Apple Maps Transit Directions Now Live for Hong Kong Residents, Apple Pay Octopus Officially Launches

Apple has updated its Maps app to include real time transit directions and data for Hong Kong residents.

apple maps transit hong kong

Image credit: @HappyETwmc

From today, local Apple Maps users can search for metro train stations, bus routes and ferry piers, and get real time transit information for services. The only limitation appears to be a lack of indoor station mapping.

The metropolitan area is one location in Asia where hints of transit support surfaced months ago. However, Apple's Hong Kong mapping has been a complicated issue because of the administrative region's self-governance and autonomy disputes with mainland China.

As noted by tech blog Ata Distance, ‌Apple Maps‌ actually uses two different map data sources for Hong Kong – AutoNavi map data for mainland SIM iPhones, and another one for non-mainland SIM iPhones. This led to an unusual situation in which transit directions where available to Chinese visitors but not to residents of Hong Kong.

Also today, Apple Pay Octopus officially launched in Hong Kong, just before 1.00 a.m. local time, following a silent rollout that began on Monday. A press event is scheduled to take place at 12.30 p.m. local time.

‌Apple Pay‌ Octopus is similar to ‌Apple Pay‌ Suica with Express Transit – users just hold the top of their iPhone or Apple Watch near an Octopus reader to use, and there's no need to unlock the device or open an app. Even if the device shuts down due to low battery, users can still use Octopus.

Apple Octopus Pay is compatible with ‌iPhone‌ 8 and later devices updated to iOS 13.5, and Apple Watch Series 3 and later running watchOS 6.2.5.

Octopus Cards Limited first announced ‌Apple Pay‌ Octopus would be "coming soon" in July 2019, but the launch was pushed back several times, eventually to "later in 2020" without explanation.

(Thanks, Sean!)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
m4 macbook air pink

Apple Now Selling Refurbished M4 MacBook Air Models

Friday June 13, 2025 3:34 pm PDT by
Apple today added M4 MacBook Air models to its refurbished store in the United States, making the latest MacBook Air devices available at a discounted price for the first time since they launched earlier this year. Both 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models are available, with Apple offering multiple capacities and configurations. The refurbished devices are discounted by approximately 15...

Top Rated Comments

altdimension Avatar
66 months ago

I would tell you the answer to that issue, but it's painfully obvious you didn't actually bother to open the linked apple site and look at the solution to this problem. You should!
This is undoubtedly quite a momentous day for you - the first time you've seen a person on the internet make a mistake.

For anyone else who, like me, can't read - you can top up using cash if you don't have a HK debit/credit card.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
somethingelsefl Avatar
66 months ago
Coincidentally, “Apple Pay Octopus” is the upcoming title of my children’s book.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ncc1701d Avatar
66 months ago

Google Maps is utterly useless in Hong Kong too. Especially the walking maps. It ignores any walkway in Central (of which there are many, used buy millions every day!). So to go from say IFC to QRC they route you over a 1.2km detour instead of the 150m direct straight route. Bus stops are often NOT at all where they are and whole bus lines don‘t stop at the stops listed.
Works fine for me. Uses the over pass walkways. ?‍♂️

no one app is going to be perfect, but Apple maps doesn’t even come close for my needs. I’ve never seen a bus or Tram stop out of place and if so it can be reported as such.

i use HKeMobility app or the citybusNWFB For public transport.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Victor Mortimer Avatar
66 months ago
Just in time to help people escape!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Powermax Avatar
66 months ago

What's the technology for it working if your phone has shut down? When I first read about it, I assumed some sort of NFC thing but iPhone 8 doesn't have NFC.
If you have an iPhone XS or newer it actually still works up to 4 hours after your phone ran out of battery.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
typographer Avatar
66 months ago
I liked the way of using octopus cards with my apple watch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)