Apple Maps in 2019

awec

Is it just me, or is Apple Maps still absolutely garbage? The UI and address search is totally inept compared to Google. I am trying it tonight for the first time in a few years, in the hope of ditching Google, and I am actually surprised how poor it still is after all these years.

The address database is hopelessly out of date. My work's address changed (new building) nearly 18 months ago and Apple Maps cannot find it. Google has no issue.

When I instead pick a building beside my work, I try to save this as my Work address by adding it to my contact card. That's fine. But then the address gets saved incorrectly, and when you go into Maps, type "Work" and go the address it brings up, it's somewhere else entirely. It's like Apple hasn't realised that not every single address on the planet is in the format <number> <street name>.

It cannot find my daughter's creche, despite it being a huge creche chain that's been there for years. Again, Google has no issue.

So I instead add manual pins for Work and her creche, and save those, and label them. But then Siri is totally unable to ever find directions to either of them.

I also find the UI really frustratingly annoying to use, but that might just be me.

Does anyone actually use this?

godtabh

awec wrote: »

Is it just me, or is Apple Maps still absolutely garbage? The UI and address search is totally inept compared to Google. I am trying it tonight for the first time in a few years, in the hope of ditching Google, and I am actually surprised how poor it still is after all these years.

The address database is hopelessly out of date. My work's address changed (new building) nearly 18 months ago and Apple Maps cannot find it. Google has no issue.

When I instead pick a building beside my work, I try to save this as my Work address by adding it to my contact card. That's fine. But then the address gets saved incorrectly, and when you go into Maps, type "Work" and go the address it brings up, it's somewhere else entirely. It's like Apple hasn't realised that not every single address on the planet is in the format <number> <street name>.

It cannot find my daughter's creche, despite it being a huge creche chain that's been there for years. Again, Google has no issue.

So I instead add manual pins for Work and her creche, and save those, and label them. But then Siri is totally unable to ever find directions to either of them.

I also find the UI really frustratingly annoying to use, but that might just be me.

Does anyone actually use this?

It’s useless. Can’t find a lot of places or directs me to random address in the states.

Given up a bit on google also. Trying Waze

awec

I'll try Waze as well even though it's owned by Google.

Apple really need to sort it out. It's a shame iOS defaults to Apple Maps for everything.

skibum

Saw a Northern Irish reg'd Apple mapping car in loughlinstown, (south county Dublin) yesterday.....

Gregor Samsa

Does Apple Maps still give the Irish language version of place names, when speaking directions in English? Like “in one kilometre, take the exit for Léim an Bhradáin“

I gave up on it last year because of this. I was spending too much time reading the roadsigns to see where it was taking about, defeating the purpose of using a navigation app.

On a related note, I grew up in Donnycarney in Dublin, and any time I go back to my Dad’s house and take photos with my iPhone, it tags the location as being “Royal Oak”, which is a place name I’ve never heard of, but is seemingly a few miles away in Santry. Tim Apple’s geography obviously isn’t the best.

awec

phutyle wrote: »

Does Apple Maps still give the Irish language version of place names, when speaking directions in English? Like “in one kilometre, take the exit for Léim an Bhradáin“

I gave up on it last year because of this. I was spending too much time reading the roadsigns to see where it was taking about, defeating the purpose of using a navigation app.

On a related note, I grew up in Donnycarney in Dublin, and any time I go back to my Dad’s house and take photos with my iPhone, it tags the location as being “Royal Oak”, which is a place name I’ve never heard of, but is seemingly a few miles away in Santry. Tim Apple’s geography obviously isn’t the best.

The location tagging in iOS for photos is a bit weird, it uses locations that nobody uses in everyday life. It tries to go too local by using townlands that are no longer relevant.

I took some photos in Leopardstown and Apple tags them as "Carmanhall". Which is a tiny townland in the Leopardstown/Sandyford area, but not an area name that anyone would ever use.

Google gave me a random instruction in partial Irish the other day. Told me "at the roundabout take the third exit for M50 ó dheas". Has never happened before.

Type 17

Apple are rolling out a new, (allegedly) improved version of Maps in iOS13, in the US later this year, and around the world during 2020.

I've also seen a UK-reg Apple Maps car in Dublin last week.

The Irish language and ancient townland thing probably comes from the fact that they licensed existing (older) maps to get started, and these included names that are no longer in common usage.
When I take a photo around Ballsbridge/Donnybrook in Dublin, it's called Pembroke, but the Pembroke Estate, lands belonging to the Earl of Pembroke (today most of Dublin 4 and some of 2 & 6) was combined with other areas to form Dublin Corporation in the 1930's...

