Apple is trying to catch up with the competition by working hard on its mapping application. Here’s everything you need to know to master Apple Maps like the back of your hand.
A while ago, let’s be honest, Apple Maps was still way behind on Google Maps. The Cupertino company, aware of the poor performance of its mapping application, had unveiled plans to improve Plans during the presentation of iOS 13.
In addition to a more detailed map, Apple Maps is now more precise on pedestrian routes, and has been offering public transport routes in many French cities for a few days. The last update of the application has also considerably improved the performance of Plans.
For the next big project of Plans, Apple intends to send its vehicles to travel the roads of France in order to retrieve data to further improve its application, but above all to capture images that will be integrated into a 360 ° view feature, supposed to compete with Google Street View.
In the meantime, discover all the tips and hidden functions to fully enjoy Apple Maps on your iPhone.
1. Quickly find nearby places
To quickly find important places nearby, open Maps and tap in the search field to activate it. The app should show suggestions for places to search near you. For example, tap Restaurants to display surrounding establishments on the map.
By scrolling down the lower pane, you will get the full list of restaurants near you. Each of them has a sheet illustrated with photos and enriched with comments directly from several services such as TheFork, Yelp, TripAdvisor or even PagesJaunes.
2. Display a 3D view of the buildings
When viewing classic map view, you can quickly switch to a 3D building view by swiping two fingers up the screen.
To get an even more interesting view, press the i button, top right, and select Satellite view. In large cities, you will get a 3D aerial view of the places you are looking for.
3. Fly over big cities
For some cities, Apple Maps offers a Flyover function that allows you to visit them virtually by hovering over them. You will be able to try your luck, with very many cities in the world, in France, you will have to be satisfied witharound fifty large cities and tourist sites.
So look for one of these cities in the field provided and press the Flyover button. You can manually move your iPhone in space to explore the city from the sky, but also press the Start city tour button to start a virtual tour automatically.
4. Display the public transport map
In recent weeks, Apple has added the public transport card in many cities. If for the smallest, the application does not integrate all the means of transport available, for the largest such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Lille, Bordeaux or Strasbourg, you can display in detail the stations of the different lines of transport.
Search for a city and zoom in on its map. Then press the i button, at the top right of Maps, and switch to the Transport tab.
The map should automatically display the transportation lines in color. By zooming in a little more, you will even be able to display the stations of each of them.
5. Calculate a route by public transport
The arrival of public transport in Apple Plans is great news. Now you can easily find a route by public transport in any city directly from Apple Maps.
Several routes can be proposed and the transport options can be modified according to the means of transport you wish to favor. For each route, Apple Maps displays the detailed route including the walking phases and connections.
6. Use an alternate route
Whether you are looking for a route by car, on foot, or by public transport, very often the first route suggested by the application is the one you choose. However, most of the time, the application has several alternative routes under its belt.
To display them, fully extend the search pane to the top. If the suggested routes are not to your liking, you can view others by tapping More Choices.
7. Share your exact location
If for some reason you need to share your exact location or view your GPS coordinates, tap the arrow icon at the top right of Maps to locate you on the map, and tap the point blue which illustrates you for details.
In addition to an approximate address, you will get your exact GPS coordinates (Latitude and Longitude). All you have to do is press the Share my location button to send these coordinates by SMS, e-mail, etc.
8. Add favorite addresses
To allow you to keep track of your favorite places, Apple Maps offers you to add them in the menu of the same name, or to group them in Collections.
In Favorites, you can add, for example, the addresses of places you visit frequently by pressing Add. You will be able to quickly launch a route to these places as soon as Maps opens. On the other hand, collections will allow you to create categories of places whose address you do not want to lose: restaurants, bars, shops, etc.
Pull down the search pane, and tap New collection to create a new category. Then select your Collection and press the + button to search for a location and add it to it.
You can also add any location you are looking for in Maps to your collections by accessing the complete listing of an establishment where you should find an Add to button allowing you to add the address to one of your collections.
9. Choose a favorite mode of transport
Natively, when you search for a route in Apple Maps, the application establishes a route by car. However, it is possible to modify the preferences of the application so that it automatically launches your routes in pedestrian or public transport mode.
Open iOS Settings and enter the menu dedicated to Maps. In the Preferred type of transportation section, select By car, On foot, or Transportation, depending on your needs.
All the routes that you will find in Maps will be carried out in priority for the means of transport that you have chosen.
10. Delete your search history
All searches performed in Maps are kept by the app, which suggests them in Recent Searches once the search pane is deployed. To remove them, unfold the search pane and just hit Clear.
11. Share estimated arrival time
When you are looking for a route by car and using the navigation, you can very easily share the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival), understand your estimated time of arrival, with your loved ones.
To do this, in navigation mode, unfold the lower pane, tap Share arrival time and select the contact (s) you want to keep up to date.
If relatives with an iPhone can follow you directly from the Maps application on their device, those with an Android smartphone will receive a simple text message telling them your arrival time, with update text messages if there is a change.
12. Avoid Highways / Tolls
On longer journeys, Apple Maps will generally offer you the fastest route, sometimes with portions of highways and tolls. If you want to avoid them, you can definitely tell the app.
To do this, search for a route, and while Maps displays the suggested route options, pull the entire pane up. Then press Car options and tick the options, Tolls, Motorways, or both, that you want to avoid and confirm by pressing OK.
The application should automatically recalculate one or more routes taking these preferences into account.
13. Keep the music sounding
What is more annoying than listening to a piece of music or a podcast noisy by the instructions of the GPS? Access the Audio options directly from the navigation window while driving and activate the Pause audio option.
Each time the GPS gives an instruction, the sound of the listening music or podcast will pause before resuming.
You will also find this option in the iOS Settings where you will have to enter the menu dedicated to Maps then in the Driving and navigation submenu.
14. Display the weather forecast
Did you know that it is possible to consult the weather forecast directly from Maps? Launch the app and let it locate you.
At the bottom right of the map, a small button briefly displays the weather and the current temperature. By keeping your finger pressed on the button, a more complete weather forecast is displayed.
Even better, no matter where you are looking in Apple Maps, you will be able to check the local weather forecast with sometimes the air quality index for the area.
15. Display the map of airports and shopping centers
In addition to guiding you outside, Apple Maps can, like Google Maps, display the interior mapping of certain buildings. On its site, Apple lists the airports and shopping centers whose maps are available in Maps.
In France, the Apple application can direct you to the Palais des congrès de Paris, as well as the Les 4 Temps, Belle Épine, Vélizy 2, So Ouest or Rosny 2 shopping centers in Paris and the Paris region.