Apple Maps Gets Traffic Data for Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates

Tuesday April 25, 2017 1:35 AM PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple has updated its Maps app with traffic data for major metropolitan areas in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

So far, the new coverage extends to the capitals of the two countries and other heavily populated areas, with more limited traffic information on major highways and thoroughfares also available.


Examples in UAE include Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, and Al Ain, with locations in Saudi Arabia including Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, and Ta'if.

Turn-by-turn navigation still appears to be unavailable in the Middle East regions, which may explain why Apple hasn't added the countries to its iOS feature availability page, but the inclusion of traffic data strongly suggests Apple is about to follow up with live direction information.

The update marks Apple's first visible effort to increase its geographical data services to the Middle East beyond the standard street information and notable points of interest.

(Thanks, Ram!)

Tag: Apple Maps Guide
13 comments

Top Rated Comments

(View all)
Avatar
hagar
33 months ago

Being gay is punishable by death in UAE. Cook will overlook that for money, and then pick up another humanitarian award in a couple of weeks.


Women also don't have any rights. I assume therefore the US government does not maintain any relations with Saoudi Arabia, or buy any of its oil. Ooh wait...
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
Megakazbek
33 months ago

Being gay is punishable by death in UAE. Cook will overlook that for money, and then pick up another humanitarian award in a couple of weeks.

You can either have nothing to do with that country and let this medievality continue to happen indefinitely, or you try to export and spread your western culture and technology and make them absorb western values along with it.
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
canny
33 months ago
Being gay is punishable by death in UAE. Cook will overlook that for money, and then pick up another humanitarian award in a couple of weeks.
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
Creek0512
33 months ago

Being gay is punishable by death in UAE. Cook will overlook that for money, and then pick up another humanitarian award in a couple of weeks.

Tim Cook has lived most of his life in a country where it was illegal to be gay. Lawrence was only 14 years ago.
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
bitfactory
33 months ago
Traffic is most likely light since women aren't allowed to drive there.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
markiv810
33 months ago
I hope Apple makes for India too.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
2010mini
33 months ago

Being gay is punishable by death in UAE. Cook will overlook that for money, and then pick up another humanitarian award in a couple of weeks.


Yeah let's crucify TC for what the UAE does. He should be more like you right and not have any dealing with that country. So I'm guessing you don't put gas in your vehicle or light and heat your home with anything that derives from oil? Or eat and wear any products that gets transported with oil products that come from the UAE?

Yes, yes I'm sure you did all that so you can have righteous indignation against TC.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
Kabeyun
33 months ago

You can either have nothing to do with that country and let this medievality continue to happen indefinitely, or you try to export and spread your western culture and technology and make them absorb western values along with it.

That is certainly the long game. Hope it works. Hard to predict the outcome of "westernization." Look at China and Russia. Embracing capitalism (or some version) doesn't necessarily translate to embracing human rights. Saudi Arabia is driven by the dollar but controlled by Wahhabists.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
Gasu E.
33 months ago

Being gay is punishable by death in UAE. Cook will overlook that for money, and then pick up another humanitarian award in a couple of weeks.


The UAE has a large LGBT community and is the "gay center" of the Arab world. It has an actual gay nightlife scene. That said, homosexual acts are illegal. There are various overlapping penal codes with various punishments; it's true that one does include death, but that is never enforced. The favored punishment is deportation, but imprisonment does sometimes happen; as has, more rarely, "cure" attempt such as forced hormone treatments.


source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
2010mini
33 months ago

There's not really much choice at the gas pump. Tim Cook gets bogus humanitarian awards for god knows what and deals with countries that do not support even basic human rights. Not difficult to see the point that person made.
It's not okay to criticize but it's okay to blindly accept this as business as usual?
You and Tim go way back huh?
[doublepost=1493168713][/doublepost]
You are right you don't endorse the practices, but we can make some money off them!!! Whatever it takes to keep the wheels moving for these awful nations.


no I am pointing out the ridiculousness of going after TC for UAE's society because Apple updated their app. No, I am not TC's biggest fan. I actually have no feelings of solidarity or anything for him. We live in, and benefit from a country that has done equally ****** things across the globe.

Remember the old saying about pointing fingers?
Rating: 1 Votes
[ Read All Comments ]