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All Devices Updated Apple Maps
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~30% of the cross streets were not labeled.
app layout was not working for quick reference. Each entry is a work of art.
driving, exceeding the speed limit from the airport and the voice prompts quit.
we were in Central Park and the screen started to continuous roll. we didnt need it anyways.
subway entrances are not marked bold enough, if you have a un limited day pass.
We walked 8+ miles one afternoon exploring the city on foot. my iPhone 7 gps receiver needed better reception or its how you hold it? The screen kept re drawing and rolling. We were standing in Christopher Park open space but Maps was blocks away in the middle of a random building.
what ever i could look at my home in 3D!
app layout was not working for quick reference. Each entry is a work of art.
driving, exceeding the speed limit from the airport and the voice prompts quit.
we were in Central Park and the screen started to continuous roll. we didnt need it anyways.
subway entrances are not marked bold enough, if you have a un limited day pass.
We walked 8+ miles one afternoon exploring the city on foot. my iPhone 7 gps receiver needed better reception or its how you hold it? The screen kept re drawing and rolling. We were standing in Christopher Park open space but Maps was blocks away in the middle of a random building.
what ever i could look at my home in 3D!
Strange glitch or something....Maps has sometimes been defaulting to the normally fastest route, even if there’s two hours worth of traffic on it. It’s even giving me two faster routes, but it still suggests the slowest route. Weird.
Hate it when it sends me and a lot of others to the same alternate. The alternate then becomes as bad or worse than the original route.
Yup that happened to us once. We were right before an exit and hit heavy traffic. Everyone was backing up down the off ramp, but we just stayed put, and our traffic cleared while the off ramp was still backed all the way down.
I call BS on the cross streets...I work in NYC and have never had a name missing from a street, even before the update in September. Zoom level??
Voice prompt? Who knows...I would say user error
Subway entrances are a tough one as there are so many, but the main ones are clearly listed. I'm assuming you weren't routing via transit and having the map take you to the closest entrance? Always works for me.
GPS in the city sucks...plain and simple...Apple, Google, Waze,...doesn't matter.
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I wonder if that's a "commuting memory" type glitch? Like, it knows you typically "want" to go that way, so it suggested it first? Weird.
I don't have enough traffic around my house to test that kind of stuff.
It worked perfectly on a very straightforward 2 hour drive today to the other side of MI. I didn't expect any less though.
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Really good review....I don't know what to say about the closed roads other than I'm guessing it will get better. Just not sure it will get to a level on par with Waze/Google unless they have an easier way to provide direct feedback.
As far as Maps looking like an atlas, I think that was done on purpose. Who said maps have to look like they did when they were on paper or even close to that? I like that Apple has gone what I call the "airplane view" route where the map is reminiscent of what you would see if you had a graphical representation of what it looks like when flying from above.
I find Google very hard to read...and we've discussed before, I HATE their representation of traffic. In your examples above, every off ramp is red because cars happen to stop. Most likely not necessarily because they are stopping any longer than they typically do at a place that has a red light. I don't want to see where every car stops ever...I want to see where they slow down or stop in a more than atypical manner and I feel Apple traffic lines do a better job of showing that....my unpopular opinion...
Thanks for the write up and pics! Two phones? Also, how sis you know that the Google route was indeed better or faster? I ask this a lot with people...unless you know the routes REALLY well or you have two people driving to the same place at the same time, you really will never know.
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How long does a suggestion for an entrance point fix usually take to be completed? Had an hours of operation one completed in a few days, but the entrance point one I did, it has been almost a month with no response or changes made.
Mine have been fixed pretty quick. Some were messed up though when the map was updated. That’s why I route everywhere I go even though I know where I’m going...just to check.
Still waiting for the return of multiple entrance editing. Checked it this weekend with the new rollout and it’s still not back.
Possibly. I work at night, and the suggested route you see is usually the fastest. Around 28 minutes on average with no traffic. But Apple's route of choice is usually also the travel time average that shows up when you get an Apple Maps notification on the phone, or open the app and see the travel time under your Home or Work shortcut, before even loading a route.
