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Apple Quietly Preparing Another Big Update for Its Google Maps Killer

Apple has been working for quite some time on bringing its new Apple Maps experience to users worldwide, but the process takes a lot of time.
The new Apple Maps experience keeps expanding 7 photos
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
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And when I say a lot, I really mean it. Apple announced the new Apple Maps, which uses the company's own maps, back in 2018. Since then, the rollout has been happening in waves to regions across the world, starting with California. Unsurprisingly, users in the United States were the first to receive it, while the rest of the world got the update gradually.

Many non-U.S. users, however, are still waiting for the new Apple Maps and the so-called detailed city experience.

But as it turns out, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker is now quietly preparing another expansion that could kick off as soon as the next month.

Apple has silently started testing its next expansion in Hong Kong, Slovakia, and Taiwan, and by the looks of things, the public rollout could begin in just a few weeks. Needless to say, the company itself hasn't said a single thing about its Apple Maps expansion plans, but limited tests of the new Apple Maps have already been spotted in these regions.

Like in the regions where the new detailed city experience is available, Apple Maps in Taiwan shows additional map data, including more detailed roads, 3D buildings, crosswalks, and everything else that more accurately reproduces the real-life version. Landmarks, such as the Taipei Discovery Center, will also likely come with a 3D model.

The detailed city experience brings good news to drivers as well. Thanks to this major Apple Maps update, drivers would benefit from revamped navigation capabilities, including 3D support, stop signs, traffic lights, and so on. CarPlay navigation is getting the same refresh, so Apple Maps eventually becomes a more powerful alternative to Google Maps in the car.

In the meantime, while Apple Maps expands to new regions, the iPhone maker still seems to ignore the top feature requests from users worldwide. Apple does want to turn Apple Maps into a fully featured Google Maps competitor, but without essential capabilities, such as offline navigation, such a goal is impossible to achieve.

Google Maps is an all-in-one platform that has everything you’d need, minus traffic reporting. Waze, on the other hand, fills the gap with the best crowdsourcing engine available out there. Apple has tried to step into their territory with incident reporting in Apple Maps, but the feature is yet to gain traction. Traffic reports in Apple Maps are pretty rare, and compared to Waze, the application supports just three categories, namely speed traps, accidents, and other hazards. Apple hasn't commented on its long-term plans regarding incident reporting in its very own navigation app.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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