Since the fiasco surrounding the debut of Apple Maps in iOS 6, which replaced Google Maps, Apple’s navigation platform has been overhauled from the ground up, with the goal of making it as elegant and clean as Google Maps. While Apple Maps is currently only available on Apple devices, the crew in Cupertino wants to make Apple Maps available to drivers and travelers using non-Apple devices. For example, Apple Maps is now available on the web in beta and can be used by users of a Windows PC in the Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers.
According to autoevolution, Apple may even have plans to develop an Apple Maps app for Android. The latter says that the tech giant may be working on an Android version of Apple Maps, but as the site points out, as usual, nothing is being said in Cupertino. An app for Android users would help put Apple Maps on the same level as Google Maps and make it a navigation option for around 3.9 billion Android users worldwide.
Apple Maps is still trying to catch up with Google Maps by adding new features. For example, Apple Maps just added real-time transit information for Tokyo, Japan. The data provided by Apple Maps covers 20 train, bus, and railway lines in the greater Tokyo area. This allows users to see detailed schedules, arrival and departure times, and delays. Users can also view transfers so travelers or commuters can see which train or bus they need to take to continue to their destination.
With “Saved Places,” a new feature for Apple Maps in iOS 18, you can write notes about a location. | Image credit: PhoneArena
Despite this update, Google Maps still has a lead in terms of useful features over Apple Maps. Even the upcoming iOS 18 update does not bring any spectacular new features to the app. For example, in iOS18Tap the plus button next to a place’s name in the Apple Maps list to add the destination to your new Library menu. This feature is called Saved Places. Once you’ve saved a place, you can write a personal note about the place that will appear every time you look up the destination in Apple Maps.
Also available for Apple Maps in iOS18 is the ability to create custom hiking routes. And to help hikers, Apple Maps will be iOS18show:
- Topographic maps with detailed hiking trails for all national parks in the USA.
- Offline hikes with thousands of locations integrated into Apple Maps in iOS18.
- Individual hiking routes created by the user.
- User-written trail notes that will be displayed when returning to the same trail on a different date.
So what we can say about Apple Maps is that it is still evolving. Personally, I still like how Apple Maps uses landmarks like stop signs or traffic lights to let me know exactly where to turn. Google Maps is doing this more and more, but still lags behind Apple Maps in this area of user navigation.