So when I get into my car, and a notification pops up telling me that it'll take me over two hours to get to work, that scares me. lol
I call BS on the cross streets...I work in NYC and have never had a name missing from a street, even before the update in September. Zoom level??
Voice prompt? Who knows...I would say user error
Subway entrances are a tough one as there are so many, but the main ones are clearly listed. I'm assuming you weren't routing via transit and having the map take you to the closest entrance? Always works for me.
GPS in the city sucks...plain and simple...Apple, Google, Waze,...doesn't matter.
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I wonder if that's a "commuting memory" type glitch? Like, it knows you typically "want" to go that way, so it suggested it first? Weird.
I don't have enough traffic around my house to test that kind of stuff.
It worked perfectly on a very straightforward 2 hour drive today to the other side of MI. I didn't expect any less though.
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Really good review....I don't know what to say about the closed roads other than I'm guessing it will get better. Just not sure it will get to a level on par with Waze/Google unless they have an easier way to provide direct feedback.
As far as Maps looking like an atlas, I think that was done on purpose. Who said maps have to look like they did when they were on paper or even close to that? I like that Apple has gone what I call the "airplane view" route where the map is reminiscent of what you would see if you had a graphical representation of what it looks like when flying from above.
I find Google very hard to read...and we've discussed before, I HATE their representation of traffic. In your examples above, every off ramp is red because cars happen to stop. Most likely not necessarily because they are stopping any longer than they typically do at a place that has a red light. I don't want to see where every car stops ever...I want to see where they slow down or stop in a more than atypical manner and I feel Apple traffic lines do a better job of showing that....my unpopular opinion...
Thanks for the write up and pics! Two phones? Also, how sis you know that the Google route was indeed better or faster? I ask this a lot with people...unless you know the routes REALLY well or you have two people driving to the same place at the same time, you really will never know.
Road closure - not sure where Apple gets its info. Hopefully it improves over time. Suspect it will.
Atlas - might be just my preference. When I plan a trip I like to see the roadway and road detail. This info stands out more in Google. Apple at this point looks prettier but not better. Prettier is likely an Apple intent at this stage. I wish they would allow an "Emphasis" option to make the roads / traffic stand out.
Traffic - I'd rather know than not know. Yeah, off ramps are generally red but if I see a long red line for an off ramp - alternate route
. Traffic for me serves two purposes: route execution and quick glance. both did a decent job for route directions. Quick glance Google wins hands down. The Apple lines are too minimal and I miss the green.Personal phone (Razer) and one via work (Pro Max). Both on AT&T. All screenshots though are from the iPhone or IPP 11.
Surprisingly I had a lot of 5Ge in the Phoenix area. Some serious upgrading / updating going on there looks like.
Road closure - not sure where Apple gets its info. Hopefully it improves over time. Suspect it will.
Atlas - might be just my preference. When I plan a trip I like to see the roadway and road detail. This info stands out more in Google. Apple at this point looks prettier but not better. Prettier is likely an Apple intent at this stage. I wish they would allow an "Emphasis" option to make the roads / traffic stand out.
Traffic - I'd rather know than not know. Yeah, off ramps are generally red but if I see a long red line for an off ramp - alternate route
Personal phone (Razer) and one via work (Pro Max). Both on AT&T. All screenshots though are from the iPhone or IPP 11.
Surprisingly I had a lot of 5Ge in the Phoenix area. Some serious upgrading / updating going on there looks like.
I've thought a lot about the look of the various Maps and why I prefer Apple so much. It for sure is preference, but I believe their intent is not necessarily to provide "map info" but instead get you where you are going in the clearest way possible. And then, yeah, add the POI's that people care about the most.
Paper maps included EVERYTHING because they had to...and people who are used to dealing with maps like that tend to lean toward Google from a visual standpoint. I've preferred Maps above and beyond from the day it was first released. And yeah, it's improved 1,000% since then.
