Apple brings new Maps to UK and Ireland (updated)
The new Maps app on Macs is a Catalyst port.
Apple is in the process of updating Maps in the UK and Ireland, with new interactive views and the welcome addition of cycling routes.
You can even visit Trafalgar Square (virtually)
The new Maps look different and provide more detail about the places you go. They also rely on a host of data Apple has been gathering in its Apple Maps Cars.
Apple has also changed the way Maps provides directions, which should deliver more natural instructions now that the update is coming. While the update is in the process of taking place, some users are reporting the addition of new features – such as the addition of directions for cyclists and electric vehicle charging points.
Others claim to have found StreetView-like Lookaround function in some locations (London, Edinburgh and Dublin, and more to come), and road speeds in Ireland.
What Apple said
“Apple Maps is the best way to explore and navigate the world — all while protecting your privacy — and we’re excited to bring the new map to our users in the UK and Ireland,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.“We have rebuilt the map from the ground up, with better navigation, richer detail, more accurate information for places, and incredible features like Look Around, cycling directions, and curated Guides from trusted resources. We’ve reimagined how Maps can help users find the places they love and get to where they’re going even faster and easier.”
How to use Lookaround
If you are in the UK you may not have used Lookaround, which was introduced in the U.S. last year. But you can still use it in some U.S. locations. Here’s a way to find out how it works:
- In Maps, go to Apple Park
- Tap nearby and zoom in on the Map
- At some point you’ll see a binoculars icon appear.
- When it does, tap it and a screen will appear in which you can explore the local area.
Apple has also introduced Guides, which provide a curated list of interesting places to visit in a city, created by a selection of trusted resources including Time Out Group, Lonely Planet, and The Evening Standard. Guides are a great way to find popular attractions, discover restaurants, and explore new recommendations from respected brands.
Additional features:
- Real-time transit information gives detailed transit schedules, live departure times, arrival times, the current location of a bus or train en route, and system connections to help plan a journey. Maps also includes important real-time information like outages. Real-time transit is available in many cities across the world.
- Speed cameras will let users know when approaching speed and red light cameras along a route, with the added ability to see where they are located on the map.5
- Share ETA sends an estimated time of arrival to family, friends, or coworkers with a simple tap. The receiver can follow along on the journey, and Maps will even update them with a revised estimate for when the traveler is arriving if a significant delay occurs.
- Favourites provides one-tap navigation to frequent places. Whether it’s home, work, the gym, or school, users can simply tap and go once it’s in Favourites on the launch screen.
- Siri Natural Language Guidance provides more natural-sounding directions that are even easier to follow, such as “At the next traffic light, turn left.”
- Flyover offers a way to see select major metro areas with photo-realistic, immersive 3D views. Users can move their device through space to experience a city from above, or explore in high resolution as they zoom, pan, tilt, and rotate around the city and its landmarks.
- Flight status uses on-device Siri intelligence to scan for information stored in Mail, Calendar, or Wallet, and proactively serves flight information for terminals, gate locations, and departure times, as well as flight changes or cancellations for upcoming travel.
- Indoor Maps for airports and malls makes it possible for users to simply open the Maps app and see what level they’re on, restroom locations, and even which stores and restaurants are open.
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