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iOS 9's Upcoming Transit Addition to Maps May Be Limited in Scope at Launch

Tuesday May 26, 2015 2:50 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple Maps iOS 8Apple has been working on adding mass transit routing information to its Maps application for several years, and while the feature appears to be ready to debut as part of iOS 9, it could be limited in scope at launch. The transit service may initially be available only in a small number of cities across the United States, Canada, Europe, and China when iOS 9 is released to the public, according to sources that spoke to 9to5Mac.

San Francisco and New York are said to be two of the locations in the United States where transit directions will be available. Both major cities are known for their public transportation options. In Canada, Toronto will likely gain transit routing options in the Maps app, as will London, Paris, and Berlin in Europe. Cities in China will also be included in the initial launch.

Apple is planning to expand access to transit information to additional cities following the fall launch of iOS 9, and cities that the company is hoping to add support for in the near future include Boston, Massachusetts and Tokyo, Japan, among others. Apple will likely work quickly to expand the feature even further across the rest of 2015 and into 2016.

Mass transit routing options have been missing from Maps since 2012, when Apple's native mapping system first replaced Google Maps in iOS 6. Transit directions were initially expected as part of iOS 8, and hints of transit options were indeed found in iOS 8 documentation, but organizational issues and staff shortages allegedly delayed the feature's release.

Apple's acquired many mapping-related companies since it introduced its Maps app, including transit apps HopStop and Embark, and in recent years, the company has also been expanding its in-house routing team as it furthers its work on the transit feature.

iOS 9, with the new Maps transit feature, is expected to be introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8.

Tag: Apple Maps
[ 138 comments ]


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luckydcxx
49 months ago
why is everything Apple does ... "not ready" or "delayed" or "production problems" or "supply constraints"

this is software ... they aren't building a time machine. Hire more software engineers!
Rating: 44 Votes
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sampaul
49 months ago
So you're telling me that Apple, which is worth $700 billion, with probably billions in cash reserves, cannot get transit into their maps for the entire world? I mean why just selected cities? I mean buy a company whose apps are already doing transit mapping and implement them into Apple Maps. How hard can that be? They could have bought a few mapping companies with the amount of money they spent on Beats.
Rating: 19 Votes
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clukas
49 months ago
This is slowly getting quite annoying. Here in the UK we pay a premium for our apple products compared to US and some EU prices, and we don't always get all the features we pay for?
Rating: 19 Votes
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LordQ
49 months ago
Looks like the rest of the world is getting iOS 9 Lite.
Rating: 18 Votes
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576316
49 months ago
Totally sick of Apple releasing new software features which are only available in the US and/or very select areas. They're a huge international brand, they just shouldn't release these features until they can do a much wider launch. Still no sign of Apple Pay in Europe or anywhere else. Don't get me started on iTunes Radio!
Rating: 18 Votes
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cycomiko
49 months ago
>unlock iphone
>app store
>search "google maps"
>install
>sorted
Rating: 15 Votes
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tirk
49 months ago

Quality over quantity.


The irony is strong in this one! :D
Rating: 13 Votes
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576316
49 months ago

Looks like the rest of the world is getting iOS 9 Lite.


As usual.

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I'm guessing this will launch in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds etc around 2025 then :p


Around the same time they release iTunes Radio in the UK. ;)

But 10 years before they release Apple Pay here.
Rating: 11 Votes
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Planey28
49 months ago
I'm guessing this will launch in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds etc around 2025 then :p
Rating: 9 Votes
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576316
49 months ago

Maybe because you only focus on Apple and it appears that way. Happens with many companies often. Take a stroll to CES for once and you'll see how many big companies promote products that are "Not ready"


They're the world's most valuable company and largest technology company, sitting on billions in cash and charging an enormous premium for their products. These issues mentioned should not exist. Hire more workers, software engineers, pay the right people to get the right deals in place quickly. There's really not excuse, I don't think. It's getting more and more annoying and making them look worse and worse.

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Quality over quantity.

Perfection takes time.


I could have believed that in the Steve Jobs days. But is what Apple produces now really that close to perfection?
Rating: 9 Votes

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