Here are all the big changes to Apple Maps from 2017 through 2019

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  • Reply 21 of 121
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    volcan said:
    Should show speed limits like my car's built-in nav system. I'd also like my nav system to alert me if I'm exceeding the speed limit just like it has voice alerts about accidents ahead blocking lanes.
    Apple Maps shows me speed limits.
    pscooter63cornchipdewmegenovellemacxpress
  • Reply 22 of 121
    gutengelgutengel Posts: 363member
    Maps is still light years behind Goggle Maps. It's still SO glitchy, When I open addresses from emails/messages a lot of times they don't open, so I have to go back and try reopen them again. Searching for addresses sometimes take forever to load (google beast maps in speed almost every time). Most of the times it gives you automatic directions to places, even though I just want to see where something is located, or get direction from a different address, not my current location. No bike roads, no downloadable maps. Apple really need to get their act together with maps, it's pathetic that after so many years maps feels so unfinished and beta-like. 
    nimpeachabletechargonaut
  • Reply 23 of 121
    kkqd1337 said:
    kkqd1337 said:
    I don’t understand why Maps isn’t more significantly updated weekly through the App Store. 
    What kind of updates are you looking for? Things like new roads, public transit directions, POI's, etc don't require an app update. 
    The sort of stuff that makes Google Maps 100million times better than Apple Maps. 

    No difference between the two where I live. 
    pscooter63genovelleStrangeDaysspinnydwatto_cobrachabig
  • Reply 24 of 121
    Dead_PoolDead_Pool Posts: 119member
    Apple has pretty much caught up where I live, in my opinion. I rarely ever use Google Maps.
    StrangeDayswatto_cobracornchipchabigargonautgenovelle
  • Reply 25 of 121
    I usually use Apple Maps nowadays, even when I generally know where I'm going, just to get traffic, arrival times and details to get to specific location. It has proven to be accurate and reliable in the majority of situations.

    The other day I gave Google maps another go. I recalled the ability to drag the blue route lines to other streets if you want, and I was preparing to take surface streets downtown due to a major slowdown on the freeway. The alternate suggestions from Apple were not to my liking, but neither were Google's. However, I'm familiar enough with the streets to pick a preferred path, and I wanted to be able to change the route and have a more direct path with fewer jogging over a number of blocks (both Apple and Google do this block jogging -- I guess the idea is that a faster route is being selected, but it doesn't seem to account for time needed to wait before you can make the turn).

    It would be nice if Apple had this manual re-routing feature.

    This time, I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of other features in Google maps that I hadn't noticed before. One was once I entered the destination address, Google noticed that it was downtown, and mentioned that parking was often a challenge and asked if I wanted directions to the closest parking facility. That was pretty cool. Also, as I made my way, my chosen route did have to cut through a short section of side street, but when the voice command came up, I was not only directed to turn right onto the specific street, I was also told to turn right at the Jack in the Box which was there. None of the other turns referenced a landmark, but it was amusing to have a specific business used a reference/landmark. Now that I think about it, this does seem a bit -- subliminal? -- but it was actually helpful. I guess this is how they get you!

    That said, I do think Google maps is actually pretty good. I'm not super concerned about the tracking aspects, but I can't ignore it either.  Still, I'm inclined to stick with Apple maps due to the level of integration across all my devices, which seems to keep getting better, and I prefer to support Apple in this regard.
    edited June 2018 d_2watto_cobramuthuk_vanalingamphilboogie
  • Reply 26 of 121
    kevin keekevin kee Posts: 1,289member
    Same, where I live the two are very little different. I use mostly Apple Map now, hardly open Google Map at all. Apple Map is not perfect, some aspects they can do better (although it's just my perfectionist talking), but so does Google.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 27 of 121
    joncojonco Posts: 25member
    The reason I use Google Maps (the only Google app that I use) is the ability to swipe the green bar on top to see up coming turns. Apple Maps has those useless (to me) buttons above the overview buttons. Too much work while driving. I hear Car Play will work with Google Maps soon.
  • Reply 28 of 121
    glynhglynh Posts: 133member
    macxpress said:
    simply258 said:
    In a bid to beat Google
    Let's be honest, that will never happen in the Maps arena.
    What exactly makes Google Maps so special these days? 
    It just works? :)
    croprphilboogie
  • Reply 29 of 121
    CheeseFreezeCheeseFreeze Posts: 1,247member
    I tested Apple Maps’s prediction on estimated time arrival by using an Workflow that calculates the ETA to my home (driving, in minutes), preparing a text message to my wife.

