Job Listing Suggests Recommendations Are Coming to Apple Maps App

[MacRumors]

Apple recently listed a new Writer/Editor job for the Maps app, which appears to suggest that Apple is planning to build an App Store-like location recommendation feature for Maps.

As noted by The Verge, the job listing, which has since been removed, says that Apple is looking for a person to "help build and grow a brand-new content category for the Apple Maps team," with that person responsible for curating content that helps people explore their communities and find places to visit.

[Apple] is looking for someone to help build exciting and engaging editorial content to help Maps users explore their world. Whether that's locally, or when they're planning an amazing vacation.

Qualifications for the job include an "insatiable curiosity for discovering new places and a passion for telling the world in an engaging manner," "knowledge of food, travel, and shopping trends," and "strong editing skills to help craft engaging digital content."

In the App Store, Apple has a "Today" feature that highlights curated app-related content, and it's possible that in the future, Maps could offer something similar.

Such a role could also focus on making the Apple Maps app more independent of third-party services like Yelp and Wikipedia, which Apple uses to provide reviews and information about points of interest.

Google Maps, one of Apple's main competitors in the mapping space, has a Local Guides service in select cities that's designed to help people find places to visit in new locations, plus there are recommendations provided through a For You tab and a built-in option for polling friends for suggestions on places to go.

Article Link: Job Listing Suggests Recommendations Are Coming to Apple Maps App

 

[MozMan68]

This seems like such a good (and easy) thing to do.

Use my Apple i.d. to verify me and let me become a "verified" content creator like Google does. Let these same people provide Maps updates (road closures, POI changes, etc.) with faster speed as they are verified "super users."

People LOVE Apple and want to help...take advantage of that!!

 

[Doctor Q]

Recommendations that are tailored to your personal interests would be most helpful, but of course that would require collecting personal information about your likes and dislikes. It's yet another area where privacy fights convenience.

Apple can certainly beef up Maps with general recommendations for everyone, but perhaps they can find a way to use local information on your phone to tweak recommendations to suit each of us.

 

[calzon65]

Before Apple starts to sell us more stuff with their maps, they ought make them more accurate.

 

[HiVolt]

I still don't understand why the updated Maps aren't available on a Mac running Catalina.

 

[entropys]

The successful applicant, like all Apple Maps employees, will be entitled to several naps each day, have access to multiple months’ leave, and only need to work on actually updating maps in the months immediately preceding and post WWDC. Affirmative action candidates are preferred, particularly those with vision impairment, agoraphobia or without a car licence. On the job delivery not a criterion.

 

[DoctorTech]

Recommendations that are tailored to your personal interests would be most helpful, but of course that would require collecting personal information about your likes and dislikes. It's yet another area where privacy fights convenience.

Apple can certainly beef up Maps with general recommendations for everyone, but perhaps they can find a way to use local information on your phone to tweak recommendations to suit each of us.

I am guessing that is exactly what Apple will do - tailor recommendations based upon personal information that stays on our devices. I am very privacy conscious and I like that approach as it is a great balance of both privacy and convenience.

 

[victorm1]

The real question is whether anyone actually uses Apple Maps. I try my best to avoid using any Google products but the reliability of Apple’s offering still prevents me from using it. Maybe work on getting feature parity first?

 

[ignatius345]

Before Apple starts to sell us more stuff with their maps, they ought make them more accurate.

Particularly with regard to businesses. I find Maps excellent for routing and transit, but have had mixed results when searching for businesses. One day about a year ago I tried finding a sushi restaurant in the part of Manhattan I was in and got FOUR places that either didn't exist, were inaccurately categoriezed (one was a deli) or had closed down. Pretty weak stuff!
[automerge]1583359680[/automerge]

The real question is whether anyone actually uses Apple Maps. I try my best to avoid using any Google products but the reliability of Apple’s offering still prevents me from using it. Maybe work on getting feature parity first?

