Photo: MacRumors
We’ve known for a while that Apple has been working hard on building a rival to Google Maps, and while Apple Maps has evolved substantially on several fronts, many people think the app still has a long way to go until it can become their daily driver.
The good news is Apple Maps is gradually improving, sometimes with features borrowed from their rivals. The latest such update concerns the ratings and reviews that are now being added to Apple Maps and which, according to a recent report, are currently expanding to more users in the United States.
Previously, Apple relied on Yelp ratings to provide information in Apple Maps for restaurants, bars, and other locations, but beginning with iOS 14, which was shipped the last fall, the Cupertino-based tech giant has introduced native reviews powered by its very own users.
In other words, it wants Apple Maps users themselves to publish ratings and reviews for the businesses they visit, obviously as part of an approach that looks a lot like the one used by Google for Google Maps.
However, Apple’s bigger problem is this new feature is rolling out at a really slow pace to users out there. Originally introduced the last fall for a handful of users, it’s now expanding to more users, again only in the United States. And what’s more, it’s still not available for everybody, with Apple remaining tight-lipped as to when general availability could be reached.
In the meantime, Apple is also busy polishing Apple Maps in another direction. The company has borrowed incident reporting capabilities from Waze, essentially allowing users to flag things like accidents and speed traps on the map and therefore warn drivers in advance as they approach them.
But once again, this new feature is also available to a limited number of users, so it’ll probably take years until Apple Maps can eventually be considered a full alternative to the likes of Google Maps and Waze outside the United States.
Previously, Apple relied on Yelp ratings to provide information in Apple Maps for restaurants, bars, and other locations, but beginning with iOS 14, which was shipped the last fall, the Cupertino-based tech giant has introduced native reviews powered by its very own users.
In other words, it wants Apple Maps users themselves to publish ratings and reviews for the businesses they visit, obviously as part of an approach that looks a lot like the one used by Google for Google Maps.
However, Apple’s bigger problem is this new feature is rolling out at a really slow pace to users out there. Originally introduced the last fall for a handful of users, it’s now expanding to more users, again only in the United States. And what’s more, it’s still not available for everybody, with Apple remaining tight-lipped as to when general availability could be reached.
In the meantime, Apple is also busy polishing Apple Maps in another direction. The company has borrowed incident reporting capabilities from Waze, essentially allowing users to flag things like accidents and speed traps on the map and therefore warn drivers in advance as they approach them.
But once again, this new feature is also available to a limited number of users, so it’ll probably take years until Apple Maps can eventually be considered a full alternative to the likes of Google Maps and Waze outside the United States.
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