Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iOS 18: Using the New 'Search Here' Feature in Apple Maps

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,482
37,742


In iOS 18, Apple Maps has gained a new "Search here" button that makes it much easier to find what you're looking for in areas that aren't your current location or when you're exploring any new place on the map.

apple-maps-search-here-ios-18-2.jpg

In earlier versions of iOS, if you search nearby for, say, gas stations or restaurants in Apple Maps, and then drag the map to another location with your finger, it will usually (but not always) auto-populate the new area with search results for the same request.

That behavior hasn't changed in iOS 18, but what you now get in addition is a "Search here" button that gives you more manual fine-grained control of the area in which to search. This is especially useful if you adjust the zoom level of the map, or scroll away only slightly from the original search – two instances where auto-populating results can be spotty or sometimes not appear at all.

Google Maps has had this feature for years, so it's good to see that Apple Maps has finally adopted it. iOS 18 also adds other improvements to Apple Maps, including topographic maps complete with trail networks and hikes (a feature that Apple first brought to the Apple Watch last year), as well as options to save favorite trails, download them for offline use, add notes, and get information like elevation and length.

ios-18-apple-maps-search-here.jpg

iOS 18 is currently in public beta and will be officially released in the fall, around mid-September, when the iPhone 16 series is launched.

Article Link: iOS 18: Using the New 'Search Here' Feature in Apple Maps
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/use-search-here-feature-apple-maps-ios/
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: mrmax86
since they now have topographic maps for hiking and running etc, can I import/exports routes using gpx files? Since its apple we're talking about I think I can probably guess the answer, but one can hope... 🤞😅

Would be great if the share-sheet in the files-app would show Apple Maps for gpx files.
 
It would be nice if “add stop” would search along the route you’re already driving. Trying to find gas stations or rest stops does not work. At least not in Europe. Maps always searches far away from the highways, easily adding 15 to 25 min to the route. No idea why it’s this stupid.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jay Tee, EedyBeedyBeeps, infinitejest and 9 others
That’s great. One feature that maybe is already there but I can’t find it if it is, is the ability to save routes or ‘go back the way I came.’ For example I took a day business trip last month and wanted to return on the same route, but that wasn’t one of the options. I realize it was probably due to traffic, but the trip was long enough that the ‘current’ traffic wouldn’t have been a factor by the time I got there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RealE and 211
I tried forever to find this on Google Maps on iOS, and unless I'm missing it (probably am), you can only do this in a browser on a desktop.

I try to find hotels near an arena or something in an unfamiliar area, and its just not possible without losing your hotel or whatever is your "anchor" point.

So this will be a nice feature to have in Apple Maps. I use Apple Maps to save data and such and for familiar trips where I kind of know mostly where I'm going, but I use Google for true navigation, almost exclusively because of street view.
 
GermanSuplex said:
I tried forever to find this on Google Maps on iOS, and unless I'm missing it (probably am), you can only do this in a browser on a desktop.

I try to find hotels near an arena or something in an unfamiliar area, and its just not possible without losing your hotel or whatever is your "anchor" point.

So this will be a nice feature to have in Apple Maps. I use Apple Maps to save data and such and for familiar trips where I kind of know mostly where I'm going, but I use Google for true navigation, almost exclusively because of street view.
Click to expand...
Once you scroll the area in Google Maps on iOS, the Search this area button will appear towards the top of the map.
 
netnothing said:
Once you scroll the area in Google Maps on iOS, the Search this area button will appear towards the top of the map.
Click to expand...

I see a “search here” box, but then I lose track of the precise location I’m trying to search around.

If I search for something, such as “Wrigley Field”, and I want to find hotels around it, I probably have to drop a pin or something. I want to be able to still keep track of where the field is on the map while also seeing hotels or restaurants or whatever I’m searching for nearby. Doing such a search causes me to lose track of Wrigley Field.

Then again, my age may be starting to eclipse my tech capabilities and I’m totally misunderstanding things.
 
Great! This made sense to add about 10 years ago. Certainly 5 years ago. Now, if Apple could start labeling all businesses when searching on a map. And start tagging exit numbers on highways. Nothing major…
 
  • Like
Reactions: RealE and hagar
Apple Maps almost never auto-populates the new map area for me. I don’t know why. I often had to switch to Google Maps because of this. So I’m very glad for this feature.

And this is more of a Siri thing, but I also really wish I could ask Siri to navigate me to a specific place in a specific city—eg. “Siri, navigate to Home Depot in West Hills”. But she never understands this, so I always have to look at a list of results on the CarPlay screen, and I don’t know if it’s just me but these are almost not useful at all. It gives me results of all locations in like a 100 mile radius, and only shows the first part of the addresses—number and street and NOT the city—and who memorizes the street number of businesses? And the location markers on the map are not tap-able and don’t seem to visually correspond to locations on the list, so I’m not actually sure what the purpose of the markers are. Nor can I zoom in on the map. So it’s often near impossible to identify which location is the one I want. So that’s the other thing—in Maps, show the more relevant information in list results, like the city location instead of reviews, and have the map location markers be tap-able or at least correspond to list results and be zoomable.
Maybe it’s just me using it wrong, but I really wonder if the engineers are actually using their product in depth.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: JustARumor, al256, hagar and 1 other person
hagar said:
It would be nice if “add stop” would search along the route you’re already driving. Trying to find gas stations or rest stops does not work. At least not in Europe. Maps always searches far away from the highways, easily adding 15 to 25 min to the route. No idea why it’s this stupid.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I thought it does look around the current route. It provides me with multiple options that are "along the route" first but also provides some that are maybe a little off the route. Maybe it is just a US thing.
 
hagar said:
It would be nice if “add stop” would search along the route you’re already driving. Trying to find gas stations or rest stops does not work. At least not in Europe. Maps always searches far away from the highways, easily adding 15 to 25 min to the route. No idea why it’s this stupid.
Click to expand...
It’s also super annoying that you can only add stops for driving but not walking.
 
It should just do it automatically. It’s one of the most annoying things about maps. Like when I was planning a vacation a couple months ago, I was looking in the city, try to search, and then it jumps me all the way back home. Beyond frustrating.
 
“Google Maps has had this feature for years, so it's good to see that Apple Maps has finally adopted it.”

Sad.
 
jmarsh5 said:
Hmm, I thought it does look around the current route. It provides me with multiple options that are "along the route" first but also provides some that are maybe a little off the route. Maybe it is just a US thing.
Click to expand...
Yeah. It definitely gives options “along the route” in the broad sense of the word. But why would it list a gas station 20 min away off the highway but omit the ones that are on the highway? It should at least include the latter.

And it definitely doesn’t work for rest stops along a highway. If you look for Parking it just gives options for actual parkings away from the highway, not highway rest stops.

It all seems like issues with categories and labels. Mixed with a poor search engine and algorithm.
 
Probably the most requested feature in Maps since Maps was Maps.

Good job Apple finally paying attention to user requests.
 
Would be nice if maps didn’t ALWAYS default to “Home” every time I open the damn app. I’m 17 states away. Certainly not looking for a coffee shop down my street or driving directions back tonight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back