help them get to the point Google is today, the same way Google got there...

 

[wingsabre]

If you don't want to help Apple help people find your business, then don't do it. There's no one forcing you to put that little bit of advertising on Apple's Maps. No one at all.

Your competitor down the road is going to do it, and the potential customers will go to her instead. Apple should charge you for the listing.

All the businesses out there will probably fix it. They have to, it's like the yellow pages on mobile phone. They're not going to ignore 30% of smart phone users. What won't get fixed however are public institutions that are mislabeled. They don't really have an incentive to update their locations. What will also get missed on the maps will be grandma, or distant relatives. The holiday seasons coming up, and if this problem doesn't get fixed so, there will be lots of loss individuals.

 

[iSamurai]

You paid $800 for maps? You should have asked Apple for an iPhone without maps, it would have been free

haha, I didn't ask apple to ditch google maps either.

 

[matrix07]

and for the same reasons...

Not for the same reason.

 

[MH01]

There's a solution to the problem and people still cry. The internet is full of good people.

Hate to bust your bubble, but that is not a SOLUTION, its called an army of beta testers.

There are also BAD people out there on the internet, who may very well send in bad data.

The reality is, its going to be a long slow process for this map data to mature globally!

 

[mofish]

This should never have been forced upon everyone. It's shockingly bad.

 

[bergmef]

It doesn't work compared to the baseline. That's what we measure it to, the baseline. Apple set a standard, and they're expected to follow that standard with the next reiteration of the technology. They set the expectations, and they failed by execution. Will it be fixed? yes, it eventually will, but realize that Google took 7 years to bring the technology where it is now. Instead of being arrogant, Apple should have shown some hubris and just license the map from Google for the sake of the consumer. Apple does have a responsibility to share holders, but it doesn't mean they should sacrifice the consumer.

Furthermore, there's an option to report a problem, but it can't undo the problem that was done to begin with. This is 2012, not 1990 when GPS first came out and everything was withing a range of 100 yards, and not 2005 when Google first came out with their maps. If a product is not ready by today's standards, then don't release it. Sure it works, if you compare it to 2005, but I'm not the type of guy to settle for something mediocre just because Apple makes it and tells you it's good.

Apple should just renew the license with Google, and work on an Apple Maps app for iOS7 or iOS8. This is not 1997, Apple is not going bankrupt. They are the most profitable company on the Earth right now. They could have and should have worked on a long term plan instead of a hastily rushed process to cobble together a maps application.

This whole problem could have been avoided if they were less arrogant about their abilities, and a little more hubris. So what if information was leaked that they were, or are working on a maps application for the future. We knew the iPhone 5 would have a bigger screen for over 2 years.

If the stories are correct, Google would not do 'turn by turn' on the iphone and Apple wanted them to. Something about licensing the api's. In my book, Apple had no choice but to do their own map app. Plus mapping/search is the next big area that companies will be going after. It really is a huge dataset. What will be interesting is when google does submit a mapping app, will they violate or rewrite the license and have turn by turn or just leave that out.

I wonder if anyone is on Google's message boards yelling at them for not having an app ready since they knew Apple was doing their own?