If you're not using it, how do you know how reliable it is or isn't? For driving and transit directions, it's excellent. Used it exclusively for a long road trip a couple years ago and it worked perfectly, routed us around traffic consistently, and got us to our waypoints very close to the time estimate it had originally given. Also used it more recently to drive around southern Europe. Again, no complaints whatsoever about wayfinding, even in some very tiny places in Spain.

 

[stylinexpat]

About time Apple got on board. Little behind google now but Apple should be able to catch up.

 

[MozMan68]

Particularly with regard to businesses. I find Maps excellent for routing and transit, but have had mixed results when searching for businesses. One day about a year ago I tried finding a sushi restaurant in the part of Manhattan I was in and got FOUR places that either didn't exist, were inaccurately categoriezed (one was a deli) or had closed down. Pretty weak stuff!
[automerge]1583359680[/automerge]


If you're not using it, how do you know how reliable it is or isn't? For driving and transit directions, it's excellent. Used it exclusively for a long road trip a couple years ago and it worked perfectly, routed us around traffic consistently, and got us to our waypoints very close to the time estimate it had originally given.

I'm guessing this is the typical user answer from everyone on this thread that complains about Apple Maps not being good for POI searches...

"When I used it a year ago..."

Give me a break.

 

[compwiz1202]

This seems like such a good (and easy) thing to do.

Use my Apple i.d. to verify me and let me become a "verified" content creator like Google does. Let these same people provide Maps updates (road closures, POI changes, etc.) with faster speed as they are verified "super users."

People LOVE Apple and want to help...take advantage of that!!

Would be nice. I submitted an entrance fix 2-3 months and haven't gotten any feedback, and it's still wrong. Did an operating hours one, and that was done within a week.
[automerge]1583362004[/automerge]

Particularly with regard to businesses. I find Maps excellent for routing and transit, but have had mixed results when searching for businesses. One day about a year ago I tried finding a sushi restaurant in the part of Manhattan I was in and got FOUR places that either didn't exist, were inaccurately categoriezed (one was a deli) or had closed down. Pretty weak stuff!
[automerge]1583359680[/automerge]


If you're not using it, how do you know how reliable it is or isn't? For driving and transit directions, it's excellent. Used it exclusively for a long road trip a couple years ago and it worked perfectly, routed us around traffic consistently, and got us to our waypoints very close to the time estimate it had originally given.

Was actually pretty poor for us over the weekend somewhere we weren't familiar with. It kept moving us to another road not on the highway. Never does that crap when I use it just for backup where I know where I am going.

 

[ignatius345]

I'm guessing this is the typical user answer from everyone on this thread that complains about Apple Maps not being good for POI searches...

"When I used it a year ago..."

Give me a break.

I use it regularly, as in every day in my home city and on every trip I take. I open Google Maps only begrudgingly and occasionally. And I'm telling you, Apple Maps POI searches are not always up to snuff.
[automerge]1583379713[/automerge]

Was actually pretty poor for us over the weekend somewhere we weren't familiar with. It kept moving us to another road not on the highway. Never does that crap when I use it just for backup where I know where I am going.

Was it routing you around traffic or just randomly mis-routing you? I've been detoured off highways many times, but it's always been a "there's a faster route available, do you want to take it" kind of thing you could choose to do or not.

 

[cmaier]

Recommendations that are tailored to your personal interests would be most helpful, but of course that would require collecting personal information about your likes and dislikes.

Your device would have to know your interests, but Apple would not have to.

 

[MozMan68]

I use it regularly, as in every day in my home city and on every trip I take. I open Google Maps only begrudgingly and occasionally. And I'm telling you, Apple Maps POI searches are not always up to snuff.
[automerge]1583379713[/automerge]

I think you can see that it is hard to believe it is that bad for you on a daily basis when the first thing you say is how it couldn't find the sushi restaurant you were looking for in NYC...a year ago...before new Maps was even issued. Right? Why not just say what you said in your second post?

