navigation

Finding what to watch gets easier in redesigned Apple TV app

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Apple may simplify its TV app for users by the end of the year.
Apple may simplify its TV app for users by the end of the year.
Photo: Apple

Finding what to watch with the Apple TV app is about to get easier. The newly released developer beta for tvOS 17.2 gives a preview of the new navigation users will soon see.

Apple TV+ and other content sources will surface in a sidebar list on the left side of app pages.

Google Maps improves iOS navigation and adds Apple Watch support

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Google Maps improves navigation for iOS and adds features for Apple Watch.
Google Maps improves navigation for iOS and adds features for Apple Watch.
Photo: Google

Google is making improvements to its Google Maps for iOS app, including new features and updates intended to make navigation easier on both iPhone and Apple Watch.

Changes to the Google Maps for iOS app include a more-detailed navigation map that shows enhanced building outlines as well as streetlights and stop signs. It’s designed to help users traveling in unfamiliar locations.

CarPlay in iOS 13, the perfect road trip companion [Video]

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CarPlay Dashboard in iOS 13
The new CarPlay Dashboard puts everything you need on your... dashboard.
Photo: Apple

We’ve already extolled our excitement over CarPlay changes coming in iOS 13. But now that the beta season is well underway, we’ve had the chance to go fully hands on.

After taking it on a road trip, using it while commuting, and exploring the new features, this is our hands-on look at CarPlay in iOS 13.

CarPlay is better than ever in iOS 13 — here’s what’s new

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My cheap Kia came with CarPlay as standard.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iOS 13 doesn’t just mean big improvements for your iPhone. Apple is making some pretty significant enhancements to CarPlay, too, including a brand-new dashboard and better apps.

Some of these great new CarPlay features are long overdue. Here’s everything you can expect from Apple’s in-car platform in iOS 13.

Apple Maps gets turn-by-turn navigation in another key market

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Updated Apple Maps rolls out in Pacific Northwest and Midwest
Enjoy turn-by-turn navigation in India today.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Turn-by-turn navigation in Apple Maps has expanded its reach to one of Apple’s most important markets. Users in India can finally take advantage of the feature when driving or walking.

Apple has also added the ability to book a cab through Uber or Ola from within the Maps app.

Apple Maps suffers widespread search and directions outage [UPDATED]

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Apple Maps outage
Save us, Google Maps!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Good luck finding your way with Apple Maps today.

The service is suffering a widespread outage that is preventing many users from using search or directions. The problem seems to be affecting iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac users around the world, but Apple says all services are operating normally.

UPDATE: As of Friday afternoon, whatever the earlier problem was, this service appears to be working normally again.

No data, no problem: How to use Google Maps offline

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Get your Google Maps to work everywhere.
Get your Google Maps to work everywhere.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac (original image: Jordan McQueen/Unsplash CC)

When you’re out in the sticks somewhere, you might get to a place where there’s no signal. How will you ever find your way home (or to the next party) without your trusty Google Maps app?

Well, with a little foresight, you can make sure Google Maps continues to be useful, even when you’re not within range of cellular data. Here’s how to use Google Maps offline to make sure you never get lost again when your smartphone goes offline.

Note: This tip will work with Android and iOS versions of Google Maps.

Spotify just got a lot easier to navigate

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Spotify
Meet Spotify's new nav bar.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify is ditching its hamburger button for a more familiar navigation bar on iOS, making it quicker and easier to access your music and features like Spotify Radio.

Users in some countries — including the U.S. — can enjoy the changes today.

Google Maps loses its cool when asked, ‘Are we there yet?’

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If you have young children, the last question you want to hear on any long journey is, “Are we there yet?” It’s never asked just once; it’s asked again and again and again until you angrily threaten to turn around and go home, or you plow into a tree.

The question is so infuriating that even Google Maps can’t take it. Ask the maddening question a few times while navigating and you’ll get the angry response you deserve.

Gamify your commute: Waze drops Easter eggs all over the road

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Need to gamify your ride? Waze has you covered. Photo remix: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac
Need to gamify your ride? Waze has you covered. Photo remix: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Crowd-sourced navigation app Waze has got a neat little idea for this coming Easter: little eggs you can drive over while using the app for points (three per egg!) and bragging rights.

So, as you drive down the street, headed to the grocery or picking up the kids, you can maximize your route to get as many egg points as possible.

