How To Report a Problem With iOS 6 Maps Data

[RoboCop001]

I had to report the removal of a gas station (which happened years ago) - which data provider still had that gas station on record?? It hasn't been there for so long.

 

[Lark.Landon]

Oh, I'm doing Apple's work for them because they bought trash data, am I?

Well, that's pretty cool - I guess Apple Maps is now open source and the whole world will benefit from my voluntary work?

And when they'd fixed the data how are they going to make the search function work better? It's near impossible to find stuff you KNOW is on their dreadful maps using their search.

Wahhhhhhhh. Wahhhhhh. *** You don't have to click that "Report a problem" button. ***

 

[Flux.Capacitor]

What could really make a difference is if Apple had a web based map version, just like Google.

A few years ago I remember correcting various nearby address locations on Google Maps online, because it was so easy to do on a laptop.

I though the same thing. I wonder if they have any intentions of offering a "maps.apple.com" site for the desktop users. I'd definitely use it.

 

[NOV]

Real turn-by-turn

Maybe it's because Tomtom is a Dutch company and I'm in living in the Netherlands, yet so far no complaints about the maps. What I do not understand is why they say this is a turn by turn navigation app, while I manually have to swipe to the next point when passing the previous one.

Android users assure me that Google Maps on their phones does really do automatic turn-by-turn. Am I overseeing something or is Apple Maps lagging in this respect?

 

[TEG]

The problem with that (and why others like Google use crowd-sourced information) is the world's landscape - POIs and literal landscape - are changing all the time. And it obviously takes mapping companies a LONG time to map the entire planet.

So instead they let their hundreds of millions of users actively and passively submit data to keep the maps as up to date as possible. This is why Google is so much better than GPS companies like TomTom, Garmin and others. You'd get map updates every year or so with them. With Google (and now Apple) the maps are constantly being updated by their users.

It'll take time, but the only way for it to REALLY grow and mature is to have it out "in the wild."

All you need to do is spend some time on http://openstreetmaps.org and fix your community. The maps will then be shared with Apple, Garmin, TomTom, Nokia, Bing, and Mapquest. Apple IS NOT using a proprietary system, they are using an open, wiki-style, map system that anyone can edit in order to improve the quality.

TEG

 

[dashiel]

That's great, but the simple fact is they released a product that wasn't ready. Whether it's had enough development or user feedback isn't an acceptable excuse.

It was never going to be ready without releasing it. Data sets that are so dependent on crowd sourcing require a crowd. Apple could have waited another year and fixed a whole host of problems, but Google’s Maps would have improved at a faster rate; the gulf between Google Maps 2013 and Apple Maps would have been larger than it was this year. Outside of buying Yahoo, Google, Nokia or Microsoft Apple’s Maps were always going to be pretty poor on launch.

 

[jrswizzle]

Maybe it's because Tomtom is a Dutch company and I'm in living in the Netherlands, yet so far no complaints about the maps. What I do not understand is why they say this is a turn by turn navigation app, while I manually have to swipe to the next point when passing the previous one.

Android users assure me that Google Maps on their phones does really do automatic turn-by-turn. Am I overseeing something or is Apple Maps lagging in this respect?

Depends on the iPhone you have. I believe only the iP4S and iP5 have spoken turn-by-turn. the iP4 has navigation but because it doesn't have Siri, there are no spoken directions.

 

[fig]

It is if you don't know the reasons for the Apple/Google split.

If Apple needed/wanted to build their own mapping system (regardless of the reasons for doing so) it would never be as polished and "ready" as Google Maps UNTIL it had spent time in the hands of hundreds of millions of iOS users.

Now whether or not you think Apple should have ditched Google is another question. Since no one knows (except Google and Apple) the nature of their contract and why Apple decided to go its own way, I don't think its fair to bash Apple over taking control of one of the more important aspects of its OS.

From what I've read (and it seems entirely plausible), Google wouldn't allow Apple to use the data for certain things - though Apple built the app itself - such as turn-by-turn as to give the Android offering a competitive advantage. If that is the case (which I wouldn't fault Google for at all given their goal is to push Android and NOT iOS) then why would Apple continue to pay Google for data for a half-baked app that didn't have the functionality they wanted it to have?

It is if they've tried something and can't pull it off. The fact that Google appears to have an iOS map app with turn by turn seems to indicate there were other possible solutions.

Were something like this executed well I would have no issue with them doing it. But when there are major issues with the app, as there are in this case, it either required more development or another approach.

Sometimes you aren't meant to do everything and there's nothing wrong with that. BMW makes great cars but they buy the tires from someone else because Michelin and Bridgestone do a better job at tires than they would.

To paraphrase Ian Malcom said in Jurassic Park, Apple was so preoccupied with whether or not they could do maps that they didn't stop to think if they should.

 

[lilo777]

Server fail because of number of submissions in 3.... 2.... 1....

All submissions coming from [pre] teenagers trying to pool some sort of a prank (like moving a store to the neighboring state).

 

[numlock]

what a brilliant idea. get people to work for free so that a basic feature supplied by apple works in a device sold by apple.

im not sure if i find that more or less offensive than the idea to release this crap

 

[RTWG]

Maybe it's because Tomtom is a Dutch company and I'm in living in the Netherlands, yet so far no complaints about the maps. What I do not understand is why they say this is a turn by turn navigation app, while I manually have to swipe to the next point when passing the previous one.

