Apple added beautiful 3D details to Maps, but it still can’t get me out of this forest
0Reported today on The Verge
For the full article visit: https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/11/22528793/apple-maps-missing-features-ios-15-aesthetics-functionality
Reported today in The Verge.
Apple added beautiful 3D details to Maps, but it still can't get me out of this forest
During the iOS portion of Apple's WWDC keynote, it showed some amazing demos of 3D cities and AR transit directions, but amid all the beautiful features there were a few things missing from the stage and Apple's iOS 15 feature list. Namely, some basic navigation tools that would let me get around easier.
Since Apple seems to be focusing a lot on Maps (it got stage time at last year's keynote, too), perhaps they're also taking requests? Here's my wishlist.
Offline Maps
Without a cellular signal or Wi-Fi, Apple Maps turns into a brick - you can't search for locations, find routes, or do anything useful. This is, to put it lightly, a bit of a problem for a navigation app that's been around for eight years. Imagine you used Apple Maps to navigate to somewhere that doesn't have reliable cell service (like, say, many national parks), then want to go home. Apple Maps can get you through a dead zone, but if you'll be staying a while, you won't be able to use Apple Maps to get back.
While leaving civilization and never coming back may appeal to some people (hello), it's not the experience most are looking for. There are various ways to solve this - Apple could create a system where Maps caches the places you've recently traveled through, making at least basic routing available without an internet connection, or it could go full Google Maps and let you arbitrarily download massive parts of the map that will be available offline. There just needs to be some way to navigate your way out of a cellular dead zone should you find yourself in one.
Since Apple Maps will work offline if you've got navigation going, maybe there's a workaround? Could you create a route that