Google Maps App Updated With New Events Section and Elevation Data for Walking and Cycling Routes - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Google Maps App Updated With New Events Section and Elevation Data for Walking and Cycling Routes

by

Google Maps received an update today that introduces a couple of potentially useful new features, including a new section that lists notable events happening nearby.

The new Events section lives at the bottom of the Explore tab, where users can find a variety of things listed depending on what's going on in their location.

google maps events section
Google says Events that appear in the new section can include everything from late night comedy shows to movie screenings in the local park.

Also new in version 4.57, cycling and walking directions now feature a handy elevation chart, offering users an idea of how much physical effort they can expect to exert for the route in question.

Elevation information has been available for some time on the Google Maps website, so having the data in-app should come as a welcome addition.

Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

flyinmac Avatar
106 months ago
Updated how many times Google's Maps App continually reports back to their servers about your location data that is "anonymous" but continually does so about 13x per minute against your EXPLICIT settings denying the app to do so under Settings> Privacy> Location.
On the flip side... if I deliberately open an app to track my location and give me directions from where I am at this moment to where I want to be, then I do obviously want to be tracked accurately by the millisecond (considering driving speed).

Alternatively, I do suppose you could go with less frequent tracking. Perhaps that’s why Apple maps seems to think I should drive my car into lakes, oceans, rivers, or any other body of water that isn’t actually a road. It does occasionally choose a different destination, like a guard rail, a mountain, or a median.

I use GPS to locate job sites all day long. Apple maps frequently activated accidentally. When I realize that I’m driving in circles or being told to crash the car, I switch to Google Maps.

If I don’t want my activity tracked, I probably wouldn’t be deliberately using a location tracking navigation device or application.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeepIn2U Avatar
106 months ago
Updated how many times Google's Maps App continually reports back to their servers about your location data that is "anonymous" but continually does so about 13x per minute against your EXPLICIT settings denying the app to do so under Settings> Privacy> Location.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
106 months ago
Google maps is really starting to irritate me with its cluttered interface. When I open the app, 40% of the screen is the map and the rest is covered in menus and information I have no need for or requests for information I don’t want to input.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lepertFLA Avatar
106 months ago
I wonder which sources that Google Maps will get the information for "nearby events" and how often the info is updated...?
I agree... we would really like to know how this content is being generated. Is it contribution content or are they looking at people's Google calendars and creating content from that.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeepIn2U Avatar
106 months ago
On the flip side... if I deliberately open an app to track my location and give me directions from where I am at this moment to where I want to be, then I do obviously want to be tracked accurately by the millisecond (considering driving speed).

Alternatively, I do suppose you could go with less frequent tracking. Perhaps that’s why Apple maps seems to think I should drive my car into lakes, oceans, rivers, or any other body of water that isn’t actually a road. It does occasionally choose a different destination, like a guard rail, a mountain, or a median.

I use GPS to locate job sites all day long. Apple maps frequently activated accidentally. When I realize that I’m driving in circles or being told to crash the car, I switch to Google Maps.

If I don’t want my activity tracked, I probably wouldn’t be deliberately using a location tracking navigation device or application.
For your livelihood indeed you need accurate and safe tracking and map routing.

My post was specific to those that don't want to be tracked when the app is NOT in use, specifically closed. I should've been more specific sorry.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
106 months ago
Google maps makes Apple maps look like something from the stone age. With all that money Apple has, you would think they will invest in a half way decent app. Real shame what a joke Apple maps is.
I guess it depends where you live. I continue to hear and believe the horror stories people on this forum tell about Apple Maps. But because Apple invested in surveying my region, my experience is largely positive.

I prefer my Android phones for a lot of reasons, but Apple did such a great job surveying my region right down to backwoods routes that are barely paved. I love the taps I get on my Apple Watch alerting me to when I need to start changing lanes. So it may end up being Apple Maps and not iMessage that keeps me on an iPhone.

I am not fond of driving and I’m absolutely wretched at navigating, so Apple Maps has made a world of difference to a very stressful commute in a region that is an absolute commuters nightmare with traffic problems galore even on the rural routes. When they started transitioning agricultural land to McMansion neighborhoods they neglected to care if existing infrastructure could support the increased traffic. It can’t. So we end up with almost daily accidents that result in cars being shunted to alternate routes causing traffic jams for miles on roads that look like something out of “Deliverance” and by all rights should be nearly empty.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple HomeView lineup feature4

Apple Announces 'HomeView' Smart Home Hub

Tuesday October 13, 2026 6:00 am PDT by
Apple today announced the "HomeView," an all-new kind of smart home hub featuring a 7-inch Liquid Retina display and Siri AI. Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said: Apple HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home yet feel completely personal to each user. It recognizes your face to shift from a household screen to your own experience,...
Apple TV 4K 4th Generation Top View5

