6 ways Apple Maps has made itself indispensable

Apple Maps (or Apple Maps) is allowed to blow out ten candles on an autodrop cake. Apple Maps went from a rocky start to a must-have app during that period.

10 years of Apple Cards

When the first iPhones appeared, Google Maps was still standard for all your route calculations. That went well until Google and Apple became increasingly fierce competitors and the Android version of Google Maps got features that the iOS version was not supposed to have.

That’s why Apple introduced Apple Maps on September 19, 2012, which was called Apple Maps in the Netherlands. But unlike many other Apple products, Maps wasn’t finished well when it was added to iOS 6. It was so bad that Tim Cook (who had only been CEO for a year) apologized in an open letter and recommended alternative apps.

Fortunately, a lot has changed in the past ten years. Apple has started to take the app seriously and we can now recommend Apple Maps to everyone. These are the ways the app has made itself indispensable.

1. Privacy on the go

The most important thing Apple Maps has done is offer us an alternative to Google. Many people feel uncomfortable with the amount of user information Google collects to sell ads. With Apple Maps, you really don’t need Google Maps anymore.

2. Clean design

In addition, Google Maps is overflowing with options, making it not always the most clear and user-friendly app. Apple opts for a more minimalist style without sacrificing the information you need.

3. Own data makes for beautiful cards

In 2018, Apple Maps was completely rebuilt with Apple’s own data. That was quite a lot of work, because the whole world had to be mapped. That’s why the company started in the United States. Vans full of sensors drove around to collect data, but the data from iPhone users was also used. That may sound a bit scary, because this is exactly what Google gets so much criticism about. But Apple made sure that this information was used completely anonymously and with extra privacy sensitivity, just to improve its own app.

This year, the Netherlands will also receive this improved version of Apple Maps, with buildings in 3D on the map and the introduction of Apple’s answer to Google Street View: Look Around.

4. New features regularly

It’s clear that Apple Maps is important to the company, as new features are added quickly. Sometimes it’s a bit slow. Certainly if new options are first introduced only in major American cities and only years later in the Netherlands. But many new features are also readily available worldwide. For example, with iOS 15 it became easy to see how busy it is on the road and from iOS 16 you can add stops when planning a route and see height differences during a walk.

5. In the car with CarPlay and Siri

With the introduction of CarPlay, Apple Maps entered the car in a new way. You no longer had to hang the iPhone in the car after which you had to read the route on the small screen, but you can simply use a large screen that does not distract you with notifications and apps that you should not use in the car. It is also useful that you can simply use Siri to control the app in the car.

The great thing about Apple Maps, in combination with CarPlay, is that new functions are directly supported. For example, when Apple added the option to place multiple apps in the picture, it worked directly with Maps, but it took months before Google Maps also got this update.

6. Works great between your different Apple devices

If you use multiple Apple devices, Apple Maps is a great app because you can easily share information between devices. From your Mac to your iPhone and to your Apple Watch.

Tips for Apple Maps

Do you also think Apple Maps is such a great app? Then we have some tips to make using the app more pleasant. For example, you can quickly find your way home with Apple Maps and we’ll tell you how to send Apple Maps directions from your Mac to your iPhone.