    I could map the ETA to the time the text message is sent, e.g:

    4:00pm - “I’m home in 11 minutes”
    4:15pm - “I’m home in 6 minutes”

    A perfect prediction should align the remaining minutes with the time the text was sent. Apple Maps was consistently off - my travel was always much slower as anticipated, whereas Google Maps (where I needed to write it down manually since no Workflow exists for this) was way more accurate. Same for Waze.
    Ofcourse a perfect prediction is almost impossible until you can take in account granular delays and exceptions.

    It’s clear Google Maps has way more data sources to provide an accurate ETA.
  • Reply 30 of 121
    my phone died at the rolling stones concert last weekend so I used my wife's iPhone 8 to navigate us back to the hotel. she didnt have google maps so I used apple maps... 1.6mile by foot apparently, took us best part of an hour after it led us towards locked gates, through private property then needlessly up onto a road then back down onto the path via one of the steepest cobbled streets in Edinburgh. I checked the same route later on google maps and it was completely different taking a much more sane and quicker route.
    philboogie
  • Reply 31 of 121
    Apple maps is just terrible.  The satelite views in my area are over 5 years old.  At least google maps is up to date.  I stopped using Apple maps about 6 months ago on my phone and sole use google maps now.   So many issues with Apple maps
    muthuk_vanalingamphilboogie
  • Reply 32 of 121
    CheeseFreezeCheeseFreeze Posts: 1,247member
    That said, I do think Google maps is actually pretty good. I'm not super concerned about the tracking aspects, but I can't ignore it either.  Still, I'm inclined to stick with Apple maps due to the level of integration across all my devices, which seems to keep getting better, and I prefer to support Apple in this regard.
    There’s a lot of anti Google sentiment on data collection on this forum, often rightfully so, but sometimes just sentiment. Not saying you are the latter btw.

    Google may have your data but it’s actually how they store it what matters. For example your tracked info is only very temporarily stored, but most likely not at all. What is stored is your aggregated data, aka indexed data that cannot be traced back to you. If you have to take another route than suggested by Google because the road is closed down for example, and Google doesn’t have a manual report from the roadworks peeps, Google will store a ‘weight’ of all vehicles moving around the obstacle in their system which then is used to suggest an alternative route as the accumulative weight is too high. As the roadblock gets cleared this weight will go down until it is considered an obstacle no more.

    A database query with individual user routes would be way, way to ineffective anyway, however an indexed ‘weight’ is not. So in the end Google does not care about your tracking, it cares about what it does on a macro level. And yes, also to check how many go to the Starbucks on Coffeelane for advertisement purposes, but again this is aggregated date that doesn’t lead to ‘you’.

    That said, Google should be more transparent about the way they use data - in human readable text and not legal blah blah.

    Also what many people don’t understand is that Apple’s stance on privacy is a PR and marketing trick. Brand perception. They want to be seen as the ecosystem that cares about your data more than the ‘other brand’. It’s driven by commercial gain, just as Google does but from another angle.

    Apple’s stance is a tad naive though. Their services are performing measurably worse (think Siri) compared to Google because they can’t improve their services through machine learning and aggregated data server-side, not having the ability to properly scale as that data needs to be ‘indexed’ on the individual user devices instead. They could send your user tracking data to their servers by stripping it from anything that leads to ‘you’, and then index it while destroying that incoming data. Not doing that makes no sense to me. User data collection is needed to improve the product. It’s about what’s done with the data to protect you that matters. Google has to adhere to laws and standards just like Apple.
    roundaboutnowgatorguymuthuk_vanalingamargonaut
  • Reply 33 of 121
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    glynh said:
    macxpress said:
    simply258 said:
    In a bid to beat Google
    Let's be honest, that will never happen in the Maps arena.
    What exactly makes Google Maps so special these days? 
    It just works? :)
    But so does Maps. I haven’t had any reason to use google maps in years. Years. 
    spinnydwatto_cobramike1chabigargonautlkrupp
  • Reply 34 of 121
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    Apple Maps works for me. And it gives speed limits.

