All Devices Updated Apple Maps

[dk001]

Been playing with AM on IPP 12.9 G2 iPadOS for a couple of days now, both light and dark mode.

Issues:
Dark mode needs help. Text is dark grey on very dark background. Increasing the brightness helps a bit....
Green traffic flow is no longer shown so you cannot tell if it is green or doesn't have sensors or if the sensors are out.
AQI and temp listed on map is incorrect.

Quick screenshot of light vs. dark with traffic turned on.

AM for directions is only giving one option. Here's your route. No choices. Google gives you a bit more. On ANdroid you get even more.
Here is GM vs. AM for the same directions;


AM is improving ... I think. More to come.

 

[MozMan68]

Green traffic flow is no longer shown so you cannot tell if it is green or doesn't have sensors or if the sensors are out.

Green traffic?

That’s Google, not Apple Maps.

Apple Maps has nothing, orange and red.

 

[gwhizkids]

Green traffic?

That’s Google, not Apple Maps.

Apple Maps has nothing, orange and red.

You’re right, but I wish it had green as well.

 

[MozMan68]

You’re right, but I wish it had green as well.

Not me...I only care where traffic is, not where it isn’t...

 

[nicho]

Green traffic?

That’s Google, not Apple Maps.

Apple Maps has nothing, orange and red.

You’re right, but I wish it had green as well.

I must get my colour-blindness checked out (ios 12.3.1)

 

[DingeZ]

That's in China, which only works when you're in China.

 

[nicho]

That's in China, which only works when you're in China.

Hong Kong and Macao too

Well that's an awfully odd decision to have the functionality built in and only turn it on here.

 

[G1Ravage]

Wow, that's bizarre. What's up with Apple and all of these China-exclusive Maps features?

Although personally, I'm fine with nothing showing on screen when there's no traffic. Keeps things less cluttered.

 

[MozMan68]

Wow, that's bizarre. What's up with Apple and all of these China-exclusive Maps features?

Although personally, I'm fine with nothing showing on screen when there's no traffic. Keeps things less cluttered.

...and it looks like you have to be in China to even see it?

I see no traffic at all in China while accessing it from the US.

I’m guessing it is a very specific overlay just for them...not surprising at all when you think about it.

Edit: After some very quick research, yes...China is much different (and actually more like Google) from within China. But it all has to do with their control of data and China specific SIM cards.

 

[darkcompass]

Seen at Valley, Anglesey, Wales, UK

 

[eyeseeyou]

Apple maps are definitely usable now compared to previous versions. For me, the UI is still a couple of seconds behind the voice prompt but then other voice cues like stop lights and turning at stop signs help with that lag. I also like that we're able to share our location but wish we could share it to more than one person at the same time. I often share my ETA with my family group chat.

That being said I still wish Apple would go the google maps route and allow users to manually cache map data to plan trips ahead of time when we know we'll be in a dead zone.

 

[TimFL1]

Apple maps are definitely usable now compared to previous versions. For me, the UI is still a couple of seconds behind the voice prompt but then other voice cues like stop lights and turning at stop signs help with that lag. I also like that we're able to share our location but wish we could share it to more than one person at the same time. I often share my ETA with my family group chat.

That being said I still wish Apple would go the google maps route and allow users to manually cache map data to plan trips ahead of time when we know we'll be in a dead zone.

Caching maps would be a really nice addition. The only other thing I‘d like to see is them replacing Yelp with their own review implementation.
As it stands I don‘t use Apple Maps for finding anything around me (restaurants etc) because Yelp is pretty horrible and forces me to use their app for anything other than a short summary...

 

[MozMan68]

Caching maps would be a really nice addition. The only other thing I‘d like to see is them replacing Yelp with their own review implementation.
As it stands I don‘t use Apple Maps for finding anything around me (restaurants etc) because Yelp is pretty horrible and forces me to use their app for anything other than a short summary...

I’m not sure starting from scratch would be better than using Yelp.

Yelp has quite a solid community of contributors and for most, is probably the best review system out there.

I think the issue was Apple relying on Yelp for POI location/hours data. I think now with that very important data being owned by Apple, Yelp will be a great asset for location reviews.

They suffered from neither being good enough for people to want to use them...but now?

 

[G1Ravage]

Apple Maps updated a road in Manhattan!

Eleventh Avenue used to be a two-way road through most of Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. The DOT recently converted it to a one-way road southbound. I checked yesterday, and Apple Maps re-drew the road to remove the former (painted) center median, and applied the appropriate one-way markings on the map.

This is the first time in recent memory I've actually seen road data get updated in the New York City area.

 

[MozMan68]

I can't believe I haven't checked this sooner since I actually have 2 iPhones currently...is dark mode on Maps really different than "nightime mode" that has been available? I guess I can check tonight, but I'll probably forget again.

 

[dk001]

Green traffic?

That’s Google, not Apple Maps.

Apple Maps has nothing, orange and red.

Yes, and like I said (it used to have green at one point) I can not tell monitored roads from non-monitored roads. This places other traffic monitoring apps head and shoulders above AM.

 

[MozMan68]

Yes, and like I said (it used to have green at one point) I can not tell monitored roads from non-monitored roads. This places other traffic monitoring apps head and shoulders above AM.

