Apple redesigned its Maps app. Here’s what’s new
(CNN) — Apple’s redesigned maps service has rolled out across the United States, giving users more accurate navigation and “comprehensive views” of roads, buildings, malls and more.
Google Maps and Waze, which are both owned by Google, have long been fan favorites when it comes to maps apps, while Apple has trailed behind.
The company rebuilt the Maps app from the ground up by sending hundreds of planes and cars with custom and lidar sensors over four million miles of the country, it announced last year.
The rollout of the new app began in December 2018 and finally ended Thursday, reaching states like Florida, Georgia and Iowa last. Apple says the new Maps app will come to Europe in coming months. Other countries, including Canada, Australia and Germany, are in the works.
As part of the redesign, Apple Maps added a few features already offered by Google Maps: You can save locations quickly under favorite and use interactive street view, which Apple dubbed “look around.” Street-level images are currently available for places like New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Las Vegas, Oahu, Houston and Los Angeles, and will eventually include other locations as well.
It’s also possible now to create and share lists of your favorite locations using a feature called “collections.”
Before the Super Bowl, Miami is also getting the real-time transit feature, which shows locations of buses and trains alongside arrival and departure times. Apple said it will add real-time transit to more cities over time.
“We set out to create the best and most private maps app on the planet that is reflective of how people explore the world today,” said Eddy Cue, senior VP of internet software and services at Apple, in a press release.
Apple also highlighted Maps’ privacy features, including keeping some user data processed on the device, rather than connecting to the cloud. The company said that data collected by Maps is randomized and the app does not keep a history of where a user has been.