This fun little promotion is happening now (it started last week) and will last through April 5.

Schwinn’s Mouthy CycleNav Tells You Where To Go [CES 2014]

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The CycleNav: Putting the "win" back in "Schwinn." Photo: Eli Milchman

CES 2014 bug

LAS VEGAS — Remember the Hammerhead? It’s a device that attaches to your bicycle, links to the GPS on your phone via Bluetooth, and guides you along a pre-chosen route by flashing a left or right light when you need to turn.

Schwinn‘s new CycleNav does one better. Like the Hammerhead, it attaches to your bike (via quick release) and flashes an LED light to alert you to an upcoming turn. But it also speaks voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation to you through a speaker, just like your iPhone does.

Sygic Adds A Head-Up Display To Their GPS App

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It’s become horribly obvious that the more a driver fiddles with their phone, the better chance they have of becoming involved in a car accident. But even taking one’s eyes off the road can be problematic — so Slovakian-based Sygic has added a head-up display mode to their iOS turn-by-turn navigation apps that tries to alleviate the problem by keeping the driver’s eyes focused on the road.

Hammerhead, A Heads-Up Display With Flashing Lights To Help Cyclists Navigate

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Ever tried using an iPhone or Android phone to navigate with GPS through crowded streets? It’s pretty difficult, even for a veteran cyclist like me, to split my focus between the road and tiny symbols on the phone’s tiny screen.

Plugging in to a headset to hear turn-by-turn directions sometimes works, but cycling with headphones can also be a pain (not to mention illegal in places under certain conditions).

The answer, of course, is a heads-up display like Google Glass; but until it’s ready, there’s the Hammerhead, a light-powered navigation aid with some other cool tricks up its sleeve.

Here’s How To Cache Your Maps To Access Google Maps Offline [iOS Tips]

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Got a Wi-Fi-only iPad, but want to access a location on Google Maps when you’re out and about in the car? How about looking at your map when the signal on your iPhone isn’t strong enough, or even when it’s non-existent?

Well, the latest iOS version of Google Maps has been updated, and one of the less publicized features is the ability to save locations for access offline. The Android version has had this feature for a while, but this is the first time the iOS one has gotten the ability.

The way you activate this feature is also kind of cute, so check it out.

Skobbler’s ForeverMap 2: Fully-Featured Offline Navigation App With Bicycle Routing

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ForeverMap 2 is one of those great apps that should be a no-brainer download for any even moderately frequent map user. Unlike either the standard iOS Maps app or the Google Maps app, ForeverMap 2 can download and store custom maps on your device — allowing you to use the map and accompanying navigation features even without a wifi or data connection.

Today, ForeverMap 2 has been updated with behind-the-curtain improvements to make it much faster, and it now also includes guide information from Wikitravel. It can even route bicycle trips. Best of all, Skobbler has dropped the price from $3 to free till the end of the day.

Garmin In-Car HUD Connects To Your iPhone Apps

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Garmin has just announced a neat new HUD box that takes the map info from your iPhone and projects it up onto your car windshield. Named after the Paul Newman character in the movie of the same name[1], the HUD is designed to work with Garmin’s Navigon and Street Pilot apps, connecting to the host phone via Bluetooth.

Navigation App Localscope Also Goes Free for The App Store’s Anniversary [Daily Freebie]

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By now you’ve probably caught wind of the short list of great apps that’ve gone free in celebration of the App Store’s fifth anniversary (if you haven’t grabbed these apps yet, take a look now before all the free ends).

Missing from that list of free apps is Localscope, a fantastic navigation and discovery tool that Apple called the best navigation app of 2011.

Hurricane Sandy Gave Navigation, News, Finance Apps A Massive Boost… But Not Weather?

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Use of weather apps actually decreased during Hurricane Sandy.

When Hurricane Sandy left millions of people across the East Coast of the United States without electricity, portable, battery-powered devices like smartphones and tablets were all they had to rely on. Not only did they provide a means of entertainment, but they also allowed those affected by the storm to follow the latest news and weather information.

With that being the case, Sandy had some interesting effects on app statistics. Compared with the preceding week in New York City, use of navigation apps more than doubled, while those in the finance category saw a 74% boost. Photography and news apps also became more popular, while, surprisingly, weather apps remained closed.