Skip to main content

Apple launches expansive Maps update for New York City and beyond

Apple has launched a fresh update of its Maps app for The Big Apple that promises to compete with Google Maps in both features and detail.

The update, part of the Apple Maps overhaul in the recently released iOS 13, which is rolling out in phases, will likely reach users at different times, but they’ll know it when they see it.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple Maps, which until now had relied on third-party sources, deployed its own fleet of hundreds of custom vehicles and aircraft, armed with imaging and LIDAR data collection apparatus, to construct a completely new map designed to present better details of streets, pedestrian data, accurate addresses, and extensive coverage resulting in more realistic views of roads, buildings, parks, marinas, and beaches. The app also includes indoor maps for large venues like malls and airports.

Recommended Videos

Today’s New York City rollout for all five boroughs includes the new Look Around feature that offers high-resolution, 3D images that can pan 360 degrees from any spot and move up and down streets — like Google Street View. It also incorporates Siri Natural Language Guidance for more comprehensible directions. For example, instead of saying “in 1,000 feet turn left,” Siri says “turn left at the next traffic light.”

Apple

A new Flyover feature, available today for 350 major metropolitan areas, offers photo-realistic, immersive 3D views so that you can move your device around you in order to examine a location from various perspectives.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

New York City is not the first to see Maps upgrades come online — Apple started with its native California, followed by Hawaii and parts of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It’s now moving up and down the Northeast corridor to cover New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Washington DC, and parts of Virginia and West Virginia. The rest of the continental U.S. doesn’t have long to wait. Apple says its Maps updates will cover the rest of country by the end of the year, and other locations next year.

Apple Maps is available on all Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and CarPlay-equipped vehicles.

Jackie Dove
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app…
iOS 18.4 is coming: everything we know so far
An Apple iPhone showing Siri's interface.

This week, Apple rolled out the iOS 18.3 update for supported iPhones. While it may not be as feature-rich as iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2, this update introduced several new features, including updated Notification Summaries, mobile Safari enhancements, Calculator app improvements, and various bug fixes. With this update behind us, attention will soon turn to iOS 18.4.

Although this upcoming update has not yet been released in beta form for developers, we already have some insights into what it may include.
A more aware Siri
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects iOS 18.4 to focus almost exclusively on a refreshed version of Siri that’s part of Apple Intelligence.

Read more
Apple in hot water over adoption of new connectivity tech
Transferring an eSIM from an old iPhone to an iPhone 14.

A complaint against Apple has been raised in the U.K. by industry giant BT Group, where it has voiced concerns over the company’s use of eSIM technology, claiming it could hurt its business and stifle competition. The BT Group, which owns the EE network, the U.K.’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, told the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) according to a report by The Telegraph:

“We encourage the CMA to consider the risk of disintermediation in the telecoms industry with respect to eSIMs, which is an additional area where handset providers could exercise their strong market position.”

Read more
The next iPad may miss out on Apple’s biggest new feature
Two hands holding an iPad.

Apple Intelligence is, without a doubt, the biggest advancement Apple has made in years — so it's surprising that the next iPad might not have those features. The iPad 11 could ship with the older T8120 processor, and that likely means it will use the A16 chipset. The A16 chipset, powerful though it might be, doesn't offer the same level of support for Apple Intelligence features as newer models.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, along with the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, both use this chipset. According to MacRumors, the information is backed by a source that chose to remain anonymous; however, it also contradicts what Mark Gurman has previously said, and Gurman has the more proven track record.

Read more