Apple Maps has had its fair share of issues over the years, but one of the most disappointing aspects of the service is its lack of directions for those of us who regularly use transit systems to get around. As a resident of New York City, Apple Maps just isn’t a feasible option for me at the moment (even if it did function properly), but according to 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman, transit support is finally coming to Apple Maps alongside the iOS 9 update next month.
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Gurman’s sources say that bus, subway and train route navigation will be the primary upgrade for the Maps app introduced at WWDC 2015 during the keynote on June 8th. The user interface will be similar to the one that was originally expected to launch last fall with iOS 8, before the project was delayed indefinitely.
This will be the first time Maps users will have access to transit directions since Apple dumped Google as the official provider of navigation data for its first-party app. Apple has a lot of work to do to win back users who migrated to Google Maps, but this isn’t a bad start.
Gurman also claims that Apple is hard at work on its indoor mapping project:
Apple intends to update iOS Maps to help users navigate major buildings, offices, and landmarks. While the feature may not go live this year, sources tell us that Apple is already mapping out its own offices in Cupertino. The company has let loose autonomous robots with iBeacon sensors, similar to size to iRobot’s Roomba vacuum cleaners, to collect data for its indoor mapping project.
It doesn’t sound like we’ll be seeing the implementation of this project any time soon, but it’s clear that Apple is dedicated to improving its Maps experience in the long run.