New Apple TV 4K Announced With A19 Chip, Updated Siri Remote, More

Tuesday October 13, 2026 6:08 am PDT by
Apple today announced the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, with key features including an A19 chip, Siri AI support, an updated Siri Remote that has Find My support with Precision Finding, built in far-field microphones, support for surround sound with four HomePods in front and rear pairs, and more. The A19 chip in the new Apple TV 4K delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice...
iOS 26 Home Feature

RIP, homeOS

Tuesday October 13, 2026 9:39 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to reveal the name "HomeView" last week, after discovering a trademark filing from a secretive shell company that we correctly suspected was linked to Apple. Apple was likely behind a "homeOS" trademark filing as well, but the company ultimately decided to stick with generic "HomeView software" naming, just like it refers to the HomePod's operating system as "HomePod...
Latest Stories
Apple Calls iPhone Duo Demand 'Extraordinary' After Orders Slip to 2027
Apple Calls iPhone Duo Demand 'Extraordinary' After Orders Slip to 2027
30 minutes ago
New App Store Rules Target AI Deepfakes and Nudify Apps
New App Store Rules Target AI Deepfakes and Nudify Apps
1 hour ago
Didn't Pre-Order Apple's HomeView? Here's How Long the Wait is Now
Didn't Pre-Order Apple's HomeView? Here's How Long the Wait is Now
3 hours ago
Apple's $79 iPhone Duo Case Sticks On With Adhesive
Apple's $79 iPhone Duo Case Sticks On With Adhesive
4 hours ago
Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini Price Increases 'Much More Striking' Than New Features
Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini Price Increases 'Much More Striking' Than New Features
6 hours ago
The MacRumors Show: Was HomeView Worth the Wait?
The MacRumors Show: Was HomeView Worth the Wait?
7 hours ago
Apple Refers to HomeView as 'HomePodDevice' in Legal Document
Apple Refers to HomeView as 'HomePodDevice' in Legal Document
8 hours ago
Apple Pre-Orders Kick Off With First Discounts on HomeView and Apple TV 4K
Apple Pre-Orders Kick Off With First Discounts on HomeView and Apple TV 4K
9 hours ago
Developers Question Scope of Potential Apple Antitrust Settlement
Developers Question Scope of Potential Apple Antitrust Settlement
10 hours ago
iPhone Duo Resold for $5,000 on eBay After Selling Out
iPhone Duo Resold for $5,000 on eBay After Selling Out
10 hours ago
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro With Up to $800 Off
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro With Up to $800 Off
10 hours ago
iPhone Duo is Sold Out for Christmas as Shipping Estimates Slip to 2027
iPhone Duo is Sold Out for Christmas as Shipping Estimates Slip to 2027
10 hours ago
Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now
Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now
11 hours ago
First Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Arrives at Amazon
First Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Arrives at Amazon
11 hours ago
iPhone Duo Pre-Order Deals: The Best Carrier Offers From AT&T and T-Mobile
iPhone Duo Pre-Order Deals: The Best Carrier Offers From AT&T and T-Mobile
11 hours ago
iPhone Duo Now Available to Pre-Order From Apple
iPhone Duo Now Available to Pre-Order From Apple
11 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone Duo Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone Duo Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
14 hours ago
Apple Store Down Ahead of iPhone Duo Pre-Orders
Apple Store Down Ahead of iPhone Duo Pre-Orders
14 hours ago
Oops, Apple's Website Just Hinted at iPad Mini 8
Oops, Apple's Website Just Hinted at iPad Mini 8
23 hours ago
OLED MacBook Pro Won't Get M7 Chips Until Late 2027
OLED MacBook Pro Won't Get M7 Chips Until Late 2027
1 day ago
Apple Pledged $25 Million to Trump's White House Ballroom
Apple Pledged $25 Million to Trump's White House Ballroom
1 day ago
Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Launch on November 6
Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Launch on November 6
1 day ago
New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Health Syncing
New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Health Syncing
1 day ago
Meta and Apple Bring Muse Spark Open AI Model to Mac Studio
Meta and Apple Bring Muse Spark Open AI Model to Mac Studio
1 day ago
iPad Mini 8: Apple Has Tested Both 60Hz and 120Hz ProMotion Displays
iPad Mini 8: Apple Has Tested Both 60Hz and 120Hz ProMotion Displays
1 day ago
Apple TV 4K 2022 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared
Apple TV 4K 2022 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared
1 day ago
Apple CEO John Ternus on Early Foldables: 'Kind of Cheap and Crappy'
Apple CEO John Ternus on Early Foldables: 'Kind of Cheap and Crappy'
1 day ago
Greg Joswiak Says Apple Isn't Focused on Making AI for 'Lunatic Fringe'
Greg Joswiak Says Apple Isn't Focused on Making AI for 'Lunatic Fringe'
1 day ago
Amazon Offers $120 Discount on AirPods Max 2, $50 Off AirPods Pro 3
Amazon Offers $120 Discount on AirPods Max 2, $50 Off AirPods Pro 3
1 day ago
Apple CEO John Ternus Featured on Cover of TIME Magazine: 'New Era'
Apple CEO John Ternus Featured on Cover of TIME Magazine: 'New Era'
1 day ago