MrMusician18

I saw an apple mapping car in North Dublin yesterday as well.

Looks like they're preparing to launch an apple street view service (if they haven't already?)

coylemj

MrMusician18 wrote: »

I saw an apple mapping car in North Dublin yesterday as well.

Looks like they're preparing to launch an apple street view service (if they haven't already?)

+1 the Apple camera car was in Dublin 18 yesterday. And while I've seen a Google camera car a few times, I saw a pedestrian Google camera a few weeks ago in Sandymount. Guy with a backpack from which was protruding a stalk at the top of there was cameras pointing in four directions.

Gumbo

Type 17 wrote: »

I've also seen a UK-reg Apple Maps car in Dublin last week.

Seen it in Phibsborough the other day too.

shanec1928

You can change address and mark places as closed. Apple are usually pretty quick to update it once submitted usually under two weeks

Oafley Jones

skibum wrote: »

Saw a Northern Irish reg'd Apple mapping car in loughlinstown, (south county Dublin) yesterday.....

White Car? They were around Cork City last month.

brav

https://maps.apple.com/imagecollection/

They are mapping all of Ireland at the moment, they put the locations up on there, there are many of their cars out there, i'd say they are finishing up England and doing the North too as they have been over there the past year.

Gregor Samsa

I said above that I gave up on Apple Maps, but I made the mistake of keeping it on my phone.

Arrived in France today, and my wife punched the address of the campsite we’re staying in into Apple Maps. The location it returned looked spot on, so off we went. After an hour trundling merrily along, it told us to take a sharp right. The right was on a blind bend off a main road, so I indicated and slowed down to take it before I could see it. Just as I did, we realised that it was a narrow private driveway. We stopped, and Apple Maps told us we’d now have to walk 3 km to our destination - across private fields.

Deleted it there and then, reversed precariously back onto the main road, fired up Google Maps, and after a 15km detour, we were at the campsite using actual roads.

coylemj

I've used offline Google Maps with mixed results. What I use now and it costs me €20 p.a. is Tom Tom Go navigation, the maps are downloaded to your device so they're offline. You can store waypoints and do regular 'go to' navigation.

godtabh

awec wrote: »

The location tagging in iOS for photos is a bit weird, it uses locations that nobody uses in everyday life. It tries to go too local by using townlands that are no longer relevant.

I took some photos in Leopardstown and Apple tags them as "Carmanhall". Which is a tiny townland in the Leopardstown/Sandyford area, but not an area name that anyone would ever use.

Google gave me a random instruction in partial Irish the other day. Told me "at the roundabout take the third exit for M50 ó dheas". Has never happened before.

Isn't there a Carmanhal Road out that direction?

awec

godtabh wrote: »

Isn't there a Carmanhal Road out that direction?

There is, it’s the road with the Londis and the entrance to Dunnes on it.

Creamy Goodness

Apple maps is just awful anywhere outside of California. It’s such a shame as when I’m using it for navigation the maps actually work better. The tiles are vector based meaning zooming is nicer (although I think google went vector based after Apple did it). They use proper local colour for roads (blue motorway, green N roads etc.) whereas with google you have to look out for the lettering and width of the roads which just requires that tiny bit more mental power.

Google’s Place of interest database is ten years ahead of Apple’s I hope Apple’s gets better but they’ve had a good few years to do so and it’s only gotten marginally better.

The Bishop Basher

Apple maps is unusable in its current state but my daughter saw the mapping car in Greystones Last week so I assumed they must be improving it.

Aquos76

Apple Maps car going around Waterford City that last few days also.

donspeekinglesh

Apple Maps car has been around Maynooth recently too (as had the GMaps one).

Interesting read here (as well as his other blog posts on the subject): https://www.justinobeirne.com/new-apple-maps

jack presley

According to the link on the back of that car, they are collecting data in Ireland from May - July.

Blazer

The huge problem with Apple maps is its simply not available to everyone as easily as google maps.
Try getting into google maps without an android or ios phone. Its easy peasy.
Try getting into apple maps? You need to root around and eventually you'll find it but first you need to create an apple id.

I get why Apple need to create maps but until googe block them out from its apis I'll always use google maps for the simple reason its easier to access across multiple devices. Within 30 secs I can boot my pc, get onto google maps and save a location which I can pick up then from my phone when I get into my car.

whiterebel

The car was around East Cork a few weeks ago.

freshpopcorn

I saw one of these cars in June. Does anybody have any idea of the approx date when this will put online?

Type 17

The improved version of Maps for the Rest of the World (outside the US) will be rolled out during 2020, they’re doing the US rollout this year.