Hands on with iOS 13 'Look Around' in Apple Maps

Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 2019
Apple is improving Apple Maps with the newly announced "Look Around," an interactive neighborhood map rival to Google's Street View.




Look Around is Apple's alternative to Google's Street View, giving users the option to see a neighborhood without having to visit. When fully implemented, Look Around will be accessible through Apple Maps. Currently, Look Around is only available on the iOS 13 beta.




Using Look Around is intuitive, especially if you're already familiar with Street View. You swipe to rotate the camera and tap to move in a specific direction. It takes a few seconds for Look Around to respond to a tap to move, but the animations are smooth and less jarring than those of Street View.

The photograph quality of Look Around is especially impressive, albeit not surprising. Apple has only recently begun photographing for their Maps app, where as Google had begun in 2007, when camera quality was not nearly as good. Still, it made us want to be able to use Look Around more, if only to enjoy the highly detailed photography.




Google has had over a decade to photograph streets, paths, and parks around the world, while Apple is just getting started with its own data set. This means that, at least for now, Look Around is almost more like an Easter egg within the iOS 13 beta, than a wide alternative. Apple states that they plan on having all of the US photographed and mapped by the end of 2019, with plans to do other countries in the year after.

Most of the cities we found were by accident, save for Cupertino which we'd had a pretty good hunch about. So far, we have found that you can use Look Around in Cupertino, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Honolulu, but are sure there are a few others left to find.

Apple has also stated that privacy was paramount in this coming iOS update, particularly in regard to location services, and, in turn Apple Maps.

"We always protect your identity and activity," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "There's no need to flip a switch to ask Apple to start respecting your privacy, because at Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    This sh**s on Street View.

    Google backstabbing Apple may have been the best thing that happened to Apple.
    plype11jbdragongenovellechiacornchiplolliverwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 2 of 21
    digital_guydigital_guy Posts: 162member
    Déjà vu. Been there, done that . ;)
    AppleExposedphilboogie
  • Reply 3 of 21
    Apple states that they plan on having all of the US photographed and mapped by the end of 2019, with plans to do other countries in the year after.
    Do we have confirmation that Look Around will be available covering the whole US? I remember thinking the keynote was a little vague on the end of 2019 comment, where I wasn’t sure if they were including Look Around or just the more detailed maps. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 21
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,274member
    Apple states that they plan on having all of the US photographed and mapped by the end of 2019, with plans to do other countries in the year after.
    Do we have confirmation that Look Around will be available covering the whole US?
    They did say that they “plan” to have the US fully mapped — by which they mean cities and most neighbourhoods — by the end of the year, but of course “plan” is a word with some wiggle room. I would expect that US cities will be good to go by the end of the year, with some gaps in especially rural/unincorporated areas. I hope they’ll also have at least the major Canadian cities mapped by that time as well, as those are some of my frequent destinations.
    dreyp82watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 21
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    chasm said:
    Apple states that they plan on having all of the US photographed and mapped by the end of 2019, with plans to do other countries in the year after.
    Do we have confirmation that Look Around will be available covering the whole US?
    They did say that they “plan” to have the US fully mapped — by which they mean cities and most neighbourhoods — by the end of the year, but of course “plan” is a word with some wiggle room. I would expect that US cities will be good to go by the end of the year, with some gaps in especially rural/unincorporated areas. I hope they’ll also have at least the major Canadian cities mapped by that time as well, as those are some of my frequent destinations.

    If this is the case, most iPhone users will have their city by the time iOS 13 rolls out publicly. Great news.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 21
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    I’m seen the Apple Car a couple times where I live about 45 minutes north for S.F.

    they have the towers on top and so they stick out because of that. Not the plain white car that says Apple Maps is plain black text, unlike Google cars I've also seen with a map all over the car besides their tower.

    Apple is already mapping and getting GPS.  The Cameras have always been there.  So if Apple has napped your road, they have the pictures also.  The pictures would just have to get added to their Look About.  Apple has been doing this for a few years now and there is still 6 months until the end of the year.

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 21
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    chasm said:
    Apple states that they plan on having all of the US photographed and mapped by the end of 2019, with plans to do other countries in the year after.
    Do we have confirmation that Look Around will be available covering the whole US?
    They did say that they “plan” to have the US fully mapped — by which they mean cities and most neighbourhoods — by the end of the year, but of course “plan” is a word with some wiggle room. I would expect that US cities will be good to go by the end of the year, with some gaps in especially rural/unincorporated areas. I hope they’ll also have at least the major Canadian cities mapped by that time as well, as those are some of my frequent destinations.