EVERY road is monitored with Apple. It uses outside traffic data, but more importantly, it uses every single iPhone in use to monitor traffic data (unless you turn that option off...which most people do not know how to do).

 

[Alan Gordon]

If true, I'm kind of disappointed, but has anyone noticed that the places where Look Around is available are places listed as having had Pedestrian Imagery Collection?

https://mwp14.ls.apple.com/imagecollection#pedestrian

 

[dk001]

EVERY road is monitored with Apple. It uses outside traffic data, but more importantly, it uses every single iPhone in use to monitor traffic data (unless you turn that option off...which most people do not know how to do).

No it isn't. Not all the roads have sensors to monitor traffic flow.
If that was the case then all those non-highway roads sections marked as red/orange on GM would show the corresponding color in AM (minus the green).

Love to know where you grabbed that (EVERY road) tidbit.

 

[Alan Gordon]

No it isn't. Not all the roads have sensors to monitor traffic flow.
Love to know where you grabbed that (EVERY road) tidbit.

I live in a rural area, and there's a small section of a road in the city I work in that recently gained a new fast food restaurant. Apple Maps frequently shows this road as busy since they opened.

If Apple Maps can monitor this dinky road in a dinky 5 horse city, I'd say there's something to be said for them having, at the very least, some limited info everywhere.

 

[MozMan68]

Love to know where you grabbed that (EVERY road) tidbit.

It has been written about in nearly every article on Apple Maps...and is a setting right on your phone...

EDIT: Wait...this is "China" guy...I think we have said that Maps can perform differently in China due to government oversight.

 

[dk001]

I live in a rural area, and there's a small section of a road in the city I work in that recently gained a new fast food restaurant. Apple Maps frequently shows this road as busy since they opened.

If Apple Maps can monitor this dinky road in a dinky 5 horse city, I'd say there's something to be said for them having, at the very least, some limited info everywhere.

Then that road has had some type of sensor / reporting system put in place.
Where I live (Ventura Ca) about half the non-highway roads are sensored. AM for this area shows pretty much nothing while GM show the roads that have this in place. It is this was all over SoCal.
Take a look at the example below. GM shows the traffic flow including roads that do not have this data while AM shows ...


[doublepost=1561998756][/doublepost]

It has been written about in nearly every article on Apple Maps...and is a setting right on your phone...

EDIT: Wait...this is "China" guy...I think we have said that Maps can perform differently in China due to government oversight.

No it hasn't. If that was the case then the sensor data displayed would approach that by GM for roads other than highways. Open your eyes.

 

[Alan Gordon]

Then that road has had some type of sensor / reporting system put in place.
Where I live (Ventura Ca) about half the non-highway roads are sensored. AM for this area shows pretty much nothing while GM show the roads that have this in place. It is this was all over SoCal.
Take a look at the example below. GM shows the traffic flow including roads that do not have this data while AM shows ...

View attachment 845949 View attachment 845950

I'm not arguing that Apple Maps is lacking compared to Google Maps for traffic data. It is. Traffic info I'm seeing now compared to Apple Maps is night and day different.

I'm simply saying they apparently have, at the very least, some access to this data for this info if the opening of a fast food restaurant in a dinky city can suddenly affect the traffic data I see on Maps.

 

[MozMan68]

Or maybe Google's algorithm is simply different?

When I look at that Google image, do I really need to see a red line at every single traffic light/intersection? Or orange line leading up to it as cars slow down. Waze doesn't give me a traffic alert in the same places?

My guess is that it comes down to graphic interpretation and Google LIKES to show those colors (I've stated this before in other threads). Apple, right or wrong, may just prefer to not show incidental "traffic" like as expected at intersections and lights the same way Google does.

All I know is that whenever I see something on Apple Maps, the traffic is there...what I would consider "traffic". When I see it on Apple Maps leading up to an intersection, I know that it is backed up more than normal and it will take me 2 or 3 light cycles to get through.

There is traffic shown in your Apple image...and where I would expect to see it...and is also shown in the same spots in your Google example. I just don't think cars slowing down slightly because cars in front of them are turning into the Trader Joe's parking lot is really "traffic"...but that's me...

My point is, I'm not sure one is "better" than the other and it comes down to preference in many cases. I'd also hold judgement until Maps is fully implemented with the new tracking features. While it is clear they have updated some of the graphical elements in certain states, it is not clear that the routing, traffic feedback info, etc. has been implemented as well.

 

[Alan Gordon]

Or maybe Google's algorithm is simply different?

Living in a rural area, I've found that both Google and Apple have it's advantages and disadvantages, though Apple should hopefully close the gap more later this year.

Google has building outlines, and of course Street View, the first of which will hopefully be available on Apple by the end of the year, and the latter... well, hopefully it won't be too many years away unless it does require a pedestrian to capture data, in which case it may be next decade.

Apple is often better at POI in my area, though to be fair, some of that is my doing.

When it comes to traffic, I'd argue that Google's algorithm isn't simply different, it's superior.

Traffic here would seem quaint to someone in a large city, but it's still traffic that affects your commute time, and being able to see where traffic is congested would indeed be helpful.