I'm confident the actual map info (POI's, road closures, traffic, etc.) will be on par or even better than Google eventually (and not 2062 like asshats on here like to say on every post)
I've thought a lot about the look of the various Maps and why I prefer Apple so much. It for sure is preference, but I believe their intent is not necessarily to provide "map info" but instead get you where you are going in the clearest way possible. And then, yeah, add the POI's that people care about the most.
Paper maps included EVERYTHING because they had to...and people who are used to dealing with maps like that tend to lean toward Google from a visual standpoint. I've preferred Maps above and beyond from the day it was first released. And yeah, it's improved 1,000% since then.
I'm confident the actual map info (POI's, road closures, traffic, etc.) will be on par or even better than Google eventually (and not 2062 like asshats on here like to say on every post)
I am more old school. Vacation vs. Basic Travel. I decide on a destination and then plan my travel.
I have liked Apple Maps, just wished for more functionality and accuracy. They are definitely getting better. I feel they still have a way to go.
Now I wonder what the next Google improvement is going to be. Apple needs to go global and add a trip planning feature for all travel types.
2062? LMAO!!!! 🤣 In 2062 those of us still around will look back and say "They used to use what?!?!" 😂😂😂
I am more old school. Vacation vs. Basic Travel. I decide on a destination and then plan my travel.
I have liked Apple Maps, just wished for more functionality and accuracy. They are definitely getting better. I feel they still have a way to go.
Now I wonder what the next Google improvement is going to be. Apple needs to go global and add a trip planning feature for all travel types.
2062? LMAO!!!!In 2062 those of us still around will look back and say "They used to use what?!?!"
In 2062 those of us still around will look back and say "They used to use what?!?!" 
Oh, it’s just my favorite comment every time there’s a Maps story on the main page.
“Maps will be expanded to Europe in 2020”
And then some asshat from Timbuktu “Oh...I guess that means I’ll finally get new Maps in 2062....Apple sucks!”
I am extremely impressed with the new Apple Maps. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think there's a compelling argument that Apple Maps might now be on par, if not better than Google Maps.
I drive about 100 miles a day, and I'm quite familiar with the characteristics of both Waze and Google Maps. I tried using Apple Maps last year, and it's navigation sucked. I gave it another shot this week, and its navigation directions have been 10/10 excellent. On every trip, it has taken me on what I would consider to be the most optimal route. If congestion suddenly build up ahead, it immediately reroutes me onto a better route. I really see no room for improvement with its navigation; it's excellent.
The user interface is far better than what the competition offers. The navigation (while driving) UI is excellent. The map design is beautiful, I find both the map and text to be extremity legible while driving. I also love how easy Apple makes it to find POIs along the route while driving. Just tap the bottom bar, and they give you giant, readable buttons for gas stations, coffee or restaurants. I can tap those buttons so easily with a causal half-second glance on the phone. On the other hand, Google buries these options two-screens deep in a menu that's damn near unreadable while driving. It's as if Google's designers didn't consider that people would actually be driving when they designed the navigation UI. Come on Google.
The addition markers for stop signs and traffic lights is a small feature that has totally been a game changer for me. When it prompts me to make a left turn across four lanes of traffic during rush hour (something it rarely does, btw), I can now be confident that they'll be a stop light there, making the maneuver easy. And when I'm in unfamiliar territory, navigating by stoplight location is so much more natural than reading tiny street signs.
Siri's voice is best in class. She has the nicest, most realistic voice of any of the navigation apps. I also appreciate that Siri is very restrained when it comes to the frequency of voice prompts. Google and Waze are both very "chatty", giving me prompts and alerts seemingly every few minutes, even on long highway drives where I might not need to take an action for, say, 45 minutes. With Apple Maps, I can go on a 100 mile drive, and not hear from her in an hour. It's great.
Siri also takes advantage of the stoplight and stop sign data in her prompts. "Turn left at Williams Blvd" now becomes "turn left at the light". It's a seemingly obvious, yet brilliant feature.
