Apple Launches Brand New Maps for Five Countries

Maps now shows more detailed roads, improved navigation, 3D landmarks, and incredible features like Look Around and Natural Language Guidance.

As of today, Apple users in the Netherlands, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland have access to the new Apple Maps. Navigation has become faster and more accurate, and buildings, parks, airports and shopping centers are shown in detail. Sights such as the Grand Ducal Palace, the NEMO Science Museum and the castles of Bellinzona can be viewed in 3D. All in all, it has become even easier and more fun to plan a trip.“With Apple Maps you can explore the whole world without compromising your privacy. We’re excited to extend the benefits to even more users with the new features we’re introducing today,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. “Maps has been completely redesigned and now offers better navigation, more detail, better information for places and great features that only Apple can offer, such as ‘Look Around’ and ‘Natural Language Guidance’. It is now easier than ever to plan trips to your favorite destinations.”Maps enables millions of people in more than 200 countries and regions to explore the world. Privacy is at the heart of Maps – personalized features use machine learning on the device – and the app can be used anywhere: at home, in the office and on the road, with iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, and in the car with CarPlay. The Maps app is nestled deep within popular apps customers use every day, such as Photos, Messages, Calendar, and Weather. Through MapKit and MapKit JS, Maps also powers thousands of third-party apps and services.

New navigation experience

Apart from the new map, there are also many features that make it easier for users to explore the world. The Siri Natural Language Guidance feature provides directions that sound more natural and are easier to follow, for example “Turn left at the next traffic light”. Lane Guidance already directs drivers to the correct lane as they approach their exit or causeway. This is to prevent them from turning too late or driving in the wrong direction. The Speed ​​Cameras feature shows when users are approaching a speed or red light camera, and these cameras are also marked on the map. With iOS 16, routes with up to 15 stops can be planned in Apple Maps. The route automatically syncs from Mac to iPhone when it’s time to hit the road.Users can tell family, friends or colleagues what time they expect to arrive with a tap, or via Siri with Share Arrival. The recipient can track the journey and see a revised ETA in Maps if there is a delay. It’s also easy to report an accident, danger or speed trap by just saying to Siri “There’s been an accident ahead” or “There’s something on the road.” Users can even report when an accident shown on the map is over, all while keeping their attention on the traffic.Also, drivers with certain EVs can plan their journey in Maps with suitable charging points, taking into account elevation changes and other factors along the route.Public transport users in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland can more easily find nearby stations and secure frequently used lines. With iOS 16, public transport travelers can now see what their journey costs in Maps, put their public transport subscription in Wallet and view and top up their balance.

Explore with ‘Look around’

The Look Around feature in Maps provides high-resolution street-level images, 3D photos, and smooth transitions. Maps users from around the world can now navigate to their heart’s content in the Netherlands, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Visual walking instructions

Users can receive turn-by-turn augmented reality walking instructions by simply holding up their iPhone to scan nearby buildings. Maps then pinpoints its position with pinpoint accuracy and provides detailed instructions that can be viewed in the context of the real world.In addition to the new updates now available, Maps offers many useful features:

• Cities in 3D with incredible detail for neighborhoods, shopping areas, marinas, buildings and more. In a number of cities worldwide (including London, Los Angeles, Montreal, Paris, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Washington), users can see elevation data, new street labels, and landmarks.

• Favorites offers the ability to navigate to frequently visited locations with one tap. When a destination is in Favorites, users – whether they are at home, at work, at the gym or at school – can get going with a simple tap.

• Flyover offers the ability to view selected metropolitan areas in impressive, photo-realistic 3D rendering. By moving their device through space, users can experience a city from above or explore it in high resolution, zooming, tilting and rotating their device through the city and its landmarks.

• With Maps for Airports and Malls, users can simply open the Maps app to see what floor they are on, where the restrooms are located, and even which shops and restaurants are open.

Maps and privacy

Apple believes it is important that personal information is well protected, so privacy is deeply embedded in Maps. You do not need to log in to Maps. Personalized features, such as a suggested departure time for the next appointment, use machine learning on the device. Data that Maps collects during use, such as search terms, navigation routes and traffic information, is associated with random identifiers that are reset regularly, so that search and location data on the server cannot be associated with an identifiable user. To obscure a user’s location on Apple’s servers when searching, Maps takes it a step further, using what it calls “fuzzing”: