Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Apple has been trying to build a better Google Maps alternative for years, and the detailed city experience, whose rollout started three years ago, makes a good reason for sticking with the native navigation solution on an iPhone.
Apple has recently released an essential feature of the "new" Apple Maps in more regions in Europe, as it keeps working on bringing new-generation capabilities to more users.
The cycling directions, which debuted in Apple Maps many years ago in iOS 14, are now live in Austria, Belgium, and Sweden as part of a quiet rollout gradually enabled for users in these regions. The feature allows users to get directions for cycling routes in the largest cities, with Apple Maps taking into account bike lanes and paths, route inclines, stairs, and other factors that could make a route more convenient for a cyclist.
Bike navigation is also available in other European regions, including France and Germany, but Apple is yet to announce the broad availability on the continent. It also launched the feature in the United States and China, but the company sticks with a gradual rollout that spans over several years. Apple has never shared an ETA regarding the general availability of cycling navigation in Apple Maps, as it gradually collects data to enable the feature in more regions.
Apple's ambitious goal is to turn Apple Maps into a more advanced Google Maps alternative, though it's safe to say that the company still has a long road ahead, especially from a feature availability perspective.
The detailed city experience, which consists of in-house maps with stunning details, including sidewalks, crosswalks, and medians, turns Apple Maps into a solid Google Maps replacement in regions where it's already available. The update includes Waze-like incident reporting, stop signs, traffic light information, and Look Around (an alternative to Google's Street View). However, the detailed city experience hasn't yet reached the broad availability phase either, with Apple bringing it to more regions painfully slowly. Not even the US is entirely supported.
Improving Apple Maps has become a priority for the iPhone maker, as the demise of the Apple Car forces the company to focus on software and services for an expansion in the automotive space. Apple Maps and CarPlay now spearhead Apple's automotive strategy, with the two platforms expected to receive significant updates in the short term.
The next WWDC event (Apple's developer conference where the company typically shares big software announcements) should witness the debut of a new Apple Maps expansion, with the iPhone maker also expected to release news regarding the adoption of CarPlay 2.0. The new-generation CarPlay will debut this year in cars from Porsche and Aston Martin, but several other carmakers are also projected to adopt the system beginning in late 2024.
The cycling directions, which debuted in Apple Maps many years ago in iOS 14, are now live in Austria, Belgium, and Sweden as part of a quiet rollout gradually enabled for users in these regions. The feature allows users to get directions for cycling routes in the largest cities, with Apple Maps taking into account bike lanes and paths, route inclines, stairs, and other factors that could make a route more convenient for a cyclist.
Bike navigation is also available in other European regions, including France and Germany, but Apple is yet to announce the broad availability on the continent. It also launched the feature in the United States and China, but the company sticks with a gradual rollout that spans over several years. Apple has never shared an ETA regarding the general availability of cycling navigation in Apple Maps, as it gradually collects data to enable the feature in more regions.
Apple's ambitious goal is to turn Apple Maps into a more advanced Google Maps alternative, though it's safe to say that the company still has a long road ahead, especially from a feature availability perspective.
The detailed city experience, which consists of in-house maps with stunning details, including sidewalks, crosswalks, and medians, turns Apple Maps into a solid Google Maps replacement in regions where it's already available. The update includes Waze-like incident reporting, stop signs, traffic light information, and Look Around (an alternative to Google's Street View). However, the detailed city experience hasn't yet reached the broad availability phase either, with Apple bringing it to more regions painfully slowly. Not even the US is entirely supported.
Improving Apple Maps has become a priority for the iPhone maker, as the demise of the Apple Car forces the company to focus on software and services for an expansion in the automotive space. Apple Maps and CarPlay now spearhead Apple's automotive strategy, with the two platforms expected to receive significant updates in the short term.
The next WWDC event (Apple's developer conference where the company typically shares big software announcements) should witness the debut of a new Apple Maps expansion, with the iPhone maker also expected to release news regarding the adoption of CarPlay 2.0. The new-generation CarPlay will debut this year in cars from Porsche and Aston Martin, but several other carmakers are also projected to adopt the system beginning in late 2024.
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