The user interface for the rest of the app is also fantastic. Everything is laid out far more logically than Google and especially Waze. I can open the app, find a location, and get out far quicker than I can on the other mapping services. I can't help but feel that Google Maps is laid out to keep people inside the app, thereby boosting Google's advertising metrics, while Apple is laid out to let you find where you want to go as quickly as possible. Because of this, Apple Maps has been my go-to to look up locations for a few years now, and that'll continue with this new update
At this point I find that Apple Maps' limitations are limited to a few, relatively minor areas:
- POI details: It's been a very long time since I've come across a missing POI on Apple Maps, but the POI details are still substandard. They're often missing website, phone numbers, have incorrect operating hours.
- Business reviews: Apple Maps still uses Yelp. Google's in-house reviews are far superior. If there's one thing Apple needs to do in iOS 14, its to bring their reviews in-house.
- Bicycles direction: Apple doesn't have bicycle directions. Google does.
- "Niche" features: Google has a lot of minor features that make it overall a more powerful app. Things such as being able to measure straight-line distances, or bicycle directions, for example.
- Lockscreen music controls: This is a big one. Apple Maps takes over your lock screen, and leaves you with no way to control your music! Wtf, fix this Apple!
Overall though, the Apple Maps user experince is simply fantastic, and from now on it'll continue to be my go-to mapping service. I'll still keep Google Maps around for some of those edgecases that Apple doesn't cover, but overall its great. I'm happy that we now have at least two best-in-class mapping services in the United States.
I drive about 100 miles a day, and I'm quite familiar with the characteristics of both Waze and Google Maps. I tried using Apple Maps last year, and it's navigation sucked. I gave it another shot this week, and its navigation directions have been 10/10 excellent. On every trip, it has taken me on what I would consider to be the most optimal route. If congestion suddenly build up ahead, it immediately reroutes me onto a better route. I really see no room for improvement with its navigation; it's excellent.
The user interface is far better than what the competition offers. The navigation (while driving) UI is excellent. The map design is beautiful, I find both the map and text to be extremity legible while driving. I also love how easy Apple makes it to find POIs along the route while driving. Just tap the bottom bar, and they give you giant, readable buttons for gas stations, coffee or restaurants. I can tap those buttons so easily with a causal half-second glance on the phone. On the other hand, Google buries these options two-screens deep in a menu that's damn near unreadable while driving. It's as if Google's designers didn't consider that people would actually be driving when they designed the navigation UI. Come on Google.
The addition markers for stop signs and traffic lights is a small feature that has totally been a game changer for me. When it prompts me to make a left turn across four lanes of traffic during rush hour (something it rarely does, btw), I can now be confident that they'll be a stop light there, making the maneuver easy. And when I'm in unfamiliar territory, navigating by stoplight location is so much more natural than reading tiny street signs.
Siri's voice is best in class. She has the nicest, most realistic voice of any of the navigation apps. I also appreciate that Siri is very restrained when it comes to the frequency of voice prompts. Google and Waze are both very "chatty", giving me prompts and alerts seemingly every few minutes, even on long highway drives where I might not need to take an action for, say, 45 minutes. With Apple Maps, I can go on a 100 mile drive, and not hear from her in an hour. It's great.
Siri also takes advantage of the stoplight and stop sign data in her prompts. "Turn left at Williams Blvd" now becomes "turn left at the light". It's a seemingly obvious, yet brilliant feature.
The user interface for the rest of the app is also fantastic. Everything is laid out far more logically than Google and especially Waze. I can open the app, find a location, and get out far quicker than I can on the other mapping services. I can't help but feel that Google Maps is laid out to keep people inside the app, thereby boosting Google's advertising metrics, while Apple is laid out to let you find where you want to go as quickly as possible. Because of this, Apple Maps has been my go-to to look up locations for a few years now, and that'll continue with this new update
At this point I find that Apple Maps' limitations are limited to a few, relatively minor areas:
- POI details: It's been a very long time since I've come across a missing POI on Apple Maps, but the POI details are still substandard. They're often missing website, phone numbers, have incorrect operating hours.