I'm not saying POI info is at the level of Google yet, but I'm blown away by what is in there already as it really didn't have much to do with the major part of the updates issued over the past year. There is a separate team most likely focused on POI's and entering and correcting information. The ability to have more updated info from the Look Around data as they have mentioned (POI name confirmation, hours of operation, etc.) may have started, but that tech is so new, I wonder how much of the updated POI info is actually coming from that? And like I've said, Apple has even exceeded Google POI info (in NYC no less) on a few occasions for me.

Like Google, all it will take is for folks to add content/corrections on the app...it literally takes a minute for the basic data and they seem to be updating it REALLY quickly! The hard part is done (in the US). Correcting, adding, deleting, etc. pace should pick up since it is their owned data and they can focus on that aspect now.

 

[ignatius345]

I think you can see that it is hard to believe it is that bad for you on a daily basis when the first thing you say is how it couldn't find the sushi restaurant you were looking for in NYC...a year ago...before new Maps was even issued. Right? Why not just say what you said in your second post?

Right. But my understanding was that the big update of Maps was related more to topography than POIs? In any case, I still, as recently as a few weeks ago, find businesses are missing from the map when you browse through it visually and will only surface if you search for them by name.

Also (and I'm not sure if Google is any better with this) but here in NYC there are still many, many businesses that show up inaccurately placed, recessed very far away from the street -- nearly in the center of a city block sometimes. And while that still gets you close, it can get confusing when you're going door to door looking for a place.

I'm not saying POI info is at the level of Google yet, but I'm blown away by what is in there already as it really didn't have much to do with the major part of the updates issued over the past year. There is a separate team most likely focused on POI's and entering and correcting information. The ability to have more updated info from the Look Around data as they have mentioned (POI name confirmation, hours of operation, etc.) may have started, but that tech is so new, I wonder how much of the updated POI info is actually coming from that? And like I've said, Apple has even exceeded Google POI info (in NYC no less) on a few occasions for me.

Like Google, all it will take is for folks to add content/corrections on the app...it literally takes a minute for the basic data and they seem to be updating it REALLY quickly! The hard part is done (in the US). Correcting, adding, deleting, etc. pace should pick up since it is their owned data and they can focus on that aspect now.

I send in corrections whenever I can, and generally get a response pretty quickly. I think they're good at making corrections, but not all of this can be crowdsourced and I hope they keep improving it.

Like I said, I very rarely use Google Maps if I can avoid it, and Apple Maps' misfires have gotten more and more rare as time goes on.

 

[MozMan68]

Right. But my understanding was that the big update of Maps was related more to topography than POIs? In any case, I still, as recently as a few weeks ago, find businesses are missing from the map when you browse through it visually and will only surface if you search for them by name.

Also (and I'm not sure if Google is any better with this) but here in NYC there are still many, many businesses that show up inaccurately placed, recessed very far away from the street -- nearly in the center of a city block sometimes. And while that still gets you close, it can get confusing when you're going door to door looking for a place.



I send in corrections whenever I can, and generally get a response pretty quickly. I think they're good at making corrections, but not all of this can be crowdsourced and I hope they keep improving it.

Like I said, I very rarely use Google Maps if I can avoid it, and Apple Maps' misfires have gotten more and more rare as time goes on.

The big update was everything...there was definitely a POI update with it, routing, topographical/buildings...all of it.

The POI's in NYC are tough as you mentioned due to address or building designation. This is why the "entrance" correction feature would have been so nice. I was able to play around with it when they briefly had it released during one of the early summer betas. Being able to clearly mark multiple entrances based on car, walking, etc. is so key in large cities.

The other issue with NYC in particular no matter which map program is GPS...it just plain sucks with all the buildings and doesn't locate the user on the map properly much of the time. NYC needs to add beacons to street signs!

