Apple Maps hot on the heels of Google Maps with new iOS 15 updates

Apple has just rolled out iOS 15 and has delivered some much-needed updates to Apple Maps, amongst a slew of other functionality improvements. Google Maps has long been the champion of navigation apps thanks to its constant updates and user-friendliness. But could we be about to see things starting to shift?  

Apple Maps, though a capable map app, has always played second fiddle to Google's platform. But with Apple's latest round of updates, iOS users get more elevation data, road colors, rich labels, driving directions, 3D landmarks, and an improved night mode.

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Apple Maps in iOS 15 brings a fresh look to turn-by-turn directions. It’s great for planning your journey, helping you to avoid road accidents, construction work, or even traffic jams. Apple Maps’ new interface is cleaner and simpler, making it easier to read your map notifications when needing to quickly glance at your phone screen.

Apple has also brought significant changes to how you handle the different app settings by introducing a new Preferences section. Before, Apple Maps forced users to alter their method of transportation when asking the app for directions or in finding their favorite destinations in-app. iOS 15 changes this with a new profile page, letting you tweak your travel preferences and storing all your Apple Maps-related data in one place. It's not overly dissimilar to another Google Maps rival, which has recently launched a slew of new features to its app-based navigation service. 

Though Google Maps has offered transit data for some time, the folks over at Apple have taken steps in iOS 15 to refine the iOS Apple Maps transit experience, sending alerts as you approach your stop, and letting users star their preferred routes so they remain pinned to the top of the screen for ease of viewing.

We've got you covered if you're wondering how to install iOS 15 on one of the best iPhone models. The Apple Event has just passed, along with the respective new launches of the new iPad 9 and iPhone 13, so expect lots of innovation over the next few months. There's even the widely rumored 'second event,' which could arrive towards the end of the year, so expect not let up on the Apple news front over the next few months.