- Business reviews: Apple Maps still uses Yelp. Google's in-house reviews are far superior. If there's one thing Apple needs to do in iOS 14, its to bring their reviews in-house.
- Bicycles direction: Apple doesn't have bicycle directions. Google does.
- "Niche" features: Google has a lot of minor features that make it overall a more powerful app. Things such as being able to measure straight-line distances, or bicycle directions, for example.
- Lockscreen music controls: This is a big one. Apple Maps takes over your lock screen, and leaves you with no way to control your music! Wtf, fix this Apple!
Overall though, the Apple Maps user experince is simply fantastic, and from now on it'll continue to be my go-to mapping service. I'll still keep Google Maps around for some of those edgecases that Apple doesn't cover, but overall its great. I'm happy that we now have at least two best-in-class mapping services in the United States.
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I definitely love the lights thing. Much easier to be told to turn at which light than in 1000 ft turn onto XYZ but there are like three roads back to back to back and like you said it's hard to find and read the signs or they are totally missing. And when hours were wrong for a business, they processed my feedback and fixed it quickly unlike when I sent feedback to fix an entrance, which I still haven't heard about or seen fixed in at least a month. It just stops on the road into the mall area with a left and a right and Panera isn't close enough to know where it is without already knowing the area.
Google Maps Gains New Navigation System, Crowd-Sourced Transit Info, and More
This week marks 15 years since Google Maps first launched, and Google is celebrating with some notable new features and updates for the mapping...
www.macrumors.com
I replied back with details. A week later, Apple replied back, with a basically stock response, saying that they had corrected and improved directions to this location, but it doesn't look like they did anything at all.
Another POI, for which Apple had corrected entrance details around two months back, suddenly reverted back to the incorrect entrance two weeks ago.
Bleh. How long did it take for any sort of response for the entrance fix? Been like a month now with crickets, but my operating hours one was fixed in less than a week.
Well, this is unfortunate. I've corrected numerous entrances for businesses in my area. They were corrected within two or three weeks of me requesting it. The last of them was corrected maybe two months ago.
As of this week, every single one of those corrections has reverted back to the incorrect entrance. EVERY SINGLE ONE. What the hell, Apple??????
Looking at Google Maps since the update just came out. Sitting in the passenger seat for 8 hours today.
Here’s what I was talking about above regarding traffic lines.
Google shows “traffic” at the intersection including red right where we were. The traffic on the main road was moving along and was what I would consider very light.
Our intersection and the one directly across from us literally had no cars and none in sight. We were the only car heading in that direction and were stopped for a second while we waited to turn right on the main road.
Here’s what I was talking about above regarding traffic lines.
Google shows “traffic” at the intersection including red right where we were. The traffic on the main road was moving along and was what I would consider very light.
Our intersection and the one directly across from us literally had no cars and none in sight. We were the only car heading in that direction and were stopped for a second while we waited to turn right on the main road.
I didn’t notice any change either...but I don’t use it that much. Just usually as a reference when comparing to Apple Maps.
I'm with you 100% on this. I have been using Apple Maps 100% of the time since California got the new maps last year. I use Google Maps as a "supplement" when I need to, which is not much. I love the clean efficiency of Apple Maps. The map display is rich with info yet pleasing to look at. Directions are reliable.
I usually don't hear the excellent Siri voice, because I keep her muted and rely on my Apple Watch to tap me when a turn is coming. I like a quiet driving experience (or music with no interruptions). I also keep my phone mounted high on my dash so I can keep a glance on what turns are coming up. It's efficient and very non-disruptive.
Apple has redeemed itself when it comes to maps, and arguably raised the bar. Can't wait for more Look Around areas and eventually worldwide coverage of the new maps to hit. They are becoming a top player in the maps/navigation space.
I too like the Apple Maps, much improved. One feature I would love is an improvement in traffic and accidents. I don’t really need to know there is a cat stuck on shoulder, on the road yes but shoulder no. Also better actual traffic flow information.