Having followed (and worked on) the Apple Maps team for eons I’m always intrigued by the pace of Maps releases. Apple effectively has four versions of the Maps app: one for iPhone and iPad, one for Mac, one for Watch and one for CarPlay. As with many home grown Apple apps most of attention goes into the iOS version, although for Maps we’ve started to see more particular attention being paid to CarPlay and Watch.

But if you happen to be anally retentive like me and take your time to dig into the iOS releases of Maps since 2012 you’ll find that the pace of announcements has been positively stuttered:

‘User Impact’ indicates Yours Truly’s opinion on how much the new features affect users, from the apoplectic horror of Maps in iOS 6 to the surprise and delight of the ‘detailed city experiences’ in iOS 15. If you squint at the table above you might start to note a bit of a pattern: a big, impactful announcement generally followed by a couple of years of lull followed by another big announcement.

The last big, impactful announcement was two years ago with the launch of ‘detailed city experiences’:

So perhaps we should prepare ourselves for the next big thing?

I’m willing to bet one of you a dollar that it’s going to be something to do with that newly re-fangled concept that Apple has been plugging: ‘Spatial Computing’.

Some niggly feeling inside me suspects that the next big release of Maps will be for Vision Pro — and it will blow all other mapping experiences out of the water.

I can’t wait to see what comes out of the oven.

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Footnotes

Apple Maps features as announced in Apple press releases for iOS:

For iOS 6 in 2012:

iOS 6 includes an all new Maps app with vector-based map elements that make graphics and text smooth, and panning, tilting and zooming incredibly fluid. New turn-by-turn navigation guides you to your destination with spoken directions, and the amazing Flyover feature has photo-realistic interactive 3D views. Real-time traffic information keeps you updated on how long it will take to get to your destination and offers alternate time-saving routes if traffic conditions change significantly. Additionally, local search includes information for over 100 million businesses with info cards that offer Yelp ratings, reviews, available deals and photos.

For iOS 7 in 2013:

Night Mode in Maps that responds to ambient light when you use it in the dark

For iOS 8 in 2014: no mention of Maps

For iOS 9 in 2015:

In iOS 9, Maps adds support for metropolitan transit systems and schedules, and subway station entrances and exits are precisely mapped, providing every step of your trip. When you plan your trip, Maps can offer a combination of trains, subways, buses and walking, and with the new Nearby feature, quickly see what’s around by searching for food, drinks, shopping and more.

For iOS 10 in 2016:

Maps in iOS 10 gets a beautiful redesign that makes it even simpler and more intuitive to use. Now open to developers with new extensions, apps like OpenTable can integrate bookings right into Maps, and services like Uber and Lyft can make it easier for users to book a ride, without ever leaving the Maps app. Maps is even smarter with new intelligence that proactively delivers directions to where you most likely want to go next, based on your routine or appointments on your calendar. Once a route is planned, Maps can search along the route for gas stations, restaurants, coffee shops and more and provides an estimate of how the stop impacts the length of your trip.

For iOS 11 in 2017:

Apple Maps adds indoor maps for major airports and shopping centers around the world and lane guidance to avoid missing a turn or exit.

For iOS 12 in 2018: no mention of Maps

For iOS 13 in 2019:

All-New Maps Experience

Apple Maps helps millions of people navigate and explore the world, all while protecting user privacy. After driving 4 million miles to rebuild the basemap from the ground up, Apple is delivering a new Maps experience with broader road coverage, better pedestrian data, more precise addresses and more detailed landcover. The new map is available now in select cities and states, and will roll out across the US by the end of 2019 and to more countries in 2020.

Powered by the new basemap and high-resolution 3D photography, a new Look Around feature delivers beautiful street-level imagery of a city with smooth and seamless transitions. iOS 13 brings additional new features to the Maps app, including Collections to easily share favorite restaurants, travel destinations or places to shop with friends, and Favorites for navigating to frequent destinations, such as home, work, the gym or school, with a simple tap from the launch screen.

For iOS 14 in 2020:

Greener Ways to Explore and New Guides in Maps

Maps makes it easier than ever to navigate and explore with new cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated Guides. Cycling directions take into account elevation, how busy a street is, and whether there are stairs along the route. Electric vehicle routing adds charging stops along a planned route based on current vehicle charge and charger types.² Guides provide a curated list of interesting places to visit in a city, created by a selection of trusted resources. Guides are a great way to discover hot new restaurants, find popular attractions, and explore new recommendations from respected brands, including AllTrails, Complex, The Infatuation, Time Out Group, and The Washington Post, among others.

For iOS 15 in 2021:

Explore the World with Apple Maps

Apple is committed to building the world’s best map, and iOS 15 takes Maps even further with brand new ways to navigate and explore. Users will experience significantly enhanced details in cities for neighborhoods, commercial districts, elevation, and buildings, new road colors and labels, custom-designed landmarks, and a new night-time mode with a moonlit glow. This is a whole new way of looking at the world through Maps.

When navigating using iPhone or CarPlay, Maps features a three-dimensional city-driving experience with new road details that help users better see and understand important details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks. Transit riders can find nearby stations more easily and pin favorite lines. Maps automatically follows along with a selected transit route, notifying users when it’s nearly time to disembark, and riders can even keep track on Apple Watch. With iOS 15, users can simply hold up iPhone, and Maps generates a highly accurate position to deliver detailed walking directions in augmented reality.

For iOS 16 in 2022:

Apple Maps is introducing multistop routing, so users can plan up to 15 stops in advance and automatically sync routes from Mac to iPhone when they’re ready to go. Maps is also bringing transit updates to users, making it easy for riders to view how much their journey will cost, add transit cards to Wallet, see low balances, and replenish transit cards, all without leaving Maps.

For iOS 17 in 2023:

Maps adds offline maps, so users can download a specific area and access turn-by-turn navigation, see their estimated time of arrival, find places in Maps, and more while offline. Maps also makes it easier than ever to discover thousands of trails in parks across the United States, and supports electric vehicle drivers with real-time charging availability information.