Some new features really stood out when Apple revealed the next versions of all its operating systems during Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. Users of iPhone, Mac and iPad, and Apple Watch, too, can look forward to welcome improvements this fall.
We picked out the best of these to make sure they don’t get overlooked.
In iOS 15, Apple Maps will gain new features that make life easier for anybody using the app to navigate the world.
An interactive globe will give users a new way to dive into Apple Maps. Enhanced details will make driving safer and less confusing. And new features will make exploring certain cities simpler than ever.
“Our goal has always been to build the world’s best map,” said Meg Frost, product design director of Apple Maps, during Monday’s WWDC keynote. “So we looked at everything we’ve done so far and asked ourselves, ‘How can we push things even further?'”
Apple Maps’ “Look Around” featured now works in Atlanta, Georgia, allowing users everywhere to scope out Centennial Olympic Park or Mercedes Benz Stadium as it looks from ground level.
This marks the 29th location that Apple’s rival to Google’s Street View is available in.
Apple Maps gives users in the U.S. the ability to report accidents, hazards and speed traps in iOS 14.5. The information you submit could help other road users avoid lengthy jams and expensive tickets.
Here’s how to file your own report inside the Maps app.
Apple rushed out iOS 14.5.1 on Monday, an update that fixes a bug in the App Tracking Transparency feature rolled out a week ago.
“This update fixes an issue with App Tracking Transparency where some users who previously disabled Allow Apps to Request to Track in Settings may not receive prompts from apps after re-enabling it,” Apple’s release notes said. “This update also provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.”
iPadOS 14.5.1, a version of the software for iPad users, also arrived Monday.
Apple Maps now displays airport COVID-19 health measures data, making it easier for travelers to find airport health guidance.
With vaccinations becoming more widespread, air travel is picking up. But airports still have requirements for passengers. Finding out what they are for each airport is now as simple as opening Apple Maps.
An update to Apple Maps adds COVID-19 vaccination locations. Users can find nearby businesses and organizations providing the life-saving injections from the Search bar in Apple Maps by selecting COVID-19 Vaccines in the Find Nearby menu.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Scott Forstall, Apple’s former SVP of iOS software, was being talked about as a possible CEO successor to Steve Jobs. Then came the disastrous Apple Maps launch in 2012, and Forstall’s subsequent departure from the company.
Forstall has shown up a couple of times since then, but otherwise maintained a low profile. Now, as unearthed by the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit, the Cupertino company says it doesn’t even have a current phone number for Forstall — only a Twitter account and P.O. Box reference.
Apple Maps will start collecting crowd-sourced accident reports when iOS 14.5 is released. The beta version already lets users test sharing the locations of accidents, speed traps and other hazards.
This is hardly cutting edge, of course. Google Waze has included the feature for years.
December 10, 2012: Apple fixes an Apple Maps error that caused several motorists in Victoria, Australia, to become stranded in the remote Murray-Sunset National Park.
The glitch showed the town of Mildura about 45 miles from its actual location. In the aftermath, Victoria police describe the app as “potentially life-threatening.” That’s pretty much the opposite of “it just works.”