Do you remember which sushi restaurant you were looking for last year? Does it give the same errors or has it been fixed?

 

[ipedro]

I’d like nothing more than to never have to use Yelp ever again.

An upcoming Maps update that enables you to leave reviews and read others’ would be fantastic.

Collecting photos taken by iPhones inside businesses and shared in the Maps app could use the gyroscope, compass data and machine learning to build a virtual Look Around inside buildings.

 

[ignatius345]

The big update was everything...there was definitely a POI update with it, routing, topographical/buildings...all of it.

The POI's in NYC are tough as you mentioned due to address or building designation. This is why the "entrance" correction feature would have been so nice. I was able to play around with it when they briefly had it released during one of the early summer betas. Being able to clearly mark multiple entrances based on car, walking, etc. is so key in large cities.

I went somewhere last night where the address was clearly on one specific street but the icon for the location was just smack in the center of the block, which made it visually quite unclear where to enter, until you look at the actual address. There are many, many places like this in the city. I'd argue it's that way more often than not, in fact. Entrance data is irrationally wrong, set far, far back from the sidewalk. I've reported a bunch, but honestly I have better things to do and it's not my job.

Do you remember which sushi restaurant you were looking for last year? Does it give the same errors or has it been fixed?

I wasn't looking for a specific sushi place, I was looking for sushi places in general, and got several that were closed, changed to something else, or just flat-out wrong. I reported them all and got notifications pretty quickly thereafter they'd been fixed.

And as far as this all being supposedly fixed in the "big update" -- I don't think so. I think Apple has slow or bad sources of POI data. Another very current example: one one block near me in Brooklyn, there's a restaurant which has closed and been replaced with another restaurant. Apple Maps shows the old one when you're browsing the map -- but if you search for the new one specifically by name, it magically appears where it wasn't visible before (I see this issue a lot: something exists on the map but only if you know to search for it by name).

And on that same block, several doors down there's a store which has also closed and been replaced with something else. Again, Apple Maps just shows the old one. And in both instances, Google Maps is showing the correct businesses.

So, whatever sources of information Google is using here are working better than Apple's, full stop. I'm not sure why you keep going to bat for them.

I like Apple Maps and use it as my primary map. Like I said in my original post: good for navigation, great for transit, but mixed results for businesses and places of interest.

 

[MozMan68]

I went somewhere last night where the address was clearly on one specific street but the icon for the location was just smack in the center of the block, which made it visually quite unclear where to enter, until you look at the actual address. There are many, many places like this in the city. I'd argue it's that way more often than not, in fact. Entrance data is irrationally wrong, set far, far back from the sidewalk. I've reported a bunch, but honestly I have better things to do and it's not my job.


I wasn't looking for a specific sushi place, I was looking for sushi places in general, and got several that were closed, changed to something else, or just flat-out wrong. I reported them all and got notifications pretty quickly thereafter they'd been fixed.

And as far as this all being supposedly fixed in the "big update" -- I don't think so. I think Apple has slow or bad sources of POI data. Another very current example: one one block near me in Brooklyn, there's a restaurant which has closed and been replaced with another restaurant. Apple Maps shows the old one when you're browsing the map -- but if you search for the new one specifically by name, it magically appears where it wasn't visible before (I see this issue a lot: something exists on the map but only if you know to search for it by name).

And on that same block, several doors down there's a store which has also closed and been replaced with something else. Again, Apple Maps just shows the old one. And in both instances, Google Maps is showing the correct businesses.

So, whatever sources of information Google is using here are working better than Apple's, full stop. I'm not sure why you keep going to bat for them.

I like Apple Maps and use it as my primary map. Like I said in my original post: good for navigation, great for transit, but mixed results for businesses and places of interest.

I think you need to re-read my last post...I definitely wasn’t going to bat for Apple Maps.

I just explained why I think they have the issues they have, particularly with entrances in large cities right now.