Understanding Apple Watch and Mapping

Discussion in 'Apple Watch' started by convergent, Dec 17, 2015.

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  1. convergent, Dec 17, 2015

    convergent macrumors 68000

    convergent

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    #1
    I have enjoyed my Apple Watch and use it for many things, but mapping hasn't been one that I've mastered yet. Part of the reason is that I use Google Maps primarily on my iPhone. I've heard a lot of encouraging things about Apple Maps being better, so thought I'd give it a try again and wanted to use it with my watch.

    Yesterday I needed to head out on an errand and decided to try it. I started with the phone, brought up Apple Maps, and then typed in my location... a FedEx manned drop-off point I'd not been to before. Once I hit start, my Watch immediately had the turn by turn prompts going and worked great.

    When I was ready to return, I started by using Siri on the watch saying, "hey siri, give me directions to home.". It for some reason grabbed an old address for home, so i restated "he siri, give me directions to blah, blah, blah address". That was fine, and it brought up a map on my watch. I then hit start on the watch and it showed me a long list of instructions. Nothing I hit or did would get it into the navigation mode with turn by turn prompts. I eventually gave up and just drove home.

    Has anyone used this much, and can help me with how I should have done it to get it working starting from the watch.

    The only other time I really tried to use it was when using CityMapper. When I hit a walking segment, it shot me to Apple Maps and would not give me an option to get walking directions, only driving. So I'm 0 for 2 so far and assume its my lack of understanding how to get it to behave.
     
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  2. Julien, Dec 17, 2015

    Julien macrumors G3

    Julien

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    #2
    You have the Map and Start button on your :apple:Watch screen for about 5 to 10 seconds. If you don't hit Start it will still start navigation. The list you are seeing is a synopses of your route. Just start driving and it will change to what is coming up next. You can also see this on your iPhone.
     
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  3. BarracksSi, Dec 17, 2015

    BarracksSi macrumors 68040

    BarracksSi

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    #3
    Adding on to what Julien posted --

    It's much more automated than you'd expect. Like when I use Siri on the watch to text my wife, I raise my wrist, say, "Hey Siri, tell my wife that I'm on my way home," and put my wrist down. The watch assumes that I wanted to send the text, so it sends it without requiring me to press "Are you sure?" or "Send now?" buttons.

    It does more with less direct input. It's strange at first, but it makes sense, because they want it to be a wristwatch with benefits, not an undersized smartphone you'd need to keep holding to your face.
     
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  4. tgara, Dec 17, 2015

    tgara macrumors 6502a

    tgara

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    #4
    I think you were doing it right. The downfall is with the Maps implementation on the watch, IMHO. Despite the improvements in the recent watch OS 2.1, there is still a noticeable lag in getting GPS and other location information from the phone to the watch, which I think is a Bluetooth issue. I have similar problems with the Maps app on the watch. They are especially acute in an area with tall buildings that impede fast acquisition of GPS signals. The slow GPS and slow Bluetooth on the watch makes the Maps app nearly unusable for me.
     
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  5. Newtons Apple, Dec 17, 2015

    Newtons Apple macrumors G5

    Newtons Apple

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    #5
    Very nice avatar indeed!
     
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  6. convergent, Dec 17, 2015

    convergent thread starter macrumors 68000

    convergent

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    #6
    Cat fight! :eek::eek::eek:
     
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  7. maxsix, Dec 17, 2015

    maxsix Suspended

    maxsix

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    #7
    Mapping on AW would be a little more effective if the screen weren't so massive :eek:
     
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  8. convergent, Dec 17, 2015

    convergent thread starter macrumors 68000

    convergent

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    #8
    Well mapping is probably the wrong word... navigation is better. I am no looking to see the map on the watch, I'm looking for it to give me the cues when to turn. It seems like I was doing it right, but just didn't wait long enough. I agree its kind of unrealistic to expect the map type navigation to exist on a tiny watch screen. Maybe the next version will be able to generate a hologram heads up display from the watch!
     
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  9. ProwlingTiger, Dec 22, 2015

    ProwlingTiger macrumors 65816

    ProwlingTiger

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    #9
    The one exception I've found to this is when I tell Siri to send a text to my wife, for example. If I phrase it like that, I'm required to tap the screen to input what I'd like to say, whereas on the iPhone, Siri immediately asks me (audibly) what I would like to say to my wife and she begins listening. And if I dare rotate my wrist enough, I'll screw it all up as I'm preparing the message. I've learned just to not dictate messages with Siri on the watch. Predetermined replies yes, dictated messages, no.
     
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