    What I'd like is a prominent speedometer face on Maps, to compare GPS speed to my various vehicles' speeds, my nod to True Air Speed. LOL

    I keep Google Maps, updated, on my phone, but have never had the need or desire to use it. I also have Navigon, while it lasts, but only use it for extended travel where cellphone coverage might be lacking. (Navigon downloads entire states as desired.)


    watto_cobraargonaut
  • Reply 35 of 121
    glynhglynh Posts: 133member
    glynh said:
    macxpress said:
    simply258 said:
    In a bid to beat Google
    Let's be honest, that will never happen in the Maps arena.
    What exactly makes Google Maps so special these days? 
    It just works? :)
    But so does Maps. I haven’t had any reason to use google maps in years. Years. 
    And vice-versa for me. Every time I go back to Apple Maps I have issues with something.

    Using Siri to find Halfords in Stratford led me down a road where I could see it across someone’s back garden and down a steep embankment.

    Trying to find a McDonald’s in Coventry led me to a housing estate. Not the first time it has done this.

    Given up using Apple Maps in Europe as Google Maps is so much more precise, informative and can actually find the places I am looking for.

    Interested to know where it works for you?
    argonaut
  • Reply 36 of 121
    RSG1RSG1 Posts: 2unconfirmed, member
    Good updates, but I would like to see weather overlays and weather alerts on routes, so you can better see the conditions on the road ahead, and take alternate routes to avoid severe weather if desired.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 37 of 121
    ivanhivanh Posts: 597member
    kkqd1337 said:
    I don’t understand why Maps isn’t more significantly updated weekly through the App Store. 
    Absolutely! I can’t tolerate the inaccuracy of Apple Maps. Many friends of mine have turned to buy a TomTom GPS for their older cars. I just got my GPS navigator yesterday after 4 years of using Apple Maps and NAVIGON on iPhones bring too slow and inaccurate.
  • Reply 38 of 121
    croprcropr Posts: 1,122member
    macxpress said:
    simply258 said:
    In a bid to beat Google
    Let's be honest, that will never happen in the Maps arena.
    What exactly makes Google Maps so special these days?
    2 points that makes Google Maps much more useful than Apple Maps.
     - the global coverage.  Apple announces support for public transport city by city, Google does it country by country.  At the pace Apple is announcing a global coverage of public transport will be for the next century
     - the integration with search engine.  You look for something in the search engine and the location is automatically available in the Google Maps on any device you have.
     
    For developers: integration in your own developments.
    muthuk_vanalingamargonaut
  • Reply 39 of 121
    command_fcommand_f Posts: 421member
    2 points that makes Google Maps much more useful than Apple Maps.
     - the global coverage.  Apple announces support for public transport city by city, Google does it country by country.  At the pace Apple is announcing a global coverage of public transport will be for the next century
     - the integration with search engine.  You look for something in the search engine and the location is automatically available in the Google Maps on any device you have.
     
    For developers: integration in your own developments.
    And another:
     - Streetview. See your destination before you leave: my favourite example is when I was driving into Sydney for the first time, lots of traffic and lots of one-way streets. My hotel was on a block corner but where was its car park entrance? Once I knew that, I knew which one-way street to approach on.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 40 of 121
    plothploth Posts: 6member
    macxpress said:
    simply258 said:
    In a bid to beat Google
    Let's be honest, that will never happen in the Maps arena.
    What exactly makes Google Maps so special these days? 
    Not that GM is 'so special' but Apple maps is incredibly poor in some areas. 
    Basic, vital functions like a route that includes a stop (let alone a few stops) is not possible. This gets rid of AM for me for about 80% of all trips. 

    Other yhings lacking in AM (not sure if GM has them as I use another service)
    Speed limits and alerts
    similar sounding names - 
    st versus road. 
    location awareness? You'd think AM would have this. But often I ask am for directions to a location within 10km (a few miles) in Australia and it will give me directions to the USA and 3000km away. Beyond stupid. 
    argonaut
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