How is the traffic data gathered in Apple Maps?

[masseur]

As far as I know Google gathers information about traffic in their maps from Android users who have cellular ON. (I'm not sure if the data is gathered also when the maps are not being used, in the background).

Does it work the same way in Apple Maps? Is the data about traffic gathered from all iPhones that have cellular ON, even when Apple Maps are working only in the background?

 

[iStorm]

Pretty much the same way as Google. If you have location services enabled for Routining & Traffic, you’re sharing your location with Apple to use for crowd-sourced data. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using Maps or not. It’s explained in their Location Services & Privacy legal document.

Routing and Traffic: While you are in transit (for example, walking or driving), your iPhone will periodically send GPS data, travel speed and direction, and barometric pressure information in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple, to be used for augmenting crowd-sourced road traffic, roadway, pedestrian walkway, and atmospheric correction databases. Additionally, when you open an app near a point of interest (for example, a business or park) your iPhone will send location data in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple which Apple may aggregate and use to let users know if that point of interest is open and how busy it is.

 

[masseur]

I have enabled the Routing and Traffic option then to contribute to the improvement of Apple Maps. However, I have two concerns regarding this matter: security and battery consumption.

1. Security: According to what I read on the Apple website, when this option is enabled, the iPhone regularly sends anonymized and encrypted coordinates data to Apple. I am not sure about the specifics of this anonymization and encryption. Does Apple or anyone else know that I, John Smith, owner of the iPhone with IMEI number 123456789, was at coordinates x, y at 9:32 AM?
2. Battery: Since such data is sent to Apple regularly, it certainly affects the battery. Do you think it has a significant impact?

I also have the features Location Services -> System Services -> Improve Maps and Location Services -> System Services -> Significant Locations enabled. However, I am not entirely sure what these options are for.

Regarding Significant Locations, Apple states:

Your iPhone and iCloud-connected devices will keep track of places you have recently been, as well as how often and when you visited them, in order to learn places that are significant to you. This data is end-to-end encrypted and cannot be read by Apple. It is used to provide you with personalized services, such as predictive traffic routing, and to build better Memories in Photos.

How does this practically benefit me? What are these personalized services? And how does it relate to security and battery usage?

Another feature is Improve Maps. From what I see, it collaborates with Significant Locations:

If you choose to enable Improve Maps, Apple will collect the GPS coordinates obtained through the Significant Locations feature on your device and correlate them with the street address associated with your Apple ID. This will enable Apple to better approximate the geographic location of that and other addresses. Apple will retain the resulting coordinates only in an anonymous form to improve Maps and other Apple location-based products and services. Your iOS or iPadOS device will also periodically send locations of where and when you launched apps, including the name of the apps, in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple in order to improve Maps and other Apple location-based products and services.

What does this feature actually do? How does it truly enhance Apple Maps? And again, is it safe, and how much can it impact the battery?

 

[Iwavvns]

I have enabled the Routing and Traffic option then to contribute to the improvement of Apple Maps. However, I have two concerns regarding this matter: security and battery consumption.

1. Security: According to what I read on the Apple website, when this option is enabled, the iPhone regularly sends anonymized and encrypted coordinates data to Apple. I am not sure about the specifics of this anonymization and encryption. Does Apple or anyone else know that I, John Smith, owner of the iPhone with IMEI number 123456789, was at coordinates x, y at 9:32 AM?

I study cryptography and if the data is encrypted on device and sent to Apple in order to improve Apple Maps then Apple must have the ability to decrypt the data in order to be able to use it. I’m assuming that personally identifiable information is not included, Apple simply wants to know which streets intersect other streets, etc.

Disclaimer: the above are simply my assumptions, feel free to correct me.

 

[splifingate]

Does Apple or anyone else know that I, John Smith, owner of the iPhone with IMEI number 123456789, was at coordinates x, y at 9:32 AM?

Yes. They just don't know what you did, there.

The question in my mind is "Does the [aforementioned personally-identifiable location data (PILD)] used in conjunction with the same PILD at a prolonged visit to 'Bob's Gun Warehouse' become an actionable ping if [insert cellular provider here were somehow coerced into providing such details?" AAPL is mostly entirely out of the equation . . . if not but for the fact that they established encrypted protocols from the incept . . . possibly in-part to release them from such responsibility to-whit.

I dinna rea fash meself with such things on the regular, but "Where were you @9:32am, on such-and-such, @Bob's" does play a large role in potential litigation

I also allow Location Tracking in GoogMaps, and the benefits far outweigh the rewards.

YMMV, of course

 

[Helmsley]

Apple Maps' traffic information is way less reliable than Google Maps, in my experience.

 

[one more]

This is what ChatGPT has to say on the matter:



And this is what Apple say:

Legal - Apple Maps & Privacy- Apple

Data & Privacy

www.apple.com

 

[one more]

Apple Maps' traffic information is way less reliable than Google Maps, in my experience.

This tends to vary by the country and your specific location. However, since iOS has only about 30% of the mobile OS market share and because many iPhone users actively prefer using Waze or Google Maps instead, Apple Maps can indeed be sampling less real-time traffic data.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Apple also uses TomTom traffic data, which they aggregate from a few sources.

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