    If this is the case, most “American” iPhone users will have their city by the time iOS 13 rolls out publicly. Great news.
    FIFY
  • Reply 8 of 21
    genovellegenovelle Posts: 1,480member
    Déjà vu. Been there, done that . ;)
    They wouldn’t have to do this if a certain partner that gleened a considerable amount of data and time being Apple’s mobile device partner had not stabbed them in the back by not only copying iPhone but blocking Maps from features like street view and turn by turn navigation while they put these only on their Android phones. 
    StrangeDaysMacPrololliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 21
    sergiozsergioz Posts: 338member
    Where is the video for this article? 
    philboogie
  • Reply 10 of 21
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    Sweet! Thanks a. i.!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 21
    lowededwookielowededwookie Posts: 1,143member
    I briefly saw the demo before I had to stop to look after the young one. Man this trounces StreetView which quite frankly was a steaming pile of unusable turd. I mean the images are way out of date around where I live that it's not even worth the time using the feature. Frankly I would prefer something like 3D View using a satellite under Apple's control that did realtime mapping every pass. That way it would be super accurate and actually useful. By the time Apple's mapped everything they'd have to do it again due to changes in the town.  :)  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 21
    chasm said:
    Apple states that they plan on having all of the US photographed and mapped by the end of 2019, with plans to do other countries in the year after.
    Do we have confirmation that Look Around will be available covering the whole US?
    They did say that they “plan” to have the US fully mapped — by which they mean cities and most neighbourhoods — by the end of the year, but of course “plan” is a word with some wiggle room. I would expect that US cities will be good to go by the end of the year, with some gaps in especially rural/unincorporated areas. I hope they’ll also have at least the major Canadian cities mapped by that time as well, as those are some of my frequent destinations.
    That’s what I heard, too. But “fully mapped” may not mean that Look Ahead is available everywhere. I’m hoping they mean the same thing here. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 21
    jabohnjabohn Posts: 582member
    chasm said:
    Apple states that they plan on having all of the US photographed and mapped by the end of 2019, with plans to do other countries in the year after.
    Do we have confirmation that Look Around will be available covering the whole US?
    They did say that they “plan” to have the US fully mapped — by which they mean cities and most neighbourhoods — by the end of the year, but of course “plan” is a word with some wiggle room. I would expect that US cities will be good to go by the end of the year, with some gaps in especially rural/unincorporated areas. I hope they’ll also have at least the major Canadian cities mapped by that time as well, as those are some of my frequent destinations.
    The Apple "Lookaround" Car has already been spotted in Canada and they advertised that this summer they are going coast to coast.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 21
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,036member
    There are places where Google has never set up a street view.

    Point Roberts, Washington (98281), where I own property, is one.

    Maybe when Apple is gathering photo data in Vancouver they will dip below the border and add that nice little corner of the world.
  • Reply 15 of 21
    corp1corp1 Posts: 92member
    The bit about privacy at the end is ironic.

    Google has no qualms invading your privacy by driving around your neighborhood and taking pictures of everything, but now Apple seems to be following in their footsteps?
  • Reply 16 of 21
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    corp1 said:
    The bit about privacy at the end is ironic.

    Google has no qualms invading your privacy by driving around your neighborhood and taking pictures of everything, but now Apple seems to be following in their footsteps?
    There is no "invasion of privacy" with Street view or Apple's equivalent in most countries. As a photographer I've only occasionally met this same complaint fortunately, but my answer is there's no intrusion on privacy when photographing you (or your home) from a public street anymore than there is using your eyes to look at someone on a public street.  Generally there is no expectation of privacy in a public setting in the US, Australia, much of Europe... But don't photograph anyone without their consent in South Korea!
    http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf
    edited June 2019
  • Reply 17 of 21
    ZebonautZebonaut Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    They seem to have forgotten Washington D.C. and the adjacent suburbs.
  • Reply 18 of 21
    davgreg said:
    There are places where Google has never set up a street view.

    Point Roberts, Washington (98281), where I own property, is one.

    Maybe when Apple is gathering photo data in Vancouver they will dip below the border and add that nice little corner of the world.
    Read a National Geographic article on your location years ago. Part of a series on zip codes, I believe. I’m sure Apple will get your covered! And don’t forget, Canada and a few other countries are being mapped this year: https://mwp14.ls.apple.com/imagecollection/  , including my beloved Ireland, with the plan of adding them next year!
  • Reply 19 of 21
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    davgreg said:
    There are places where Google has never set up a street view.

    Point Roberts, Washington (98281), where I own property, is one.

    Maybe when Apple is gathering photo data in Vancouver they will dip below the border and add that nice little corner of the world.
    That's true. Simply zoom out so you'll see the whole planet and try to drop the yellow man for Street View. You'll instantly see it's absent in many locations. Including Germany. Yes, the country. It's only available in the larger cities over there.
  • Reply 20 of 21
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    davgreg said:
    There are places where Google has never set up a street view.

    Point Roberts, Washington (98281), where I own property, is one.

    Maybe when Apple is gathering photo data in Vancouver they will dip below the border and add that nice little corner of the world.
    That's true. Simply zoom out so you'll see the whole planet and try to drop the yellow man for Street View. You'll instantly see it's absent in many locations. Including Germany. Yes, the country. It's only available in the larger cities over there.
    ...and there's reasons for that.
    https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/germany-street-view

    Don't expect Apple "look-around" to be any more welcome there.

    edited October 2019
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