Android users assure me that Google Maps on their phones does really do automatic turn-by-turn. Am I overseeing something or is Apple Maps lagging in this respect?

Turn-by-turn is available in automatic, 3D mode when using the iPhone 4S or the iPhone 5.

 

[jrswizzle]

It is if they've tried something and can't pull it off. The fact that Google appears to have an iOS map app with turn by turn seems to indicate there were other possible solutions.

Were something like this executed well I would have no issue with them doing it. But when there are major issues with the app, as there are in this case, it either required more development or another approach.

Sometimes you aren't meant to do everything and there's nothing wrong with that. BMW makes great cars but they buy the tires from someone else because Michelin and Bridgestone do a better job at tires than they would.

To paraphrase Ian Malcom said in Jurassic Park, Apple was so preoccupied with whether or not they could do maps that they didn't stop to think if they should.

Who said Google has an iOS app with turn-by-turn?

 

[lilo777]

Maybe it's because Tomtom is a Dutch company and I'm in living in the Netherlands, yet so far no complaints about the maps. What I do not understand is why they say this is a turn by turn navigation app, while I manually have to swipe to the next point when passing the previous one.

Android users assure me that Google Maps on their phones does really do automatic turn-by-turn. Am I overseeing something or is Apple Maps lagging in this respect?

Also, when was the last time they build something new in Netherlands? I thought country was fully built up a century ago or so

 

[you people smh]

Yes Apple has a long ways to go before Apple Maps is competitive, but they need users to give feedback. That's they only way they can get better.

EXACTLY!

i mean, how are they supposed to know that warped 3d, incorrect pictures, incorrect locations and incorrect addresses on a map are not ok if a user doesn't tell them...

 

[jgbr]

People shouldn't have to do apples work for them.

Roll on the return of google maps app

 

[valkraider]

Has anyone figured out how to submit information about a business that's not already listed for inclusion in Apple's database?

When just in the regular map view, tap the page curl on the bottom right.

Just above the "Print" button there is a very faint and small "report a problem" link. Tap that and you get some choices of what you want to report, then you can fill out the form and send it in.

Apple should make this functionality more prominent...

 

[jrswizzle]

EXACTLY!

i mean, how are they supposed to know that warped 3d, incorrect pictures, incorrect locations and incorrect addresses on a map are not ok if a user doesn't tell them...

Because its much easier for hundreds of millions of people across the world to view and critique hundreds of millions of sq ft. of data than the hundred people at Apple working to keep the servers running while everyone is updating their device and submitting corrections....

 

[chado53]

Exactly the perspective the public should have. If it's done the Apple way, it WILL be brilliant. If Steve were around, it would be done quicker!

If steve were around, that application wouldn't be on your phone until it is pretty much fully functional. This is apple's fault for not starting on this years back when they knew google would be a threat. Had they done that, they could've released it now instead of scrambling to fix ****.

 

[valkraider]

what a brilliant idea. get people to work for free so that a basic feature supplied by apple works in a device sold by apple.

im not sure if i find that more or less offensive than the idea to release this crap

And how much does Google pay for the same service?

 

[jrswizzle]

People shouldn't have to do apples work for them.

Roll on the return of google maps app

Ya then we can continue doing Google's work for them.

You people realize that actively or not everyone using Google Maps is feeding Google information they use to continually update the maps??

So now Apple asks us to do the same thing and its suddenly offensive?

 

[Diode]

Trying to send a correction and I can't drag the pin to the correct location (can't drag the pin at all).

Anyone else having this problem?

 

[valkraider]

So basically we are forced to be beta testers

Nope.

There is absolutely nothing forcing you to use Apple's maps app.

 

[gnasher729]

Not saying it's perfect, but I've yet to personally find any bugs using iOS 6 maps. On the flip side, I have noticed many problems and inaccuracies with Google maps and nav. Of course, I've had much more time to notice errors with Google than Apple, but I also feel like a lot of this is coming from the popular tendency "oh I've never used an Apple product before but I'm going to make fun of them because everyone else does"

Let me just say that in my village the local pub is according to Google maps right in the middle of the village green. When the guys play cricket on the weekend, that pub would be badly in their way.

On Apple's maps, as soon as my changes are in, the pub, the cricket club, and the village green will all be in the right location.

 

[jrswizzle]

If steve were around, that application wouldn't be on your phone until it is pretty much fully functional. This is apple's fault for not starting on this years back when they knew google would be a threat. Had they done that, they could've released it now instead of scrambling to fix ****.

They had what is believed to be a 5-yr contract with Google.

3 years ago they purchased 3 mapping companies - the base of this new app.

Google has been working on their maps for 10+ years.

These things take time.

 

[fig]

It was never going to be ready without releasing it. Data sets that are so dependent on crowd sourcing require a crowd. Apple could have waited another year and fixed a whole host of problems, but Google’s Maps would have improved at a faster rate; the gulf between Google Maps 2013 and Apple Maps would have been larger than it was this year. Outside of buying Yahoo, Google, Nokia or Microsoft Apple’s Maps were always going to be pretty poor on launch.

So that's a good justification for them to release a product that doesn't work well? Apple has more money than most countries, there's a lot of options outside of developing their own maps.

Who said Google has an iOS app with turn-by-turn?

There's been lots of rumors on various tech sites, I suppose we'll soon see if they're true or not.